Down Time: Finding time to relax key to victory in chess

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Zachary Sundt can typically be found reading a few pages of a book before he begins playing a competitive chess match.

"I use that time to take my mind off what will happen," said Sundt, a member of The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College Chess Team. "It’s kind of a little break time."

The schedule for the 2009 Pan-Am Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, at the Sheraton South Padre Island Beach Hotel and Condominiums, has competitors from more than 20 collegiate teams from North America and the Caribbean. The championship ends today.

Some matches during the four-day tournament lasted at least four hours, making for mid-afternoon lunches and late evenings for some players.

"Just going out to eat is fun enough," said David Lee Valdez II, a sophomore member of the UTB-TSC Chess Team from Brownsville.

Valdez said he and other players go over their games, see their mistakes and what moves could have been made after each round.

Players also do some research after each round. While teams find out who they will play an hour after each round is completed, individual players might not know who they will face off with until chess coaches turn in rosters an hour before rounds begin.

Rusty Harwood, UTB-TSC’s chess program director, said players can use databases that keep historical information on competitors’ past chess matches. The players can study their potential opponents’ strategies.

Sundt also likes to play blitz games, which last as little as five minutes, on the online Internet Chess Club after he finishes matches.

"It kind of lets me unwind from the other one (competition)," said Sundt, 19, a nursing major from Brownsville.

Other players try to take a quick nap between rounds or listen to music on iPods.

The final round of the tournament is at 9 a.m. today with the closing reception at 2 p.m. The top four American collegiate chess teams will be announced at the closing reception. These teams will compete in The President’s Cup competition, also known as the Final Four of Chess, to be held Friday, April 9 to Sunday, April 11 at UTB-TSC.

"The last round will ultimately decide where you end up, whether you qualify or not qualify," said Valdez, 19, a biology major. "You don’t want to go home on a loss."

The results from each round will be posted at http://www.utb.edu/sa/chess/Pages/default.aspx.