GRCC Player Highlight: Will Brooks

Grand Rapids is experiencing a boom in chess! The Grand Rapids Chess Center has over 40 paying members and is rolling out a full-year chess calendar for local players and enthusiasts, while also seeking to draw players from the greater Midwest. Our desire is to make Grand Rapids and West Michigan a draw to competitive players around the Midwest while ensuring we serve our local players first and foremost. It is truly an exciting time in chess on the west side of Michigan.

As we grow we want to highlight our players, games of note, tournaments, events, and more! The GRCC blog will host this content. So, as we launch this we thought no better place to start than with our current 2021 Club Champion, Will Brooks.

Will started the year rated 1821 coming out of a slower period in his play in the previous year. (His previous rating high was into the 1920’s)Through hard work, some new understanding of himself, and a strong competitive drive Will has skyrocketed up the ratings ladder amassing many wins and few losses. On top of that he performed will in the Chicago Class, playing up in the Expert section!

Will’s GRCC tournament success started with the West Michigan Invitational where he overperformed his rating significantly scoring 3/4 in a very difficult field. That success continued in the 5-round GRCC Club Championship. An event with many A and B players playing as the GRCC club is a strong club. This Championship is no joke. Ask Hunter, our 2019 Champion! He won that event scoring 4/4 and a bye. Again, scoring wins over an average opponent rating of 1800+. This didn’t stop Will, as he continued in the Summer Swiss #1 that we hosted in July. Again, will scored 3/3 with a half-point bye scoring victories over strong players in the field.

He scored another win this past week and 2021 is only halfway done! What will happen to him in the second part of the year? Will’s record in slower time control games (G/30+) since 2021 is: 11-1-1 with a loss to Hunter Reed and a draw to Michael Brooks. Here is his tournament ratings page.

Congratulations to Will Brooks on being 2021 Club Champion and also an amazing 1st half of 2021.