By Kathy Chouteau
The Richmond Chess Festival, in celebration of National Chess Day Sat., Oct. 8, had all the right moves, according to the West Coast Chess Alliance (WCCA), organizers of the third incarnation of the event at CoBiz in downtown Richmond.
Nearly two hundred people came out to participate in one way or another in the Chess Festival, said the WCCA, who added that more than one hundred multigenerational chess players spanning the gamut from six to 82 years old took part in the afternoon of competitive fun.
Activities kicked off with casual play and “Bug House,” per the WCCA, which they said is a modified chess game with slightly altered rules. In one standout moment of the tournament, Officer Purcell and Sargent Clark competed against youth who lined up to play them.
“It was a wonderful day for chess in the city of Richmond…The kids were so excited about playing the officers,” said the WCCA.
For community members who are interested, the WCCA is offering free chess classes for youth at the Multicultural Bookstore and Gifts Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.; at the San Pablo Library on Fridays from 3 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. and the Hercules Library the first Wednesday of each month from 4-5 p.m. For adults, the WCCA offers chess at the Richmond Senior Center Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The WCCA is a not-for-profit community-based chess advocacy organization and an affiliate of the United States Chess Federation. Learn more here.
