Last Saturday, I drove to West Kelowna to attend my first chess club meeting. It was a new experience; quite different from what I had imagined. My only exposure to chess clubs before this was through documentaries and movies, which often depict legendary places like the Marshall Club in New York City. This, of course, had a different feel; but in its own way, it was still great.
The club meets in a room at the library. There were no big demonstration boards, no clocks, and no scoresheets; just a group of people, ready to play. And really, that’s what chess is all about.
I arrived a little early, and after a friendly hello, I helped set up a few tables with vinyl boards. Before long, a handful of players arrived.
I was paired with a young boy and we played four games. I won all four, but I complimented his play and suggested a few moves.
Watching him play was fascinating. He was smart and had some genuinely challenging moves but then he would randomly throw in seemingly random moves. I’d imagine a higher-rated player watching me might feel the same way about my moves.
Later, there was an older boy, I’m guessing 12, who clearly had a strong understanding of the game. He was enthusiastically discussing openings with his brother, mentioning the Scandinavian Defense and its variations. At my level, I know what the Scandinavian is but I don’t know its variations or anything like that.
He challenged me to a game, and in our first match, I was playing Black. I overlooked a threat while focusing on my own attack and ended up blundering into a mate. Meanwhile, he was chatting about the Traxler Counterattack, showing a real passion for studying the game. I asked about his rating, and he said 1000. But based on how he played, that didn’t seem right.
Later, I checked his recent tournament results and saw that he had a performance rating of around 1500+, up from 650+ just a couple of months ago! That made a lot more sense. We played a second game, and this time, I managed to hold a draw with White. Very impressive kid.
After that, I played his younger brother, who is also talented but still developing his skills. I was able to checkmate him, but it was clear he had a lot of potential as well.
I won’t lie: it’s a bit humbling to lose to a kid. 😆 But then again, there are young prodigies like Faustino Oro who could beat most players even with queen odds.
Before leaving, I almost got to play against an adult, but time ran out. However, we struck up a conversation and discovered we were both from Italy. We had quite a bit in common, making it a great encounter even without a game.
All in all, it was a good first experience, and I’ll definitely be back.