David Nguyen

The chess column in today's NY Times has a game played in the U1600 section of the recent National Chess Congress. It is won by the winner of that tournament, David Nguyen. He won all six of his games. His rating going in was 684. His performance rating for the tournament was 1911. He had previously played 11 rated games in 1994. The article states that Mark Glikman, in an email message, wrote that the odds are about "one in a trillion." It also says that "Goichberg said he would also ask the federation to raise Nguyen's rating, which was about 1250 after the tournament. The federation changed it to 1600."Mike Nolan has stated that he has "found evidence" that my rating was over 2000. My rating 'floor' is 1700. It should be 1800. I have been accused of using my 1700+ rating to gain advantage, although I have previously asked the USCF about this, being told it was BC-Before Computer. No one wanted to take the time to do the research, so I let it go. I have now written to Bill Hall, Mike Nolan, and, the man Mike said takes care of these things, Walter Brown, asking that my rating be changed to the 1800 floor. I have heard nothing from anyone, yet Bill Goichberg can ask that this fellow's rating be arbitrarily and capriciously changed and it happens immediately. Why is that?I know nothing other than what I have read in the NY Times, but it seems unfair to this person to be given a 350 point rating boost based on one tournament. Thirty something years ago a young man by the name of Charles Daniel entered a tournament in Atlanta for those rated under 2000, or unrated. It was his very first tournament, and he won it, and the, I think it was $1500, big money in those days, that went with it.In my four decades of playing in USCF tournaments I have seen many players work hard, and play chess that was not rated, and improve their game. Some have won money, in some cases, a considerable amount of money, in each section as their rating caught up with their playing strength. Why should this man NOT be allowed to do the same thing?