Sydney Morris… Middle School Champ!
Birmingham, Alabama is perhaps known more for its Civil Rights legacy than for chess. Chess in Alabama has not met a renaissance although the state has produced several strong players. The lack of such a presence may make it difficult to find models to emulate. However, scholastic chess has blossomed in spite of this fact.
In Birmingham, Charles Smith has been able to carve a niche in helping to foster chess development on the scholastic level. One of his pupils is 12-year old Sydney Morris who recently won the Alabama Birmingham Middle School Championship with 5/5. In doing so, she will represent her state in the Polgar National Invitational July 25-30 at Texas Tech University.
Source: https://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-stories/2010/05/birminghams_sydney_morris_is_s.html
Good work, Sydney ! Hope you do well at the Polgar National Invitational 🙂
Quentin
It’s wonderful to see young girls compete in the mental sport of chess and enjoying it! Good luck down in Texas, but more important have fun!
Congratulations Sydney! Have fun in Texas and Go Girl Power!
Well done Sydney, and all the young people in Birmingham Alabama!!! Naturally Sydney, we wish you well at the Polgar Invitational. Traditionally men have suggested that we are better than women in chess, however times have CHANGED!!! The methods in chess have CHANGED!!! The New Afrocentric Strategy- Transboard Knight, have CHANGED the Game- Um sure Kramnik and Topolov know this by now so the chess world is yours to do as well as you please, without the restrictive ideas of the past!!! I have nicknamed it MY MAGIC KNIGHT in honor of No.32 (Earvin Magic Johnson) cuz when he come down the court you dont know where he goin with that basketball!!! Rajon Rondo gettin good with this too! The top guys are still in the opening studying this knight idea so i was wonderin if you could help me and naka out with this Ultramodern Endgame, white pawns on h2-g3-f3 a4, ke2, ra5 Black pawns on h6-g6-f7, e3, kg7, na6, bd4- Black to play and win! Can GIRL POWER FIND THE SOLUTION? HEHE its a trick! Peace.
Congratulations Sydney! Play well, make good moves and win at the Polgar National Invitational July 25-30 at Texas Tech University.
Good chess students like you are making Alabama chess tournaments competitive and fun – again. Let’s Play Chess…
HI everyone! Thanks for the comments. I actually didnt see this website until my mom showed it to me and I was so excited. This victory has gotten me alot of attention and a little bit of press too. I met the mayor(William Bell) and he awarded me with a medal and his office gave me money to go to Texas. I also got personal spending money from some council members too. I’ve been studying long and hard for Texas. I hope to make my state proud and I know I will. Lionel Davis, I will try to solve that problem and I’ll get an answer back to you. Thanks for the support everybody!
Much Love,
Sydney Morris
Mr. Lionel Davis, I think I might possibly have the answer to your problem. Is it Nc5 by any chance? Please let me know if I’m right or wrong and if I’m wrong, please tell me the correct move and explain it. I spent some time observing this position and you’re right, it is a trick. I think the knight keeps the king from moving anywhere unless he backs up several times or tries to escape by moving through the pawns. Those are valuable moves wasted and black would surely have an advantage from that. Again, please tell me if my answer is correct. I will be looking out for a response. Thanks!
~Sydney Morris
Happy 4th of July 2010 Sydney! 1. Nc7!!! Right piece different square, The Rock on a5 has nowhere to run and nowhere to hide- idea f6 and Bb6, its the afrocentric strategy of the transboard knight in the ending, you always gotta stay one step ahead! If you get a chance check out Uesugi- Simutowe in the current world open hes tackling this idea now , its good to see we finally are beginning to use ideas of our own instead of others in chess! Oh your right Latisha Um no Mason buidler, MasterBuilder! Wazzup Nigel Short UM still here. hehehehe. Peace.
Actually Sydney won the Alabama State Championship not the Birmingham City Championship. She is the States best for 2010 we will see what she can do in 2011. Smile!