First Youth Chess Day draws hundreds as kids learn lessons, win or lose

photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

RANDOLPH — A fortress of spectators formed around the first table during the blitz tiebreaker, their eyes widening with every quick move of the pieces by small hands. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., stood among them, homing in on Ava Druzgalski, a second-grader from West Brattleboro and the only girl sitting at the finals.

Her mother, Caylie Druzgalski, looked just as focused as Ava did, hands over her mouth and cheeks flushed. The three-minute game flew by, then Ava shot up. “Yes!” She’d won.

It was one moment last Saturday in an event that began five years ago as just an idea. More than 130 students came out to Vermont Technical College for the first-ever Youth Chess Day, an informal tournament organized by Sanders that saw parents, siblings and friends of the players almost completely fill the bleachers in the college gymnasium. 

The event welcomed chess players of all skill levels for a learn-to-play session led by the University of Vermont Chess Club, followed by the tournament for more experienced players in grades 1 through 12 split up in three age divisions. 

“We have to create strong minds in kids,” Sanders said in his opening remarks. Sanders spoke of the importance of getting kids to start thinking and concentrating in an era of instant gratification and quick attention spans on social media. 

But online chess and the success of streamers who play the game has helped get many kids hooked. Chess.com and Lichess.org are among two of the most popular online chess games. Several students played practice games on their smartphones in the bleachers or even as they waited at the board for the announcement to start their opponent’s clock. 

Many kids said they play chess online more than on a physical board because it’s easier and because there’s always an opponent, even if it’s an artificial intelligence. The computer always wants to play, but Michelle Sagalchik, teacher and chess coach in Burlington, said it’s always better to play in person.

Someone sitting right in front of you can help explain mistakes, ultimately making you a stronger player, she said. Hayden Collins, president of UVM Chess Club, believes the same and said meeting people through chess allows kids to improve.

Chess has been booming since the pandemic. Sagalchik said the desire to play chess has exploded this year, and Chess.com numbers have nearly doubled since the beginning of last December.

Shea Winter, an 11th grader at Twinfield Union High School, said no one he knows plays chess. When his schoolwork allows him, he usually plays three 10-minute games a day on Chess.com. After getting more serious about the game during the chess boom in 2020, partially due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Winter is now glad to be able to participate in tournaments like this one. 

“I was desperate to find a place to play chess in person,” Winter said. He travels to tournaments to play and meet people who can help him improve.  

Students like Winter may be able to find more avenues to play in person — the event’s organizers hope its success spurs schools across the state to start chess programs. 

The benefits of playing in person were on full display for the hundreds of attendees that afternoon at Vermont Technical. The event, not ranked by the U.S. Chess Federation, allowed students to take a breather and focus on fun and learning new skills. 

Those skills transcended the chess board. Jonah Johnson, member of the UVM club, taught kids to shake hands before and after each match in the learn-to-play session. 

After the winners were announced in the three age divisions, Sanders reiterated the friendly competition of the day. “No one lost today,” he said. “Everybody won.”

That was the case for Everett Hawks of Woodstock, just 4 years old. Before that day, he’d never played against anyone other than his father, Ethan, and grandfather, Gerry. But there he was, focused at the board and sporting a shirt that read, “I never lose. I either win or I learn.” 

He left the day with two lessons and one win.