Maeve Bauer, Spectrum Editor
Cora Perkins, Assistant Spectrum Editor
Chess is a game of patience, skill and quick thinking. Enthusiasts of the game from across Richmond gathered at the Black Iris club and gallery on Sunday to participate in a tournament of one of life’s most ubiquitous games, hosted by RVA Pieces.
It was RVA Pieces’ third chess tournament at the Black Iris — and they have plans for more.
The game of chess has evolved across cultures since the sixth century, first enjoyed in India, then Persia and the world — even in Hollywood on the Starship Enterprise and Millennium Falcon. Chess is as universal as brushing your teeth.
Snuggly located to the right hand entrance of Cabell Library are chess boards for any passer by in the mood for a quick game.
Richmond’s chess scene is quite vast, with a good mix of children, college students and other age groups, according to Spenser Kearns, the president of RVA Pieces.
Kearns’ organization hosts three to four events each week that cater to people of all skill levels. They also play casual games at different bars and breweries, games in parks, lessons in libraries and tournaments at the Carytown Publix, according to Rvapieces.org.
“There’s different kinds of chess players, and some people don’t want to play in a bar and some people only want to play in a bar,” Kearns said.
Kearns touched on some of the social aspects of chess. He met a lot of friends through the club, including his girlfriend.
In the past there have been alternative chess gatherings such as the group Freak Chess who once threw a chess rave. They have been inactive since October.
The tournament
On a quiet, rainy Sunday morning, the dark gallery walls of Black Iris stood covered in works from local artists.
As members of RVA Pieces set up for the game they made subdued conversation and shared anecdotes — less of a club and more of a group of friends sharing their weekend together.
Players in the tournament ranged from elementary-aged children to seasoned players who have been playing since before their opponents were born. A handful of players started out in their youth, including Kearns who has played since he was six-years-old.
The game was not United States Chess Federation-rated and was played in the Swiss system, meaning there were five rounds with no eliminations. There was a chess clock in use, and each game spanned 15 minutes with 10 seconds allotted for each move.
With the game unrated, competitors were playing for the love of the sport.
Chess player and attendee Ethan Halfhide has been playing chess on and off for about five years, but started taking it more seriously this year.
“I like how it’s a good life skill. Like, second-order thinking and stuff like that. It’s a good way to run that,” Halfhide said.
In between rounds, opponents collaborated to examine their games, discuss their strategies and take notes on how they can improve.
Jackson Allen is a second-year mechanical engineering student, a member of the VCU Chess Club and RVA Pieces, said discussing the games afterwards can be helpful for particularly complicated matches, which is his favorite part of the game.
“I like how a simple-looking game with simple enough rules has so much detail and fine print. And I like how there’s endless depth to be explored,” Allen said.
Allen’s strategy focuses on the beginning moves, finding the game easier when you start off the right foot.
The tournament was played in two sections, one aimed toward players that are just starting out, who have a rapid rating under 1,300 on chess.com — a way of categorizing players based on their scores in quick chess matches.
The under 1,300 section ended in a four-way-tie between Liam Rowell, Eli Farley, Luce Mckown-Dawson and Jeremiah Hicks-Whitaker.
Hicks-Whitaker is 12-years-old and the tournament was his first time competing in a tournament. He was introduced to the game by his dad and continued to learn from his uncle. Hicks-Whitaker likes how the game can be played by anyone.
“I like how it’s complicated but it’s also simple at the same time and how almost anybody could do it. It’s not like fighting with boxing where some people just can’t do it,” Hicks-Whitaker said.
Hicks-Whitaker wants to compete again and said he might get sponsored to go to a rated tournament.
The other section was open to all, including beginner-level players. The winner for that section was Noah Oneill, who ranks no.73 in Virginia, according to USchess.org
For those who want to learn the ancient game of chess, RVA Pieces hosts beginner classes at the Main Branch Library, 101 E. Franklin St. It is free and open to all, running from 1 – 4 p.m. every Saturday. Options for private lessons can also be found on their website.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misspelled Jeremiah Hicks-Whitaker last name. The story has been updated with the correct spelling.