3 Airmen take spots on all-service chess team

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SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  Three Airmen will be part of a six-person team representing the armed forces in competition at the 19th Annual NATO Chess Championship Aug. 4 through 8 in Brussels, Belgium.

Master Sgt. Dan Ranario, Tech. Sgt. Robert Bucholtz and Airman 1st Class Elena Dulger earned their spot on the all-military team with strong performances in the U.S. Armed Forces annual Interservice Chess Championship June 9 through 13 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

The Airmen snatched three of the six spots, with the remaining spots going to the Army, Marine Corps and Navy on the all-service U.S. team. 

"I feel very special and privileged to make the cut. Not everybody gets to represent the U.S. chess team," Sergeant Ranario said. "I like the challenge. I consider it a sport."

Sergeant Ranario said he is preparing for the international competition by practicing at home, playing online games and reading chess books.

Sergeant Bucholtz earned his spot on the team with a third place finish at the interservice tournament.

"It is a great honor to be on the U.S. military chess team. I have been playing in the military since 2002 and qualified twice, with one year off due to a deployment," Sergeant Bucholtz said. "I'm thrilled to have made it this far again as the Air Force and interservice level tournaments are extremely competitive, due to the depth of strong players in each. I'm looking forward to making a strong contribution at the NATO Championship -- hopefully the team can take a medal this year."

Airman Dulger took second place with five wins and two losses for the tournament. According to tournament officials, Airman Dulgar will be the first woman player for the U.S. Armed Forces Chess Team.

"I just recently got my U.S. citizenship and getting a chance to represent United States Armed Forces Team means a lot to me not only as an enlisted person, but also as an American citizen," Airman Dulger said. "I am very grateful and honored to be on the team." 

This year, the championship brings together the best military chess players from 17 NATO countries.

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