KING’S KORNER 267 features
Dean William Brown
(photo by Nell Covington)
As a 34 year member of the ASPCC, 2000 Club co-champion (?!), and Memorial Tournament Secretary, I’ve been asked to introduce myself to the club.
I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1950 into a non-chess playing family of six. Raised in Broward County, Florida I picked up the game while attending Nova High School in Davie, Florida playing informally during free periods on the lunch break patio.
Losing my draft deferment in 1970 while attending my third year at Miami Dade Junior College (North) coupled with a low draft number inspired me to enlist into the Air Force. During Vietnamese Language training at Fort Bliss Texas I married Jean Vietinghoff, my Florida surfer home girl, and 36 years, 2 kids, and a grandchild later, we now live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While at Fort Bliss I joined the USCF and began playing Golden Knights postal chess.
My first (of many) permanent duty assignments in the USAF was at Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan. Between 20-hour missions south to the Gulf of Tonkin as a RC-135 crewmember, I found time to play in a simul against postal master John Kalish who introduced me to the ASPCC in 1972/73. Since then I’ve had the honor of playing many of the club members over the years. My best postal results have been the 2000 Club Co-champion (yes, even a Class B player can rise to this height with serendipitous forfeits and an upset or two), a Wild & Crazy Championship in the 1990s, and second in an Amateur Championship around 1980. I played in many of the ASPCC Armed Forces Championships. I reached my highest ASPC rating of 1814 a dozen years ago, but recent results gives me some optimism that I may reach that level again if I can manage to keep my blunders/typos in check.
John Kalish also introduced me to Over-the-Board tournaments on Okinawa where I earned a 1094 rating by the time I left the island. During 1974 while stationed in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, the USAF, no longer needing its large number of Vietnamese Linguists, gave me the offer of Farsi, Hebrew, Arabic, or an early-out. I took the early-out and returned home to Florida. Awaiting the start of my studies at Florida State University, I stayed a couple of months with my in-laws near Miami. One Saturday morning over breakfast my mother-in-law casually mentioned some master was giving a simul that morning over at the local high school and that I had time to make it over there if I was interested in playing the guy. That guy turned out to be Sammy Reshevsky who somehow managed to beat my Class F level Caro-Kann play.
Since those days, I have become a very active OTB and Postal player and tournament director. My best tournament result was in the recent 2007 US Open where I began play with my 1458 rating and scored a performance rating of 1860; 4.5 points out of 9. I’ve directed tournaments in Florida, Nebraska, California, Western Australia, and Colorado. I’ve also served as Treasurer, President and USCF Delegate for the Colorado State Chess Association and an officer in local chess clubs. My peak USCF rating of 1708 occurred 22 years ago and although I have drawn a Master and three experts in OTB rated play, I am still awaiting my first win over a player rated above 1998.
I reentered the Air Force as a Weather Officer upon graduation from Florida State. I’ve served in various weather capacities at Offutt AFB, Nebraska where I earned a Masters in Atmospheric Science at Creighton University during my stay. I forecasted landing weather for the early Shuttle Landings at Edwards AFB California. I was Operations Officer at the Learmonth Solar Observatory in the outback of the Northwest Cape of Western Australia and supported Space Environment operations out of Peterson AFB, Colorado. I’ve commanded Weather Flights in Panama and at my last permanent duty station of, again, Kadena AB, Okinawa. I retired after 21 years of active duty in 1996 and entered the civilian world of Software Programming. I retired from gainful employment in 2006 (my wife Jean says I’m not retired, only on vacation).
I now enjoy my free time playing chess (of course), compiling genealogy, traveling, hiking the mountain trails of the local Colorado Rockies, and enjoying sports/fantasy sports. The Colorado Rockies (baseball team) brought me great recent excitement with their 21 wins in 22 games to get to the World Series. I was at many of the games at the end of the season including their 13 inning come-from-behind win over the San Diego Padres to clinch a post-season berth and at the two home wins over the Arizona Diamondbacks to clinch the National League Pennant. As for the World Series and the Boston Red Socks…there is always next year for the Rockies. My travel to the recent US Open allowed me to complete visits to all 50 states and I have now visited over 35% of the counties in the US. My travels have brought me into contact with many ASPC players including a pleasant visit with Haskel Sikes last year in Amarillo Texas while playing in an OTB tournament there.
If you are passing through Colorado or playing at the 2008 US Open in Dallas Texas, look me up for some coffee, and yes, chess!
Until then go out (or stay in) and play some challenging chess!
Two games from the 2000 ASPCC Championship Finals W: Hansen, Chris B: Brown, Dean A02 1-0
1. f4 g6 2. Nf3 c5 3.e4 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nh6 5. Bc4 d6 6. 0-0
Nc6 7. d3 0-0 8. a4 Bg4 9. h3 Be6 10. Nd5 Na5 11. Ba2
Bxd5 12.Bxd5 e6 13. Ba2 Qb6 14. Qe1 d5 15. exd5 exd5
16. Bxd5 Rae8 17. Be4 Nf5 18. Qf2 Nd4 19. c3 Ndb3 20. Rb1 Nxc1 21. Rbxc1 Qd6 22. f5 Nc4 23. Rcd1 Na5 24. Nh2 h5 25.f6 Bh6 26. g4 Qe5 27.Kg2 b6 28. Rfe1 Qf4 29. Qxf4 Bxf4 30. b4 Nb3 31.gxh5 gxh5 32. Nf3 cxb4 33. cxb4 Re6 34. Bd5 Rxe1 35. Rxe1 Nd2 36. Re7 Nxf3 37. Kxf3 Bd2 38. Rxa7 Bxb4 39. Ke4 Be1 40. Rb7 Bf2 41. d4 h4 42. Bb3 Re8+ 43. Kf5 Rf8 44. Rxb6 Resigns
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W: Brown, Dean B: Hansen, Chris D34 1-0
1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. cxd5 exd5 7. d4 c5 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Bg5 cxd4 10. Nxd4 h6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Qb3 Na5 13. Qc2 Bg4 14. Nf5 Bb4 15. Bd4 Bxc3 16. Bxc3 Rxe2 17. Qd1 d4 18. Nxd4 Rxf2 19. Qa4 Rxg2+ 20. Kxg2 Qd5+21. Kg1 Nc4 22. Qb5 a6 23. Qxd5 Nxd5 24. Rfe1 h5 25. Kg2 b5 26. h3 Bc8 27. Re8+ Kh7 28. Kh2 b4 29. b3 Nf6 30. Rf8 bxc3 31. bxc4 Rb8 32. Nb3 a5 33. Kg1 Ne4 34. Nxa5 Nxg3 35. Kf2 h4 36. Ke3 g5 37. Nc6 Kg7 38. Rd8 Ra8 39. Ne7 Bb740. Rxa8 Bxa8 41. Nd5 f5 42. Nxc3 Kf6 43. a4 Ke5 44. Nd5 Ne4 45. a5 Resigns
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