Chess wizards make their move

CHECKMATE. Two of the state'stop players under the age of14 just happen to be Fremont residents. Micah Fisher Kirshner, 12, and Tov Fisher Kirshner, 11, students of Weibel Elementary School in Fremont . . ., made a clean sweep at the Young Peoples' Chess Tournament in Berkeley last Monday.

With 67 young chess whizzes competing, Micah came out with a first place and a 3 1/2-foot trophy while Tov placed second and carried off a 2 1/2 foot trophy.

"It was a long, hard day for the boys," says their proud dad. "They played four rounds of chess at roughly two hoursa game--nearly eight hours' worth--before the inevitable happened. Since neither lost a game, they eventually had to play each other."

The final game was a "blitz" match, which Kirshner explained as a timed, speed match. "I couldn't watch," he said. "It was altogether too nerve-wracking."

Although the older sibling eventually edged out the younger, a second place is none too shabby for an 11-year-old beating out 65 other competitors, some as old as14. Tov however, was pretty disappointed. "I had to give him lots of hugs," said his dad.

Alan, who teaches history and western civilization at Ohlone College, coaches 36 Weibel students in chess during his spare time.

The Argus,© February 27, 1994