Chess and Community

 Chess and Community

Heads-up: I get a little bit into the weeds here with some personal history, so this blog post reads a little bit like Matthew Berry's Love/Hate column. If you're so inclined, I'd love for you to read the whole thing! But if you're someone who prefers to skip down to the fantasy implications of Berry's Love/Hate, then you'll want to scroll down to the end! -C

I mentioned a long while back that I was in the process of setting up a Root board game tournament. COVID-19 has really screwed with that timetable, so while I'm still in the process of planning it, I haven't been working on any concrete details. This came about because I got pretty deep into a Root obsession during the pandemic when the app was released. But also, my work has been community-oriented for the past decade+. There are often instances in which I'm trying to figure out how I can take a hobby I enjoy and apply it in a way that better serves the community that allows me to enjoy that hobby.

In the case of Root, I thought a charity tournament for animals might be fitting (given that the game is about different animal factions going to war with one another). So I contacted the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park (located near STL) to inquire about the possibility of using this event as a fundraiser for them. I also came up with a format that will allow for players to donate real dollars to see benefits within the tournament. Finally, streaming the event should garner more donations.

I mention all of this because I think there's so much we can do for our communities through the things we love. Which brings us to Buffalo and chess. I spent 6 years living in Buffalo, NY before I moved to STL. I never had any intention of living there, but my parents moved there from Long Island just before I finished college. So I figured I'd mooch off of them for a year as I worked and saved money before getting my own place in NYC to pursue acting. Simple enough, yeah? Except I got incredibly lucky and landed a solid job that let me get my own apartment and pursue acting in Buffalo. It was only several months before I was cast in my first production at Theatre of Youth and I had an absolute blast. I was cast in several shows that year and every indication was that I'd continue to be cast. So I decided to stick around for another year.

Each and every year, I planned on leaving. But things were going so well that I kept putting off my departure; there were brand new opportunities every year that kept me in Buffalo. I was hired as the Director of Drama at SUNY Alfred. I picked up a quick acting gig with the education troupe for Shakespeare in Delaware Park, which led to me writing original scripts for them which led to me running the troupe. Lots of shows. I am lucky that I got so much from my time there. Not the least of which were my friends. Two in particular exemplify kindness, thoughtfulness, and fun in ways I wouldn't fully appreciate until I had a couple more miles under my wheels.

Not enough mileage that my tires are bald, but certainly enough that my head is! Hey-oh!!

I met Allison during my time at SUNY Geneseo. At the time, she was dating a man I consider to be my brother, otherwise, I'd very likely have missed out on her wonderful friendship! We just didn't run in the same circles otherwise. She was kind enough to take me in after I was hired as Director of Drama at SUNY Alfred, but before they gave me a place to stay. I've always enjoyed her company, plus, staying with her meant more role-playing of Scion with her and her friends there! One of the friends who joined us was Colin, who would later become her husband. These two people are an absolute joy to be around. The thing is, it's easy for me to imagine how easily I might have missed them. I think it is relatively common for one to think of the "significant other" of a friend for as long as the relationship lasts instead of ever making the transition to thinking of that person as a friend, too. I wasn't supposed to stay in Buffalo in the first place! Had I not, I wouldn't have been working at SUNY Alfred. If I don't work at SUNY Alfred, I don't know that I ever meet Colin because I don't know that I stay in touch with Allison. It all would've been my loss had things unfolded differently! But we've all lost contact with friends for no reason other than distance and time. Just a fact of life and living.

I mention all of this because I've been fortunate enough to learn and grow alongside Allison and Colin, and it's been nothing short of extraordinary sharing in the joys of their growing family and endeavors. I say this because Colin has a new endeavor that I want to share with y'all. I'm going to share some of his words and the link, but look forward to having him write up a guest post about it all as well!

"I have founded a non-profit dedicated to growing chess in the Western New York region.
I'm very excited to start building on this and plan to host international tournaments here in Buffalo.
If you're interested in helping out, please contact me, or consider becoming a donor!
All donations are fully tax deductible at NYS and federal level!
We also accept donations of chess equipment, including learning tools.
If you or an organization you are involved with are interested in sponsoring or hosting events, please reach out, I'd love to speak with you.
If you are involved with a local chess club, consider becoming affiliated so we can help you with your efforts!"

Donate here!

I've always loved chess, though I've never been particularly good at it. But I enjoyed the time I spent in chess club while in elementary school and I continued to play as I got older. I think there are so many benefits to playing, whether casually or competitively. Luckily, other people have known the same thing to be true and done studies to support such a conclusion! Here are some of the conclusions drawn:

• Playing chess improves test scores in students and increases excitement about coming to school. This is particularly true of younger students! Evidently, even teachers who taught chess reported increased excitement about going to school!
• When looking specifically at what skills were increased in light of chess education, reading and math leap to the forefront.
• In one study conducted in New Mexico, math scores increased by as much as 7% from chess education alone. But compare that to the 28% increase garnered from playing chess competitively!
• Chess has also been found to increase creativity.

In short, playing, learning, and teaching chess have academic benefits as well as cognitive benefits. And while I'm sure a lot of us didn't need studies to *know* that to be true, it's great to have data that backs up that intuition.

I know not everyone who reads this lives in Buffalo, but I think there are some instances wherein supporting community anywhere is supporting community everywhere. This is one of those instances. In the time I've known Colin, I've always known him to be responsible (especially when it comes to finances!), thoughtful, and thorough. The man has a tendency to look at something that works well and say, "It can always work better!" And then he sets about improving a thing that already works just so that it can work better. And it's never enough if it works *just for him*; he wants things to work for everyone. He's got big plans and this non-profit is just the start of those plans.

One of the things I've repeatedly asserted is that games can be a fantastic way to build community and Colin is putting that into practice. Let's help him grow chess in Buffalo!