Night before the Ogden Scholastic Tournament

As you can see, we made it safely.  All the kids that came are wonderful examples of kids.  They keep me entertained and look after one another, they are polite, thankful, and spend their time doing kid things.  I feel slightly guilty having them sign a Code of Conduct that the athletes sign.  After all, what chess player would spend their free time smoking alcohol and drinking marijuana?  My players were in the pool and on their xbox within 5 minutes of entering the hotel.  We went to eat and then played chess.  What a great evening!

Of course, the middle school team became raucous as soon as we arrived and they drew first blood on Desmond as he was wrestled into something near the pool.  All the boys look like they should be tired with all the scrapes and scratches, red, blood-shot eyes, and large red welts from belly flops.  The girls hung out watching and wading with suspicions, but the boys were interested only in one-upping one another.

After much debating and discussion, the high school boys persuaded me to drive them to a downtown area that featured a surfing wave park, climbing gym, indoor sky diving, Cinema 13, and several eating establishments.  Of course I brought a chess board and played a game with myself wondering, "what would Bobby Fischer do?"  I showed Hunter some safe openings:  the Scotch, the Petroff, and the 4 knights.  Colby Guisasola and Riley Clark explored tactics with me.  The city square we sat in had a gas-lit fire, typical of the resort mountain towns around here. Ogden was a bustling city at 9 pm and Alex and Andrew noticed that Ogden sports many lovely ladies!  We stopped at Farr Ice Cream Parlor and indulged in ice cream instead.  On the way to the car, Andrew, Curly, and Colby tried to catch a stray kitten that was dodging them under cars.  I think I might have kept it if they had caught it.  It escaped behind a dumpster.

During this time, Lynnet and Darwin stayed at the hotel to swim and then went to the hotel grill to eat.  Curly vetoed the grill earlier as it was "old people night" and the restaurant "smelled like old people."  I get his drift as old people do have a unique odor.  Lynnet verified that indeed there were a lot of old people there.  Max Mihalic stayed in the hotel and ordered Chinese Take-out.

After every kid piled into the weight room for more frolicking, the kids broke out chess boards.  Max practiced with Riley C. and Chris Ellis, Andrew Uriarte, Alex Bates and me played a chess variant called doubles chess (a board shaped like a star that all four players play on at the same time).  Of course the middle school boys jumped back in the pool.  By 11:00, everyone went to their rooms, some asleep immediately without any prodding from me.  I hope they dream about their games tomorrow.

Team Members:
Darwin Porth, Kindergarten
Dylan Porth, 5th grade
Katie Patterson, 7th grade
Desmond Porth, 8th grade
Riley Neel, 8th grade
Riley Clark, 8th grade
Hunter Frye, 8th grade
Jake Whitlock, 8th grade
Colby Guisasola, 9th grade
Max Mihalic, 9th grade
Alex Bates, 12th grade
Andrew Uriarte, 12th grade
Chris Ellis, 12th grade

Most people just don't get it

Once again, chess takes a hit on the sports issue.  One of my chaperons for the Ogden scholastic chess tournament was chastised about chess not being a sport or supported by the school.  For years we have been traveling to local tournaments in good-standing with school district support.  This time, however, I have some girls going so I solicited a woman (teacher) to chaperon the girls squad and one of the administrators suddenly decided that the school "does not support chess as a sport and she would have to take a personal day."  This upset my chaperon and I began to ponder.  I wonder if BPA, choir, the art club, the environmental club, or the Amnesty International Club (which has teachers, incidentally, in San Diego at a conference financially supported by the school district  with guest teachers), encounters these continued battles over their field trips?

Earlier today, a colleague of mine was complimenting me on my dedication to working with chess kids at lunch and after school.  I realize his intention, but he continued and said, "How do you find the time?  I spend all of my extra time trying to help students do better or finish their senior projects."  Does anyone find this sort of an implied negative to what I do for the school?  Do I just play chess or games with the kids?

The good news is that I approached the administrator and explained that it is an early out school day (1:30 pm) and we were leaving at 2:00 pm and so there really shouldn't be a problem and no guest teachers would be needed.  I immediately was confronted with "the contract day ends at 4 pm."  But, I said I already asked the Principal and he said it was o.k.?  The "early out day" then came back into the conversation and everything suddenly cleared up.  It all seemed to work out the way it needed to but I still think there is a resentment or an anti-chess sentiment in folks that see chess as "just a game."  Consequently, I will continue to educate everyone about the value and importance of chess in the lives and education of the kids I serve.  But, it does fatigue me.

