D-M sergeant wins 2008 AF Chess Tournament

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jamie L. Coggan
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Tech. Sgt. Robert Keough from the 563rd Operations Support Squadron won the annual 2008 Air Force Chess Tournament at the D-M Community Center here May 9.

Fourteen active duty Air Force members from around the globe, including two members from D-M, competed in this year's tournament.

Sergeant Keough is among the top six players from the Air Force who will advance and compete in the inter-service tournament which will be held here in June. There will be six players from each military branch.

"Watching a beautiful chess game or even a move is like art to me," said Sergeant Keough. "I look at chess the way an art concierge would look at "Starry Night" or "Mona Lisa."

Aside from just enjoying the game, Sergeant Keough is able to travel around the world to compete. He has been to Poland, Germany, France, England, and has competed in many stateside tournaments as well.

Sergeant Keough started playing chess when he was a young boy, and then realized he was good at it. He has won the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization championship three times.

"I am so thankful to my supervisors for letting me go to the tournaments," he said. "Everyone has to work twice as hard in order for me to be there, and they still provide so much support."

The day after the final tournament, an award ceremony was held, where Col. Kent Laughbaum, 355th Fighter Wing commander, gave a speech about chess. "Chess is like war, and they are not here to play a game, but to win" he said.

"For him to take the time to come out there was awesome. A lot of times people don't really care about chess" said Sergeant Keough. "His speech really made it feel like he understood us."