The Autumn edition of
Florida Chess (the
Florida Chess Association quarterly publication) contained a couple of articles about the death of Gary Sanders, who was the state chess champion on several occasions. I though I'd share the only story of Mr. Sanders I have.
Back in 1986 or 1987, I played in a tournament at the old
Sheraton-Twin Towers Hotel. These days the hotel is known as the
Doubletree By Hilton at the Entrance to Universal Orlando and sits across of Universal Studios Orlando. Back then, it looked like this
and sat across Kirkman Road from a vast empty lot - which explains why it went into bankruptcy.
The tournament was most likely either the Region IV Championships held in June of 1986 or the $6,000 Southern Open held in January of 1987. It didn't occur to my 18 year-old self that I might be interested in the locations of these tournaments over 30 years later, or perhaps I just assumed I would remember.
It was probably the $6,000 Southern Open. I say that because the vast prize fund attracted not one but TWO internationally titled players to the region. And before you laugh at the vast sum comment, realize that $6,000 would translate into roughly $13,300 dollars today, which is in line with the $15,000 guaranteed that the
Continental Chess Association is offering the 16th annual Southern Class Championships in March, and that will attract more than two internationally titled players! (To be fair, there are a lot more internationally titled players now than there were then, and many live here. Back then it was only a mostly-retired Arnold Denker.)
If my old Chess Life Magazines were more easily accessible, I'd dig them out and confirm which tournament it was.
The two titled players were IM Boris Kogan out of Georgia, and GM Roman Dzindzichashvili, out of a different Georgia entirely. Meeting them on the field of honor, as some dead players from the Nineteenth Century might put it, were many of Florida's strongest players, including Gary Sanders.
I'm fairly certain that Sanders was the highest rated actual Floridian at that time. Perhaps someone else can confirm this. Maybe Miles Ardaman was as strong. But if not the strongest player in the state, Sanders was certainly close to it. And there I saw him put on quite a show in speed chess.
Between rounds he had set up shop at a table either in or near the main playing hall, and had started playing speed chess against whoever wanted to play him. Eventually he was trashing other masters while giving time odds of five-minutes-to-three-minutes, and eventually five-to-two. Remember, this is with the old mechanical clocks, with actual hanging flags and everything, no increment, no delay, and no pretense of precision in those last few second. It was quite a sight to watch as a 1600 rated 18 year-old.
At some point this action caught the eye of Roman Dzindzichashvili. Dzindzi was a fantastic speed player, and I have read that he was also a gambling man. So naturally, he sat down to play Sanders. As I recall Dzindzi was giving Sanders time odds of either five-to-three or even five-to-two. And off they went! The rumor in the playing hall the next day was that the two of them stayed up all night playing blitz games, quite likely for money. I never heard who came out ahead, nor can I even confirm that the all-nighter took place. But lots of people in the playing hall believed it! And I can still see Dzindzi hunched over the board in his black leather jacket facing off against the immensity that was Gary Sanders.
Now I'm wondering if anyone else that was there can remember any of this, and perhaps confirm some of the rumored late night activities.