Death By Chess - Oct. 31

Executioner Barry Eacker

Chess play began at 9 p.m. in the Rosenau Funeral Home and Cremetorium until 2:30 am in Twin Falls. The G/13 tournament was sponsored by the Idaho Chess Union under the auspices of executioner Barry Eacker, and the din of very bad horror films of the cultish-order would make anyone a zombie. Apropos to play like a zombie!

At about 1 am!

This unique tournament attracted 18 sick and demented chess players from as far away as Boise, Caldwell, and the Wood River Valley. In fact, our chess club brought 7 members. Andrew, Shane, and Curly showed up in their buffalo wings costumes (after winning shirts in a hot wings eating contest early that evening).  Jake Whitlock - a beer keg to wash it all down. Taylor, Desmond and me were, in fact, zombies. Patterson's were present - Kevin dressed as "Kevin", Katie looked like the bride of Frankenstein(?), Abderhalden's too - Rickey was a ninja, and Katie looked like someone got mad at her chess abilities. She's good! I asked Barry who the new, really ugly girl was, but it turned out to be Johnny Seekamp dressed up as a really ugly girl.

Des and Jake

Andrew and Curly begin play, round 1

Des and Katie Patterson

Everyone's games suffered a slow and tortured existence - I hung so many pieces, including queen's in two games, that my chess game took on the appearance of a mass suicide that would make the caretakers of the establishment thrilled for all the business. I think I murdered more pieces than the movies did! Chunk's of wood were hitting the floor and my poor chessmen were impaled, forked, skewered, and pinned as if I didn't know what a tactic was. Andrew, Curly, Taylor and me managed to win half our games with 4.0 pts. each, however. Desmond, 2.0 pts., Jake, 2.0 pts., and Shane, 0.5 pts.

Shane and Rickey Abderhalden

Prizes
Scary DVD movies:
1st - Katie Abderhalden
2nd - Barry D. Eacker
3rd - Ricky Abderhalden
4th - Jeffrey T. Roland

Taylor Walton and Katie Abderhalden

Table Ornaments:
5th - Fred Bartell
6th - Taylor Walton
7th - Daniel S. Looney
8th - Andrew Uriarte
9th - Kevin Ness
10th - Johnny Seekamp

Johnny Seekamp and Daniel Looney

Chess and Basketball as Sport

Happy National Chess Day, Oct. 9

Our little 12 player National Chess Day Tourney

President Gerald Ford set October 9th, 1976 aside as a day "To give special recognition to a game that generates challenge, intellectual stimulation, and enjoyment for citizens of all ages."  For the 2010 ICA Wood River Progressive Weekend, it was exactly that.  The 2nd annual Wood River Weekend was held on October 9 on National Chess Day.  The tournament attracted 8th grade scholastic players up to the usual, and much older ICA Crowd.  There were challenges for the players and the TD.  Not to mention the intellectual stimulation provided by the games and the contestants.  

Winner Jeff Baggett (4.0 pts.)

The tournament boasted a unique time control that "progressively" got longer as the day wore on.  Round 1 was G/30, Round 2 was G/60, Round 3 was G/90, and Round 4 was G/120.  I think that most players liked the games getting progressively longer, however, I noticed it was difficult for most to make the jump from the 3 hour games to the 4 hour games as most were finished within 2 1/2 hours. After trying to figure out how to upload the tournament for rating with the USCF, it was decided that this would be the last rated time control of the sort.  The weather and views were beautiful on Saturday and as players gathered at Wood River High School, players were reminded of the other activities available in between rounds - the Trailing of the Sheep Festival.  It certainly seemed like fall as the games started!

Trailing of Sheep Festival

For me, Round 1 placed me against Chase Hutchinson and I solidly won.  Chase is an up-and-coming freshman in our chess club and is already learning a lot about chess tactics, however, he needs to pay attention to tactics used against him.  Discovered attacks and pins seemed to be the main problem for his game against me.  In Round 2, I played a very strong game against Jeff Baggett, with an even end game, me in a better position, but Jeff with tempo.  I came under time trouble as the flag began to lift and edged toward the final fall.  I lost the game as I hurriedly tried to gain tempo and a flea carcass holding the flag up.

