Jay's View
REPORT ON PLAY FROM WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2026
I missed another night of play at the club last night. I fell bad first because I left Tournament Director Extraordinaire, David Hanold having to run the tournament solo. And with a great turnout of 21 players, He definitely had his hands full. I hereby offer kudos and apologies to David. But I was also bummed because missing another week of play meant one less opportunity to either hold my position in the standings or move up. My time away was unavoidable this week but you can bet that I will be back next week, ready to run the tournament and to play my best game . . . whatever that looks like. And on a separate note to my advisors . . . I will take my time with both, my checker play and cube decisions.
And now, thanks to the summary I received from David Hanold, here’s what I can tell you about play last night in Winnetka. It was one of the best turnouts for our club this year. It was a wonderful mix many of our regular players, a few of our newest players, a handful of some of our occasional attendees, and one player rarely seen in these parts, Mr. Rory Pascar. Rory is a known top player in the game and throughout the country and runs some of the top tournaments in the U.S. and beyond. That includes the Chicago Open, a tournament that everyone should have on their to-do calendar this coming Memorial Day, May 20 through the 25th. If you’re considering playing in the Chicago Open, our club is a great place to warm up for it.
It seems to have worked for Rory. He played his usual strong game and fought his way through the Main bracket and made it to the final round. Once he got there, he ended up having to split with our club’s top player, David Rockwell because of time constraints. That would have been a great match to watch.
The final in the Conoslation bracket also ended in a split because of our venue’s time constraints. It would have featured a match between the ever effervescent Michael Peters and a player we have missed seeing for quite some time, Jay Spatzek. I’m sure that like the split in the Main bracket, it would have been a lot of fun to watch.
I’ll be back at the club next week and I hope to see another great turnout. You can make that happen by being there. Until then, have a great weekend, everyone!
Jay