My Chess Story
Smalltown, MidWest
My hometown, Knightstown, IN (population a whopping 2,000), is most famous for having a unique tourist attraction - the Hoosier Gym, the on site filming location for the greatest basketball film of all time, "Hoosiers." Growing up in a Midwestern small town has a lot of great benefits. I rode my bike all over the place, and I played lots of pickup basketball, football, and Super Nintendo/N64 with my friends and cousins. But before I had the liberating freedom of a bicycle, I would spend a lot of time at my parent's antique mall. If you have ever been inside of an antique mall, then you know it is not a place for elementary aged kids to run around and play. I would pass the day engaging in quiet activities like watching VHS movies on a 12" TV, reading the various children's books scattered throughout the store, or play games on my parent's desk top computer.
My oldest exploring the hallowed Hickory floor
An Old Computer Chess Program
One fateful afternoon I booted up Windows95 to play some games. Minesweeper became boring. FreeCell grew dull. And Solitaire was frustrating. There was a game I had not yet played, and it was Chess. I cannot remember the specific program that the old computer had. It was either some version of ChessMaster or WinChess. I do remember that you could change the theme of the board. You could play with Staunton pieces, Man Ray pieces, or, my personal favorite, Dungeon pieces. The dungeon set had goblins for pawns, actual knights, and menacing looking queens. Being a kid who loved Zelda, I was hooked on the pageantry of the game.
Me and a Big Staunton King
Gone but Not Forgotten
I gradually learned the rules by playing against the computer. I learned the tricky en passant rule, and how to castle on both sides of the board. I would play my friends in chess, and I would win. Unfortunately, I was not exposed to the width and breadth of chess. I had never heard of opening theory, and the guy who sold books in my parent's antique mall did not carry any books on chess. My tiny school did not have a chess club. I mean, it is Indiana. Until Peyton Manning came to Indianapolis, the whole state was obsessed about basketball. Reggie Miller was our hero, and the Hoosiers vs. Boilermakers rivalry game was essentially a holiday. March Madness fury could be experienced every Friday night at your local high school's basketball gym. Chess culture was completely non-existent. Other hobbies took over my free-time (music, video games, movies, etc), and my interest in chess waned.
Love Rekindled
Fast-forward many years (elementary school -> adult with a job, wife, kid, living in Virginia) to September 2015, and I see a coworker playing chess on chess.com in his cubicle. I remember playing chess on DSL internet (kasparovchess.com was the website I believe) well over a decade ago, but I had no idea such a rich platform existed for chess. I became hooked. I dived into lessons, tactics trainer, and YouTube for lessons from the St Louis Chess Club and other excellent instructors. We had a knockout chess tournament at work, and I earned second place. I was not satisfied. I have always been a competitive person (I loved MLG Halo back in the day), and chess began to scratch that competitive itch. I kept learning and playing online.
Some Progress
Growing Chess Roots
When my wife and I relocated our family of four back to Indiana I started a chess club, Greenfield Social Chess Club. Playing longer games regularly over the board really improved my game and strengthened my resolve to play some tournament chess. Our club started meeting at the local library, and we have reached out to the homeschool community to bring their kids for monthly group lessons and weekly casual play. My hope is that our smalltown in the Midwest will be a place that fosters an appreciation and love for the beautiful game of chess.
The Next Generation?!
