On the Road to Foxwoods
By Michael Atkins   
March 18, 2008
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Grand Pequot lobby, Photo Michael Atkins
It's amazing how travel changes at different times of the day. I left Baltimore around 3:30am for the Foxwoods Open (March 19-23) and breezed over the George Washington Bridge with at most a ten-minute delay around 6:30am. Had I left an hour later, it would have taken me two more hours.

Getting up here leisurely allows one to check out the local scenery. The beautiful town of Mystic, two stops earlier on I-95, harkens back to the old days with its beautiful aquarium and seaport. Or at least to the days of a young Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza.

Last year, the new MGM Grand hotel had just broken ground adjacent to the Grand Pequot tower. It now looks completely built, in action and this furthers the "Land of Oz" experience when Foxwoods pops up in the middle of nowhere.

Chessplayers will not start playing until tomorrow  though some may be here now, trying their skill at other forms of entertainment. Be sure to check out the details posted on the CCA website and linked to at the www.foxwoodsopen.com website. Throughout the tournament, results, pairings, games and photos will be posted there. There might even be small videos if the technology works out.

Jonathan Hilton will provide Chess Life Online with reports, Elizabeth Vicary and I will post photos. Games will also appear on Monroi's site. Last year Jesse Kraai won his final GM norm at the Foxwoods Open and I'm expecting another exciting year of Foxwoods chess.