Hales Corners Challenge XVI was a great success from my perspective. Darlings! This is the very first time we ever had to SEND YOU MORE MONEY to cover all the prizes won by the chess femmes! Like, totally HOO-RAY!
This has been a very sad time for me, and earlier it was a very trying summer. But right now is also a very happy time. Last night Tom Fogec stopped by and personally delivered to me an autograph of GM Josh Friedel, written on the back of a flyer for Hales Corners Challenge XVI. As you all know, Josh Friedel is one of our few American-minted GMs! I had posted at the Hales Corners Chess Club blog some weeks before wondering if I might be able to get his autograph -- half joking at the time because of course I wouldn't have thought twice about barging right up to him with pen and paper in hand :) Tom also told me that all of the chess femmes got together to have their photographs taken, those who played in the Open, and those who played in the Reserve, and that Allen Becker would be sending those to me. It brought good tears to my eyes.
Those photographs were in my email tonight when I got home from a night-out with those wild and crazy chicks with whom I share bus rides to and from work downtown, five days a week. We are the Rocking Crazy Cougars (or is that Crazy Cougars in Rocking Chairs...), amongst other names, except for "Thelma" because she's only 32 and far too young to be in Cougar territory. But we're teaching her how to hunt...
Oops, straying from the point here! It was wonderful to be with supportive, caring friends. I've had overwhelming support, in fact, and your sympathy and caring have been a life-line during a very dark time. Of course, one does not just wave one's magic wand and get over the death of a dearly beloved friend, companion, husband-in-everything-but-on-paper, not to mention a business partner and key component of what makes up Goddesschess. But with such overwhelming support of friends and fans and sympathetic hearts, one carries on. I'm no doofus. I know when I have it good. As Elie-Mae timely reminded me, these are blessings and I didn't even recognize them, like DOH, Jan! I've been so used to having such wonderfulness in my life, you see.
Okay, enough hokey stuff. Hey, I'm here, I'm one tough broad even if I can't play myself out of a paper bag on a chessboard! Of course that makes no sense to anyone who doesn't play chess...
I love these photos! Thanks so much, chess dudes and chess femmes!
 |
These are the 9 chess femmes who played in the Reserve Section. Oh, me bad. I SHOULD recognize all of you, but I don't -- maybe a wee bit too much wine with those Cougars I went out with earlier tonight... or - and I plead guilty - just a crappy memory.
I DO recognize, on the far right, the beautiful Anne Ulrich (standing, with her hand on the chessboard), and to her immediate left is Pat Foat, who has two chessplaying sons -- hey Pat, good to see you again, sorry to have missed you in person! I do hope we'll have a chance to mix it up OTB at Challenge XVII, but if we don't, let's go out to lunch during the break and schmooze. And next to Pat is my buddy Ellen Wanek a/k/a Elie-Mae, who runs chess programs in Sheboygan, WI. Okay, all the rest of you chess femmes, you're young enough to be my granddaughters. Hmmmm.... Please wear name-tags the next time I see you. In LARGE PRINT, please. Hugs to all of you and thank you SO MUCH for coming out and supporting this wonderful local tournament. CHESS FEMME POWER!!!!
|
 |
These are, of course, the beautiful ladies who played in the Open. Oh - please excuse Robin Grochowski on the left and Tom Fogec on the right. Obviously they are no ladies, ahem. You guys! You crack me up! The chess femmes from left to right: Alena Huang; Rachel Ulrich; Anupama Rajendra; Sandra Pahl. Rah Rah, chess femme power!
|
Woo woo!
Thank you so much, chess femmes. Smooches to all of you.
No comments:
Post a Comment