By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Winning a state chess title this month in Detroit stoked Theron Hunt's confidence for his next turn at the table in May in Minneapolis.
Billed on a cover of Chess Life magazine as the "richest chess open ever," international grandmaster Maurice Ashley organized the $500,000 HB Global Chess Challenge, where Hunt has his mind set on winning $20,000.
Hunt has steadily built on each success in his first year of competitive chess, winning first place in Dowagiac at the annual Labor Day tournament at Walter Ward Park.
Oct. 16 he picked up another trophy in the Universal Action! Quads/G-30 in Warren at All the King's Men Chess Supplies.
The U.S. Chess Federation member returned to Warren's Universal Mall Dec. 11 for the 2004 Michigan ACTION! Championship and came away with another trophy and $100 for winning his section.
In all, 58 players took part, he said Thursday.
Hunt said the format follows five timed rounds in which a player must face five opponents.
He didn't falter when he lost in the first round to a man formerly from Yugoslavia.
He prevailed through the next four pairings, including a draw in the third 30-minute game with a higher-rated opponent.
Perhaps his biggest challenge presently is "it's hard to find competition" to keep his game sharp, said Hunt, who practices by playing a program on his Palm Pilot. He's also taken on a "trainer" who by day is a strategic planner for the University of Notre Dame.
Wins accumulate rating points and advance players to higher levels of play, so they can't "sandbag," Hunt said. After starting from zero last year, he competes in the 1,600- to 1,800-point range.
One of America's best players, by comparison, is more in the range of 2,600 points. Hunt had his photograph taken with him, but the film was damaged during development, much to his dismay.
The father of four said he wants to take his family to Minnesota and make a vacation out of it.