Play chess online

In game 3, I was able to win against Kevin in another solid game.  Against Sean Manross of California, an experienced international player, I fell apart and never had a chance due to really bad moves on my part.  And I mean really bad moves!  I don't think I put one piece in an optimum position during the opening.

Sean Manross comes all the way from California to play in Idaho tournaments

Chase Hutchinson gets his first taste of non-scholastic chess

Kevin Patterson gets a draw in Round 2 

##	Player	ST	Rating	1	2	3	4	Score	Prize
1	Jeff M. Baggett	ID	1606	W7	W6	W2	W5	4	1st Place Cash
2	Sean Manross	CA	1809	W3	W5	L1	W6	3	2nd Place Cash
3	Nick Jon Bruck	ID	1041	L2	W10	W9	W7	3	1st Student Trophy
4	Fred Bartell	ID	1645	W9	D8	L5	W11	2½	3rd Place Cash
5	Barry D. Eacker	ID	1600	W10	L2	W4	L1	2
6	Adam Porth	ID	1229	W11	L1	W8	L2	2
7	Taylor Walton	ID	802	L1	W11	W10	L3	2
8	Kevin R. Patterson	ID	1270	W12	D4	L6	D9	2
9	Katie Rae Patterson	ID	979	L4	W12	L3	D8	1½	2nd Student Trophy
10	Desmond Porth	ID	685	L5	L3	L7	W12	1	3rd Student Trophy
11	Chase Russsell Hutchinson	ID	Unr.	L6	L7	W12	L4	1
12	Jake Whitlock	ID	Unr.	L8	L9	L11	L10	0

1st place $50-Jeff Baggett(4.0), 2nd place $38-Sean Manross, 3rd place $25-Fred Bartell, 1st place trophy Nick Bruck, 2nd place trophy Katie Patterson, 3rd place trophy Desmond Porth.

Nick Bruck plays Sean Manross into the endgame

Bullet Chess

Slacker

I have been a very busy slacker lately.  Maybe I will get to posting when things calm down.  School is underway and the chess club is clambering for a meeting, but I am coaching WRMS boys soccer and have little time after school nowadays.  We will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 13.  Club will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays thereafter.

National Chess Day on October 9 and to celebrate I am planning a Wood River Weekend Progressive tournament, however, this will be our kick off.  Please see the WRHS Chess Club website and experience our new calender and chess club video.  Our facebook page is still underway and we have lot's of great ideas to get things rolling.  We are planning a car wash to raise some funds as we are $290 in the red. Also we want to earn some bread for our planned tournaments.  Our highlight of the year will be if we can get a team to the National High School Championship, April 29-May1.  If you have some extra money laying around, please donate!  I am going to build comrade-ship by taking the club to a ropes course.

This year I plan to bug the administration to allow a 1 credit elective Chess Class for next year.  With a bit of planning, we just might get it.

My next post is going to address on-line cheating.

What in the . . . ?

For a mere $120,000 . . .(click here)

The Bob Dylan Show III

August 17, 2010

Desmond vs. Me and Bob Dylan

Deer Valley, Park City, Utah

(And happy anniversary to my lovely, patient, and tolerant wife!)

Another side of Bob Dylan concerts


Set List:

1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
2. This Wheel's on Fire
3. I'll Be your Baby Tonight
4. Things Have Changed
5. Under the Red Sky
6. Honest With Me
7. Tangled Up in Blue
8. Cold Irons Bound
9. Masters of War
10. Highway 61 Revisited
11. Nettie Moore
12. Thunder on the Mountain
13. Ballad of a Thin Man
14. Like a Rolling Stone
15. Jolene
16. All Along the Watchtower

The Dylan concert trip was a hoot!  We arrived at the venue around 7 pm and seemingly had horrible seats, however, this proved very wrong.  The people at this concert were very nice and we could walk up to the stage front several times from our base in the back of the crowd.  The people were so nice, in fact, I observed a woman give an extra ticket to some young men begging to "throw the bums a dime" on the way in.  The lady was in her prime (once upon a time)!  There were no searches and I had to ask somebody to take my ticket, even.  We were able to bring a cooler of beer and wine in with snacks for the kids, as well.  Much better than $5/beer at the other places.  The people were so nice down there that we were able to walk right up to the front to take pictures of the band and Bob.  Those pictures are precious and will be cherished forever.  Lynnet wants me to build a wall so we can display some of them.  Even Bob Dylan seemed to be quite relaxed and laughed frequently with his band members and the crowd.  I have a picture of that.

