Depression, Colorado. A man was killed Wednesday when his postal chess opponent discovered that he was using a computer to generate moves in their game. It appears that Peter J. Starky, 66, a long time Depression resident, was stalked and murdered by Richard A. Pendergrass, 39, from Branson, Missouri, because Pendergrass suspected Starky of cheating in their postal chess game.

Darby Slug, Depression's Chief of Police, was interviewed and said, "It appears that Mr. Starky was taking a hot bath when Pendergrass, who had earlier stolen Starky's laptop from inside the house, plugged in the computer to an outside outlet, and threw it through the bathroom window into the bath tub, killing Starky instantly." Pendergrass then fled on foot and was apprehended outside of Maxi's Internet Cafe, a local establishment specializing in quick coffee and internet access for citizens of Depression. Mr. Morton Gigly, who was working in the cafe at the time, noticed that there was a gentleman, later identified as Pendergrass, outside who was jumping in the air and shouting, "Score one for mankind! Checkers may be solved but Chess will never be!." Gigly then called the police who apprehended Pendergrass shortly thereafter. Slug said that Pendergrass confessed immediately to the crime of murdering Starky, muttering under his breath something about, "I wonder if the game will be adjudicated now."

Dean Novicesky, Pendergrass' court appointed attorney, thinks that the contents of Mr. Starky's hard drive on the lap top computer should be closely examined for evidence of computer cheating. He opined, "If the game in question was being played in an organization which has banned computer use, and the deceased player was using a computer to generate moves in his game with my client, well, there would be grounds for a strategy of self defense."

Meanwhile, Pendergrass remains in the Darkwood County Jail, pending an initial hearing, which is scheduled for Friday. He is scheduled to undergo psychiatric testing at Cook Hospital on Thursday.

Starky is survived by his Cat, Chess; his four thousand book chess library, twelve PCs and laptops, and his lovely wife Mabel, who was visiting relatives in Omaha at the time of the tragedy.

Frederick Bishop, The Free Depression Press

Frederick Bishop, The Free Depression Press, is a fictional chess journalist created by John C. Knudsen in 1999. Similarity to any person, living or dead, is purely a coincidence. Frederick Bishop is also the author of My Chess Legacy, which can be downloaded at the Knudsen Edition E-Books site: http://www.ebook.echoz.com/

This story appeared in the December 1999 issue of Chess Mail, http://www.chessmail.com

John C. Knudsen is a Senior International Master (SIM) of correspondence chess.
He is also the founder of CORRESPONDENCECHESS.COM (1996) and the Editor of this syndicated article feed.

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