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player ready...A game of chess at Dolton Public Library is giving players the mind exercises and social interaction many have been missing because of the pandemic, even though the club meets on Zoom.
“It makes it easier to find people with common interests and it’s a way to stay connected, even though we are just pushing wood/moving pieces,” said Jayla Woodard, a sophomore at Thornridge High School, after a recent club meeting. “I enjoy getting to meet new people at different skill levels and learning from then.
“Everybody has a different playing style and it is cool to see things that you would have never thought of,” said Jayla, who is also a member of the Thornridge Falcons varsity chess team at her school.
The club, which meets every other Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for about 30 minutes, is led by Paul Fritz, coach of the Thornridge chess team, in addition to teaching chemistry at the high school. A chess aficionado, Fritz has found a way to draw players in and make them feel comfortable, even as novices.
The club is mainly for youth, but anyone can attend and one older player does. Players often stay even after club time ends for challenge matches.
To get new players comfortable, Fritz puts the chess pieces on the virtual board one at a time, explaining what move each can make. Sometimes he’ll start with the pawn showing where it can move, or the king, showing it has more leeway and can go eight paces, then asking players what their options are.
“You see how encouraged or competitive they are and kind of uniquely go based on the individual player,” he said.
But if the group is more experienced, Fritz might showcase a professional game that was played recently or even 10 years ago, showing various moves and the motivations behind them.
They also learn how to help each other and how to react professionally if they win or lose.
Library staff and participants said the club also offers support for everyone involved during the pandemic.
“It is still a way they are able to discuss with each other, meet each other,” Fritz said. “They’re sitting at home and who knows what social media sites or whatever they’re getting on. Sometimes it’s good for them to get into a competitive game.”
Lillie Byrd, youth services program coordinator at the library got the club up and running with a co-worker in 2016 and, after a lull, restarted it in 2020. She said it also was an effort to bring generations together.
“I remember with my grandpa who used to play checkers with friends, young people would sit down and (everyone) would kind of exchange knowledge and information,” Byrd said. “That’s what I wanted to see happen again, hopefully.”
Byrd’s stepson, who is 30, sometimes attends, as does Fritz’s 10-year-old son.
Byrd said the game is good for the mind.
“It gets your mind involved in strategizing and thinking and anticipating next steps,” she said. “I think mentally it’s very healthy. I really want young people involved because it’s so necessary right now.”
Fritz said the game even has helped his teaching.
“It’s really changed how I’ve done as a teacher because now I see students not just as students,” he said. “I see them outside the classroom. It’s kind of taught me how to interact with students in a different way, which has improved how I’ve done here (at school) and given me an extra chance to show I care about students.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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