Bob Chuckles

And we have dozens more!

The night was indeed a special night, my anniversary to Lynnet.  Too bad I couldn't request one of the songs at our wedding, the most beautiful love song ever written:

Wedding Song by Bob Dylan

I love you more than ever, more than time and more than love
I love you more than money and more than the stars above
Love you more than madness, more than waves upon the sea
Love you more than life itself, you mean that much to me

Ever since you walked right in, the circle’s been complete
I’ve said goodbye to haunted rooms and faces in the street
To the courtyard of the jester which is hidden from the sun
I love you more than ever and I haven’t yet begun

You breathed on me and made my life a richer one to live
When I was deep in poverty you taught me how to give
Dried the tears up from my dreams and pulled me from the hole
Quenched my thirst and satisfied the burning in my soul

You gave me babies one, two, three, what is more, you saved my life
Eye for eye and tooth for tooth, your love cuts like a knife
My thoughts of you don’t ever rest, they’d kill me if I lie
I’d sacrifice the world for you and watch my senses die

The tune that is yours and mine to play upon this earth
We’ll play it out the best we know, whatever it is worth
What’s lost is lost, we can’t regain what went down in the flood
But happiness to me is you and I love you more than blood

It’s never been my duty to remake the world at large
Nor is it my intention to sound a battle charge
’Cause I love you more than all of that with a love that doesn’t bend
And if there is eternity I’d love you there again

Oh, can’t you see that you were born to stand by my side
And I was born to be with you, you were born to be my bride
You’re the other half of what I am, you’re the missing piece
And I love you more than ever with that love that doesn’t cease

You turn the tide on me each day and teach my eyes to see
Just bein’ next to you is a natural thing for me
And I could never let you go, no matter what goes on
‘Cause I love you more than ever now that the past is gone

I'll be your baby tonight!

My chess game for the concert was with Desmond.  With all the distractions and Bob singing "close your eyes, close the door, Adam should resign, he shouldn't play annnyyymoorre" - I just had to after hanging my queen!

I forgot to close the garage door!

In Jackson Hole we attracted some college age spectators, in Boise we had some older gentlemen, and here in Park City, a little boy from Turkey named Kaan.  Funny how little kids are not afraid to ask to play.  So Desmond and Kaan played, however, his mom wanted more of a tutorial.  Des showed him some basic openings and how to avoid some common traps seen in scholastics.  They were so nice, I hope to hear from them again.

Our new Turkish friend!

Play online chess

The fun didn't stop there!  We were staying at the Westgate on a deal that I secured by agreeing to sit in a time share sales pitch.  The saleswoman really made timeshares more understandable compared to the others I have been to.  The Westgate is a nice resort with nice people, nice rooms, and nice facilities at the base of The Canyons ski area.  They even had a giant chess set that was occupied every time we went to the pool area.  We were able squeak a game in.  We spent some time also watching the games that others were playing.  Kids vs. kids, kid vs. dads, kids vs. moms.  But never a Mom vs. Dad game?

Even Pawns must hold a grudge!

We then went to a SLC Real Soccer Game at the new Rio Tinto Stadium.  Unfortunately, I left the board in the car so no soccer chess game.  Good thing I did anyway because it was a very active game with 2 red cards and several yellow cards.  I would have blundered easily.  The Real won 2-1 against a team from Panama.

Real Salt Lake

We had a great time playing chess, watching Bob, swimming, camping, watching soccer, playing other games, hiking around Jackson Hole, Boise, and Park City.  More trips should be like this.

The Bob Dylan Show

August 15, 2010:  Darwin vs. Me and Bob Dylan

Boise Concert

Darwin is age 5 and only got these pointers from me:
1.  "I think there is a better move" (when he was going to develop his white bishop on move 4).
2.  "I think there is a better spot for your queen"  (he was going to move it to e3 on move 10).
3.  I provided his strategy to win.  "promote one of these pawns"
4.  He needed help seeing checkmate.
I think I like his thinking!

