BROOKSVILLE – Conrad Lapp stares at the board, taking inventory of the pieces at his disposal and weighing every possible outcome in his mind. 

Moving his rook to the queen’s spot, he smiles, knowing the game is his. 

“Checkmate,” he says as he moves his queen beside his opponent, 12-year-old Carson Shirk’s king. 

The two shake hands as Shirk concedes the game, and they reset the board to go again. 

The game between the two is taking place in the gym of Noxubee County High School, as others like it are happening around them because the school is the site of the first chess program for the county. 

The Brooksville Beautification and Resource Committee hosted the event to help introduce members of the community, especially young people, to the game. 

“Some people say, ‘This is not beautification.’ But to me, it is,” said Merrie Felder, committee president. “When we enlighten our youth, we are beautifying the world.”

The event was being conducted by Chris Baker, vice president for the Mississippi Chess Association and founder of the Scott County Chess Club, an organization similar to the one Felder wants to form in Noxubee County. 

Baker brought packets along to send home with those in attendance, hoping to further their interest in the game. 

“We’re giving them that initial information to take and do with it what they want. … Some people want to just play casually,” he said. “Other people do that, but they also get seriously into tournaments. It’s just however far you want to take it.”

As Baker stands in front of the students, explaining the different pieces and the ways in which they can move, 8-year-old Jalisha Mosley listens intently. 

“I’m excited about somebody teaching me how to play,” Mosley said. 

She said she plans to keep practicing the game and even encourage her classmates to join in on the fun. 

Where Mosley has never played chess before, Shirk and Lapp have, and are using the program as an opportunity to improve their skills.

“I thought it was pretty cool,” Shirk said. “I hope it will help me to play chess a little better. Conrad and I are in the same grade, so in our spare time, we play chess.”

Baker said there is not an age limit on chess, and he encourages people of all ages to give it a shot. 

“It’s about introducing anybody to the game,” he said. “It’s not just for kids. Chess is for anybody.”

While the turnout was somewhat low Saturday, with about 10 players total, Felder said it was what she expected. 

“It’s OK,” she said. “I’m not discouraged. We are looking to have another one, probably in the fall. We’ll try it again.”

She said it is tough to plan events such as this one during the school year when sports are in season. 

The group rewarded those who came out though. Participants were awarded with a certificate upon completion of the program as well as a chess set. 

Chess and life

Baker said he loves doing programs like these because it helps him spread his love of the game throughout the state. 

“As vice president of MCA, one of my pet projects is to push chess into areas of the state as much as we can, to get it going,” he said. “Wherever people invite us, wherever there’s an interest, we’re trying to get as many people involved as we can.”

He equated chess to life, and said it can teach many lessons that carry over. 

“It is so important to teach the value of thinking before you make your move,” Baker said. “That’s the same thing as in life. It can translate to life because every move you make in life can have an immediate consequence, negative or positive.”