More than 60 Evanston students are testing their wits and skills this weekend in what is being billed as the largest chess tournament ever.
The students, from all grade levels in Evanston/Skokie District 65 and District 202, will compete with more than 4,500 students at the Supernationals II tournament in Kansas City, Mo. The Kansas City Regional Chess Council, sponsor of the event, claims this is the largest chess competition ever, with the tournament filling a space this size of eight football fields.
For Sarah Fodor, a parent and chess coach at Chute Middle School, the tournament is the culmination of students’ hard work.
“I think it’s good for kids who are used to being the smartest kid in school,” she said. “They have to learn to win and lose with grace.”
Fodor said chess tournaments are serious business. At the sound of the bell, a giant room filled with thousands of students falls silent, except for the clinking of pieces moving across chess boards.
Among the participants at this weekend’s tournament is 9-year-old Ben Newman, son of Ald. Arthur Newman (1st). The younger Newman, who attends Dewey Elementary School, began playing when he was 6 years old and has competed in national tournaments in Kentucky, Texas and Arizona.
“It’s really cool meeting kids from other states and playing them,” he said.
Students from Dewey, Lincolnwood, Lincoln and Orrington elementary schools will join students from Chute, Haven and Nichols middle schools at the Supernationals tournament. Evanston Township High School students also will compete.
Chess clubs at Evanston schools have helped build a strong chess community among students over the past 10 years, Fodor said. Last month Nichols’ team won first place in the state tournament and sixth in the December Nationals tournament in Orlando, Fla.
The rise of chess among Evanston kids mirrors a recurrence of chess chic. About 700 students competed in the state tournament this year, compared to fewer than 300 in 1992. Some New York City schools have even integrated chess into their curricula.
The United States Chess Federation ranks players using a system that takes into account win-loss record and difficulty of competition, among other factors. Miguel Santana, an Evanston tutor, is an expert-level player with a rating of 1,8000.
Eliot Damashek, 12, one of the top players from Evanston, has a rating of 1,233.
Damashek, a Nichols student, will enter this weekend’s tournament after placing first among sixth-graders in the state tournament. Having read several books on chess strategy, played games online and received lessons from a private tutor, Damashek said he has learned more than just the game.
“(Chess) really trains you for things in real life,” Damashek said. “It teachers you patience.”
