Chess Is Cool
What’s it like to play chess against ten opponents at a time?
“It’s a lot like having a set of fairly simple math problems in front of you,” Stephen Welt says with a shrug. “Only instead of doing them individually, you solve each one a little bit at a time until they’re done.”
While that Rubik’s Cube explanation may sound tedious to us average folk, Stephen is not average. In addition to his unique penchant for playing multiple players at one time, the longtime member of Charleston Chess Club (he was club champion in ‘09 and is currently ranked 20th in the state), teaches the game at three Charleston County schools and through private lessons.
Like any teacher, he keeps an eye out for those students with both talent and passion for the game. “If you really want to get better at chess, you have to play chess all the time,” he says. “You can’t just play once in a while and expect to improve.”
Beginners are welcome to the club meetings every Wednesday, but don’t be surprised if you catch the chess bug while visiting. These guys love what they do. It can get a bit hypnotic, watching the ever changing patterns of pieces on the game boards as the time clocks are slapped and the players lean forward in concentration.
“I’m a competitive person, so I really get into it,” says Josh Nissenboim, vice-president of the club. “I don’t drink coffee. I do this.”
In fact, that competitive spirit is in abundance at the club right now. They are currently gearing up for the 36th annual “Snowstorm Special,” a competition open for all USCA / SCCA members, which will be held Feb. 5-7 at the Best Western downtown.
The explanation for the name is this: back in 1973, the second year of the chess tournament, seven inches of snowfall in Charleston brought the city to a standstill. In tribute to the chess club’s resilience, they chalked the understandable low attendance of that year’s event up to chance, adopted the name “Snowstorm Special” for the tournament, and persevered.
It’s just part of the oddities those who are passionate about the game shrug off while positioning their pawns.
“My introduction to competitive chess involved naked Russian guys,” Nissenboim says with a laugh (while travelling with his father in the Midwest, they were visiting a health spa when a group of players, fresh from the steam room and still in their towels, challenged him to a game).
The lesson learned: no matter what else is going on, the key to victory is to focus on the game. Through snow storms, ticking time or, evidently, naked Russians.
Story and photos by: Jason A. Zwiker
Add A Comment