About Blalocks

REX BLALOCK

Born in Thomson,  Georgia in 1953.

Learned chess at age 10 from a friend but only later in 1972, after  Bobby Fischer

became World Champion he started taking  chess more seriously, studying and playing

 in competitions.

In 1984 he became a US Chess Master. Title given by  US Chess Federation.

He was twice Champion of the State of Georgia  (1987 and 1996).

In 1994 won  The Greater  Alabama Chess Open.

Played team chess for 3 different countries :   Germany , USA  and Portugal .

From 1984 to 1996 won several Chess Tournaments.  He has played all over the

Southeast namely:

Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana and 

Tennessee.

In 1997 moved to Portugal, where he lived until 2011.

In 1999 in Team Competition, playing for Sporting Club won the Cup of Portugal

In 2004 he was the Champion of Lisbon.

He received the title of Chess Master given by the Portuguese Chess Federation in

2005. 

Rex with GM Boris Spassky
Chess Olympiad 2008 in Dresden - Germany

While living in Portugal he also played in several strong tournaments in other European 

Countries:  Spain, France, England, Italy, Germany and Austria.

Chess Memberships

-  Member # 11089739 of US Chess Federation since 1973;

-  Member # 19645 of Portuguese Chess Federation from 1997 to 2010

-  Member # 2016036 of FIDE (World Chess Federation) since 2000

MANDY  BLALOCK

       Maria Armanda Blalock was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1951.

The world phenomenon created by Bobby Fischer’s victory against the Soviet
domination of chess in 1972,  aroused her interest in the game.  


Being a mother of three she didn’t have much time to dedicate to chess.  Only later in life, in 1991 joined a local chess club, became a member of the Portuguese Federation and began playing in competitions.


In 1997 she met Rex Blalock, (that later would become her husband), who started coaching her, which increased her knowledge and brought significant improvement.


In April of 2004 enters in the list of rated players of FIDE (World Chess Federation). In that same year she won the title of Female Champion of Lisbon.


In 2006 took a course of Chess Monitor, Dynamization of Chess Clubs and Organization of Events (Certified by Portuguese Chess Federation).


In 2007 took a course of Chess Arbiter taught by International Fide Arbiter Carlos Dias.

Playing against  GM Garry Kasparov in a simul
Estoril, Portugal 2006

Elected President of Lisbon Chess Association,  from 2006 to 2009. 
Elected Vice President of Portuguese Chess Federation in February 2007.  Resigned in September 2008.


In February of 2007 participated in the European Senior Team Championship in Dresden, Germany as team member and Team Captain. In September of the same year,  played the World Senior Individual Championship in Gmunden, Austria.


In 2008 she was the Head of the Portuguese Delegation to the 38th World Chess Olympiad, and also Captain of the Female Team .  She also participated in the 79th Fide Congress,  as the representative of the Portuguese Chess Federation.


At the end of 2011 moved with her husband to the United States.


Chess Memberships


- Member # 16922 of Portuguese Chess Federation from 1991 to 2010;
- Member # 1904302 of FIDE (World Chess Federation) since 2004;
- Member # 14792451 of US Chess Federation since 2011.