I was introduced to chess in 1968 by reading GM Larry Evans' chess column in Boy's Life magazine. When America's attention turned to the Bobby Fischer - Boris Spassky World Championship in 1972, I was all in and never looked back. I played with 2 friends in high school, then the Michigan State University club as an undergrad. I won my first rated tournament in the Unrated category, the Grand Rapids Hex, in the early '80's. I played many Grand Rapids and MCA tournaments, with the best result being a heartbreaking loss of the Class B state title by tiebreaks in 1991 (4.5/5.0). I enjoy correspondence chess and have played in 2 Golden Knights tournaments. For several years I coached the Lowell Middle School Chess Club helping novice players learn openings, tactics, and strategy. My highest OTB rating was 1783, Correspondence 1830. I'm currently at my OTB rating floor of 1600, but estimate my current ability at closer to 1400. Hence I seem to find a lot of times I'm placed in upper sections beyond my ability. But I still love the game.