We regret to announce the passing of Gary Dorfner in October 2022. See December 2022 NWC magazine.

July-September 2019

Gary reports that "Our membership is growing in leaps and bounds. I have been running tournaments every Friday night."

The Tacoma City and Pierce County Championship was held on July 12, 19 and 26. 20 members participated in this event. The winners were: 1st Larry Anderson, 2nd Paul Bartron and 3rd Lewis Hucks. Class A none. Class B Jerry Morton, Class C Rain Prather, Class D Felix Casteele, Class E Stan Wonder. Pierce County Sr. Champion - Sean Robinson, Jr. Champion - Vaughn Christnan.

The Summer Swiss was held on August 9. There were 12 members participating in this event. The winners were: 1st Mike Adario, 2nd Larry Anderson, Steve Buck, Sean Robinson and James Lawson. Summer Swiss #3 was held on August 16. 11 perticipated in this one. The winners were: 1st Dan Lee, 2nd-4th Paul Bartron, Lewis Hucks, Steve Buck and Gary Dorfner with 2 points each. Summer Swiss #4 was held on August 19. 18 members played in this event. The winners were: 1st/2nd Lewis Hucks and Steve Buck, 3rd Eric Woodleif.

The Tacoma Chess Club Sr. Adult Championship was held on Sept. 6, 13 and 20. 10 players took part in this event. Winners were 1st Larry Anderson, 2nd Jerry Morton, 3rd Lewis Hucks, 4th Lewis Casteele.

Gary Dorfner was the TD for these events. Next up is the Tacoma Chess Club Championship starting on Oct. 4.

March 2019

Hello, Tacoma Chess Club members.

It’s been a long time since you’ve seen your newsletter. I blame myself. Fortunately, Gary’s quiet little reminders every Friday night (“Hey Sean, how’s the newsletter going?”) finally prodded me into action.

It’s been quite a year for the Club, marked by a move to a new site, a memorial for a lost member who gave his life in military service, a hatful of tournaments and as always, the pleasure of casual games.

In July 2018, TCC members joined and supported the memorial service for Bryan Black, a former member and soldier who lost his life in Niger. This event was chronicled in Chess Life, Northwest Chess, and the Tacoma News Tribune, as well as our Facebook page.

We moved in October 2018 from the old site on Portland Avenue to new digs at the Eastside Community Center, 1721 E 56th St, Tacoma, WA 98404. That shift, coupled with a bit of promotion on our Facebook page and a new Twitter account, seems to have sparked an increase in membership. According to Gary, we’re approaching 40 paid memberships, a significant watermark. Some of those new members are young people, coming to cross swords with our veterans. Always good to see new blood!

RECENT TOURNAMENTS

The Northwest Open, held on March 2, was somewhat sparsely attended, but club president Steve Buck snagged top honors, earning three victories without a loss.

In January, the TCC Class and Club Championship concluded with a familiar name at the top of the 17-player list: Paul Bartron took first with 3.5 out of four points. Max Collinge finished second. Larry Anderson won the Class B category.

A BARTRON STORY (about longtime member Paul Bartron) - contact Sean for the full Tacoma Chess Times including this story.

A GARY DORFNER STORY - Gary recently unearthed some rare archival chess material, responding to a request from TCC alum and chess historian John Donaldson. Donaldson had been seeking 1940s-era newsletters from the Everett Chess Club. Remarkably, Gary had preserved the original pages. Seeing them, Donaldson gave full credit and praise: “You have done a magnificent job of preserving Northwest Chess history as your copy of the July 1947 Everett Chess Letter is not in the John G. White Collection. You may have the only copy left.”

NEW MEMBER WITH A RARE FISCHER SCALP - We welcomed a new member in 2018 who has historic credits. Lewis Hucks, a longtime Maryland resident, moved west and now resides with his family in the Tacoma area. He tends to show up on Friday nights. It didn't take long for veteran members to recognize a formidable sparring partner. Hucks, still showing his mettle at 86, has taken our measure. These days, when he shows up, Bartron lurks near his board, hoping for some high-level blitz. Hucks, a one-time state champ, holds the rarest of trophies: a win against Bobby Fischer in only 21 moves. The game was played in March 1964 during Fischer’s national exhibition tour. It appears in TCC alum John Donaldson’s indispensable book, “A Legend on the Road”, a must for every player’s library. (Contact Sean for the full Tacoma Chess Times including the game score.)

December 2018

The Tacoma Chess Club Class and Club Championship was held on all four Friday nights in Dec. at the club. 17 players took part. The winners were: 1st Paul Bartron (Club Champion), 2nd Max Collinge, 3rd Larry Anderson and Eric Woodlief. Class A Lewis Hucks, Class B Steve Buck, Class C Bill Rogers, Class D James McDonough and Class E Gary Dorfner. TD Gary Dorfner.

See past issues of Tacoma Chess Times:

2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016-2017