Tulsa Chess Club Members Test Their Skills

Young Tulsa chess players playing "blitz" chess, where each player has only five minutes to make all their moves.

By John Cope

On Friday night, the Borders bookstore in south Tulsa is a bustling place. The bookstore is home to a local chess club. When I visited this chess club, I found a relaxed atmosphere that was also filled with latent energy.

This chess club resists the stereotypes that have developed about chess in popular media. While one might imagine a chess club being populated by mostly older gentlemen, kids and teenagers make up about half of the players in Tulsa.

The younger kids give the club much of its energy, as the excitable children roam around looking for people to play or competing against each other in matches of speed chess. With about 20 players at the club on this particular Friday, it was not difficult for anyone to find a game.

I talked with many of the chess players. Ed Boyle is a strong player who has been attending this club since it moved to Borders. Boyle talked about how well the kids in the club play.

“Some adults come in thinking because they have played for so long and can beat everyone in their family, beating kids should be easy,” Boyle said. “Twenty minutes later they are often walking off with their tails between their legs.”

I decided to give this evaluation my own test by playing one of the highly touted young players. We played a speed game in which each of us had only three minutes to make all of our moves. I fashion myself a reasonably good chess player, but in this game I was soundly thrashed.

The club members were not the only ones who had good things to say about the club. Katrina, a Borders employee, said that Friday night is the most interesting night of the week.

“Getting to know the chess players has been enjoyable,” Katrina said.

I found the club to be relaxing and an interesting place to test one’s skills against some good chess players. As much as I enjoy a good bookstore, at this store the chess club gives the place a different level of interest and variety.

I get thrashed by a young chess whiz in a "blitz" match. (Photo by Matthew Griffin.)

John Cope is a TU junior from Tulsa. A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School, he is studying history and working on a certificate in journalism studies.