Play chess online

Boise Set List:

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

Love Minus Zero/No Limit

Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)

Just Like a Woman

Rollin' and Tumblin'

Tryin' to Get to Heaven

High Water (for Charlie Patton)

Forgetful Heart

The Levee's Gonna Break

Blind Willie McTell

Highway 61 Revisited

Workingman's Blues #2

Thunder on the Mountain

Ballad of a Thin Man

Like a Rollin' Stone

Penitentiary Smoke Stacks

What a fabulous night.  The venue was an old Penitentiary that was converted into a pseudo-garden with old buildings and pieces of the guard wall still in place.  We sat in the grass in a section that had a large maze built out of the jail's bricks and had a  great view of the stage.  As Darwin and I played our game and listened to Bob, the sun sank and ignited the horizon with brilliant orange fading to a soft pink.  The half moon rose over the stage and during the last song a shooting star fell just as Bob hissed "how does it feel?"  Oh wow!

Like A Rolling Stone

August 14, 2010:  Dylan vs. Me and Bob Dylan

Jackson Hole

Play chess online

Jackson Hole Setlist:

Leopard-Skin Pill-box Hat

To Ramona

Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again

Just Like a Woman

Rollin' and Tumblin'

I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)

Ballad of Hollis Brown

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll

Cold Irons Bound

When the Deal Goes Down

Highway 61 Revisited

Spirit On the Water

Thunder On the Mountain

Ballad of A Thin Man

Like a Rolling Stone

Jolene

All Along the Watchtower

A pre-concert chess game

My Painting (A woman from Florida wanted to buy it)

See, I really did paint it!

Darwin's Art Work - "Stacked Rock-pieces"

They are Bison (not Buffalo) or Tatanka

As we rolled into Jackson after a beautiful day of hiking, sight-seeing, frolicking, and producing art, we were all excited for the first of three Dylan concerts.  On the way to the concert, we saw a badger, pronghorn, bison, and several birds of prey.  After purchasing the requisite lattes, we arrived in the venue and sat down for a pleasant evening with Mr. Bob Dylan.  I think the cold kept the crowd rather docile and the people around us were really nice.  We really enjoyed this concert and returned to our Gros Ventre campground site.

If I could only get to play chess with Bob Dylan . . .a dream would be ful-filled!

More Summer Fun!

Mount Heyburn on the south side of Redfish Lake

Darwin gets in on the action
Now we are heading to the Teton's for a Bob Dylan concert in Jackson Hole, then on to Boise for another at the Boise Botanical Gardens, and then off to another in Park City.  My goal is to play a recorded game at each venue.  See you soon!

Chesstoons

Compliments of a friend.  You can see a more comprehensive selection of cartoons at The Chessnut on the gallery page.

Join Chess Club Video

As I get ready for school to start, I thought I would make a "join chess club" video for our school.  Chess is cool, chess is hip.

Great day for a chess adventure!

I guess we need to try the roller-coaster thing next?

"That scorpian on my shoulder!"

Here is a great company with some great people that work them.  Anyone traveling on the Salmon River near Stanley should try Dave out.  They make great lunches and provide a fun and safe trip for the whole family (including 5 year olds!).

The River Company, 

PO. Box 250

Stanley, Idaho, 83278

208-774-2581

1-800-398-0346

“Never resign. There's always a chance your opponent may drop dead before he mates you.”

Al Horowitz

The 2010 ICA President's Cup July 31-Aug 1

Twin Falls ID

Nicholas Brown of Boise wins Prez Cup.  Outrated but not outplayed as 2.0/3 earns the Cup.  Paul Edvalson wins small blitz event 6.5/8

Final Four

• Nicholas Ross Brown      2.0/3
• Hugh S Myers            1.5/3
• Barry D Eacker           1.5/3
• Tom R Booth              1.0/3

Blitz

• Paul F Edvalson         6.5/8
• Fred Bartell               4.5/8
• Glen Buckendorf           1.0/8

results are a courtesy of Idaho Chess Union.


My performance was horrid with only one draw in the qualifying rounds (G/29).  I arrived late for the first round, unbathed, unfed, and not looking forward to playing and I ran out of time. My second game produced a blunder with less than 2 minutes remaining on my clock, I still ran out of time.  In the third game, I listfully played Katie Patterson and gave up lot's of material for a true loss.  After some lunch and a refreshing latte, I played Kevin Patterson to a true draw and lost my final round to Kurt Douglas after wrecking him.  Of course, time pressure crushed me and I made some mistakes in my under 30 seconds of play which caused me to lose on time again.  Blah!  I guess I need to play more blitz or to play in longer game controls only.

