Saxonburg’s 1st chess tournament teaches skill, sportsmanship
SAXONBURG — The young kings and queens of strategy overtook the Saxonburg Chess Club’s first tournament Saturday, making for a fun-filled day of good sportsmanship and learning.
Packed inside South Butler Community Library were more than 30 eager participants from kindergarten to 12th grade with one thing in common: a love of the game.
“The goal is to find kids who are interested and love chess,” said Jason Siemer, who founded the club a year ago with his 13-year-old son, Oliver.
Sportsmanlike conduct was encouraged by Siemer before the event began. He explained that shaking hands after a game — no matter whether you win or lose — is a must.
“It is frustrating (to lose), but it is just a game. In our club, we remember to be kind and friendly,” he said.
The event was run by Gabriel Petesch, a master chess player from Pittsburgh. He placed players in groups based on experience level to ensure they were evenly matched. Each player was encouraged to make note of their moves and analyze their win or loss following the game.
Like any student sporting event, parents crowded the “sidelines” to watch their children play and offer encouragement when they finished a game.
One of those parents was Sarah Wilson, of Zelienople, who was there to support her son James, 7.
Sarah said her husband showed James how to play chess when he was 6 as they waited at an airport to go on vacation.
“Three months later, he was beating us all the time,” she said. “And I love it.”
She added that she hopes James can hold on to his love of the game while he continues to compete.
“I don’t want him to stop loving it. I’m proud of him for doing something not a lot of his friends do,” she said.
When James won the first game of the day, he immediately sat next to his mom and started a digital game to stay focused.
“I like strategy games and playing against other people,” he said, adding that he will watch chess masters on YouTube as part of his practice.
Owen Gillis, 14, of Butler, also won his first game. Once he left the playing room, he started analyzing his victory.
“I don’t think I played the opening well,” he said. “But I came back from it really well.”
Owen started playing chess two years ago with his brother, according to his mother, Angie.
“This is his first tournament,” she said. “He was uncertain about the event itself, but not about chess.”
Angie said she always wants to be supportive, even if Owen finds it embarrassing sometimes.
“We always joke about me being the parent who’s going to paint her face on the sidelines,” she laughed. “He said, ‘mom, chess isn’t like that.'”
Owen said chess has been a fun pastime outside of school.
“It’s fun; it keeps your mind active, especially in the summer,” he said.
According to Siemer, most of the participants had not been involved in a tournament before and were there to meet other players in the area.
“We’ve noticed a side effect is a lot of kids who play chess are introverted and they tend to come out of their shell (when they play) — and parents love that,” Siemer said.
Following four rounds of play, the winners of the beginner and advanced sections each received a prize.
Oliver Siemer was the winner of the advanced group, winning all four of his games. He said he was grateful to the library and to Petesch for their help with the event.
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to put together this scholastic chess tournament,” Oliver said. “Overall, I think the kids and parents enjoyed the venue and the town.”
