Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Chess Champ


When I first met Rendi he was a bright eyed little boy in the second grade. I liked him from the start and thought he was a very smart student. Little did I know he would become the chess champion, not just of the second grade, but also of the school.


During that school year my volunteer friend Tony brought his son, high school student Anthony, to school to start a chess club. I will admit I was a bit pessimistic about the success of having a chess club at StarShine.  Anthony was sure it would work and he was right. Rendi took to it like a duck to water and learned to play chess very quickly. Other children enjoyed playing also and what a picture it was to see the after school kids pouring over chess boards.

Rendi and Anthony connected and he soon became the best chess player, not just among the second graders, but in the whole school – kindergarten through high school.  Not being content with playing chess after school, Rendi began calling Anthony, begging for a chess game over the phone. I understand they had many such games.

It was a sad day for Rendi when Anthony went east to college. Unfortunately, that was the end of chess at StarShine. I was never able to find another volunteer to take over the chess club. Almost every day when I saw Rendi he would ask me if we would have chess again. I really felt that I had let him down.

This year Rendi transferred to another school. I miss him and sincerely hope he has found a chess club and has become the Chess Champ once again.

By Lois Jamieson

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