The 2000 Over-The-Board U.S. Championship for Blind Players
The United States Braille Chess Association, (USBCA), and the U.S. Chess Federation conducted the 2000 U.S. Chess Championship for the Blind during the convention of the American Council of the Blind at the Galt House in Louisville Kentucky. The five round tournament was held from Friday, July 7 through Sunday, July 9. Eleven players participated in the tournament. The tournament director was Steve Dillard, an eighth-grade teacher from Louisville, assisted by long-time USBCA tournament director Tim Just of Illinois.
The winner of the tournament was Jeff Siebrandt of Gonzales, Louisiana who finished with 4 points on 3 wins and 2 draws. Jay Leventhal of Forest Hills, NY also finished with 4 points and split the first and second place prize money with Jeff. Jeff was awarded the first place trophy on tie-break. There was a three-way tie for third place among Henry Olynik of White Plains, NY; Mike Davis of New York, NY and Al Pietrolungo of Baltimore, MD. Henry won the trophy and they each received $66.66.
Other prizes were: Clayton Walker Memorial trophy for the biggest upset: Al Pietrolungo for drawing with Jeff Siebrandt; Class C trophy and $50: Mike Davis; Class D trophy and $50: James Hart of Indianapolis, IN; Class E trophy and $50: Charles Vidunas of Indiana, PA; Class F $50: David Rosenkoetter of Indianapolis, IN and highest unrated player $50: Joseph Wasserman.
We thank Steve Dillard, Tim Just and all the volunteers who helped out during the tournament. We also thank the American Council of the Blind for allowing us to hold our tournament in conjunction with their national convention. The publicity the ACB provided made many people aware of the USBCA and should lead to more members for us, and, hopefully, to larger tournaments in the future.
Here is the win that clinched the championship for Jeff Siebrandt.
For more than 30 years, The USBCA has been promoting chess among blind and visually impaired chess players. We sponsor a correspondence tournament as well as this over the board competition. We have a small library of chess books which can be borrowed by members. Dues are $15 for two years.