The Chess Club

The Chess Club of the Senior Center has openings for many members. Men, women, beginners, all are welcome.  The past leader of the club for many years was a woman. (see picture above). The club meets every Monday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the Craft Room. For more details, please call Ben Barsel (434) 293-4121 or inquire at the front desk. See you there !

Playing chess, like playing a sport or a musical instrument, is said to bring much gratification and even inner peace. Once one has learned the rules of the game, one will be compelled to play further in order to improve and develop skills and strategies. The chessboard is a battleground on which pieces from two opposing sides attack and counter-attack each other; they seek to capture the opposing team’s pieces, in order to achieve the final goal of “checkmate”: the capture of the opposing player’s King. However, the moves allowed are determined and limited by the nature of the pieces. Each chess piece can only move in a certain and specific way on the board.

While the King is the most important piece, the Queen is the most powerful, as she is allowed the most freedom in her moves. Bishops, Knights, Rooks and Pawns are used to capture opposing pieces and thereby remove them from the board.  “Check” occurs when a player’s King is threatened, but not fatally.  “Checkmate”  ends the game, when the King is trapped without any chance of escape. The player may concede the game before this humiliating situation occurs, in order to start a new game.

Playing chess helps one to think strategically as it forces the mind to deal with both spatial and temporal configurations. As well, it demands concentration and focus, for the possible sequences of moves are countless. Even though the game of chess has had a long history, nobody can yet claim to having played a perfect game.

Chess helps fight short-term memory loss caused by natural aging*. It enhances patience and stimulates focused attention. If you would like to sharpen your mental skills, why not take up Chess?

* Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly, The New England Journal of Medicine, June 19, 2003.