Backyard Chess Table

One of my summer projects excited me quite a bit.  I am no mason, but I learned much about pouring and dealing with concrete.  I was originally thinking about making one of the Washington Square chess tables that attract tourists, homeless, and chess gurus, but settled on my own design and ideas.

The finished product.

We also needed some shade from the relentless Sun Valley sun and a structure for the grape vine to crawl over. The patio stone is 2000 pounds of 3-Rivers rock purchased from a local mason and the river rock was found by my children and me.  They charge by the pound.

Pansy.

I transplanted a number of irises and bought some good-looking and cheerful pansies to satisfy my sense of a garden.  Two small white Spirea bushes garnish the sides.  I also planted some beans, radishes, and lettuce as this used to be our food garden.  I planted three tomato plants and they froze the night I planted them! Strawberry plants line the back of the gazebo.  In the above photo, you can see the garden swing and the chess table which account for the furnishings.  I tiered the backside with rail-road ties that were laying in the back alley.  I know strawberries like a raised garden.

Tamp the heck out of the cement to get rid of air pockets.

The Opening.

First up was creating a solid post.  I was going to use a sonna-tube, but they cost $30+ and I settled for making a square post.  Level the sides before pouring.  Masonry rule #1:  don't use old or recycled wood to build your form.  After pouring nearly 200 lbs. of ready-mix post concrete into the form, the wood gave way and split allowing the concrete to spill out.  Masonry rule #2:  tamp the crape out of the wet concrete to dispell the air pockets.  In the end the split formed a seam in the post length.  The post required 2 1/2 bags of ready-mix concrete which I mixed in a bucket and successively poured into the form.  The form is about 8 inches below the surface of the ground and I pounded a piece of t-post (large metal rod for fencing), down through the center of the form before I began dumping the concrete in.  I went to a local metal-works shop and had them bend 3/8" steel rods in an L to add to the table support (cost $8).  Ree-bar bends and supports but it gets brittle at the L and might snap during bending so I used a solid metal dowel.  Pour some cement in the hole after the post is dry to add support.  It took a couple of days to dry before I removed the form.

The post.

The middlegame.

I had to make the table base out of two pieces of plywood and fit them around the post about an inch down.  The top was 24x24 inches.  The sides of the form were made of 2x4.  I also wired a section of old fencing to further support the table-top.  Don't forget to make sure the table top is level!  The concrete was a ready-mix, however, it was not your plane post-mix.  I ordered Super 5000 concrete mix.  The top took one 80 pound bag and poured 3 inches deep.  While it was wet, I pushed 1 7/8-inch tiles into the cement for the black squares.  Masonry rule #3:  pre-measure the tiles!!  Masonry rule #4:  pre-layout the board and make it centered.   Because I assumed they were 2 inch tiles as advertised the "7/8" amounted to the board being a whole inch off-center.  Oh well, there is extra room on one side for a clock and a cocktail, now.

Support the base before you pour!

More supports.

To prevent the two pieces of plywood base from buckling under the weight of the concrete, I added some cross-beams to support the bottom of the table before pouring the cement.  The table is 27 inches above the ground and the concrete chairs are 18 inches high.  A great butt size is 11x8 inches.  On retrospect, I would have made the stools about 20 inches.  That way you would look more down at the table, rather than at my opponent.  The garden chess table is more for social play, however, so it turned out fine and I love looking at my wife across from me.  Soon I will have alternate opponents.  The chairs were made from a rectangular form.  The forms were set up so that 4 inches are underground.  I used some ree-bar in the center of the form to add some more stability to the seat.  Additional cement was poured into the outside portion of the hole as I did with the post.  I pressed some extra tiles into the top of the seat, where your ischiums would be.  Pea gravel from the alley feels good on your toes because playing chess in bare feet is nice in the summer.  It also goes nice in between the patio rock.

End game.

I used green concrete stain to unify the whole structure and to highlight the board.  On the gazebo is a solar night light that shines directly down on the board after sunset.  This way, Lynnet and I can play while watching the stars.

Checkmate.

I have played 12 games on my new board and have won every one!  Now I will spend my time on e-bay looking for a nice marble set that I can leave on the board to endure any weather.  I hope this helps or inspires someone to build their own backyard chess table.

My chesssst.