Chess anyone?

Jennifer Raley
Cumberland Times-News

July 09, 2006 10:07 am

— CUMBERLAND — Cumberland resident Jimmie Beatty conquered his competitors and took second place at the World Open chess tournament in Philadelphia.
The 26-year-old and more than 1,300 other players from all over the world attended the competition from June 28 to July 4. After nine games, Beatty tied for second place in his rating, which included 230 people, and won $4,000.
“There’s no luck involved — it’s what you know versus what someone else knows,” said Beatty.
Beatty, who has been attending competitions for the past 10 years, began playing chess when he was a 9-year-old student at Cresaptown Elementary School. “I picked up on it by watching other kids play,” he said. “There’s a lot of creativity involved, and I’ve always liked competition.”
Beatty, who is currently in an electrician apprenticeship program, keeps his chess skills in check by practicing between eight and 10 hours a week.
“I like to play on the Internet chess club,” he said.
In addition to chess, Beatty enjoys traveling and sports, especially baseball. He hopes to eventually start a chess club in the Cumberland area.
Because he likes to travel, attending tournaments in different cities is always exciting. He had a particularly good time in Philadelphia. Because the games, which lasted between four and six hours each, were played in the evening, he had plenty of time to explore the city.
“I visited art galleries and museums during the day; the food there is really good, but the most fun was winning,” he said.
Jennifer Raley can be reached at jraley@times-news.com.

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