Chess fires both sides
of the brain, fuels friendships and provides fun for people of all ages around
the world. Historians may debate the geographical
roots of this ancient board game but they all agree it has flourished for
centuries despite competing trends.
Chess mavens Mark
Cohen, 49, and David Steiner, 48, credit their respective parents for
introducing them to the game when they were in elementary school. Intent on
sharing their knowledge and passion for chess, they have reached out to the
community by facilitating clubs and classes.
Although both men lead busy lives and have other interests, they value chess
as an empowering game.
An English professor at Vanier College, Cohen
resides in Cote St. Luc with his wife and their 12-year-old daughter. A native
Torontonian, Cohen grew up in North York and has fond memories of playing on
the Mackenzie High School chess team. After graduating from the University of
Toronto in 1989, Cohen attained his Ph.D. in English literature at McGill and a
graduate diploma in journalism at Concordia. He didn’t play much chess from 1992-2007 but
his enthusiasm never waned. Since Cohen is the lone chess enthusiast at home,
he decided to seek a venue in the community.
Two years ago, he met
with administrators at the Eleanor London Cote St. Luc Public Library. Cohen volunteered
to set up and facilitate a club open to players, ages 14-plus, at all levels.
His idea was well-received and the library supports the active program. The Cote
St. Luc adult chess club meets once a week. Last year, Steiner dropped into the club and
expressed an interest in organizing chess instruction for children at the
beginner’s level. An experienced educator,
Cohen knew children would benefit and offered to help. Subsequently, they
approached library personnel, who agreed to pilot a series of beginner chess
lessons for children, ages 7 and older. Children attended Steiner’s introductory
sessions last summer. A fall series drew another group of beginners, who met
after school for four sessions.
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Mark Cohen teaches
children how to play chess.
(Photo courtesy of David Steiner)
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“We have an ideal
set-up in the multi-purpose room off the children’s library,” Steiner said. “Children
pick up the game quickly.”
Steiner has
been active in local chess circles for years. Besides engaging in adult games
and officiating at tournaments, he organizes children’s chess games and lessons
at community centres. He belongs to Association Echecs et Maths, which is under
the umbrella of Canada’s National Scholastic Chess Association. The organization oversees chess activities in
schools on the island of Montreal. “We have about 500 kids, ages 8 to 16,
participating on weekends in various tournaments around the city,” he observes.
Chess nurtures the
brain and children learn to focus but they also have fun, Steiner explains. He takes pride in facilitating a group at JPPS-Bialik. The lunch-time activity draws 20 avid players. “They welcome the
strategy, creative moves and overall challenges that go with the game," he says. "They even
write down moves and study to see if they made a mistake. Chess is addictive.
So many combinations are possible that no two games are the same. In Cuba, they
teach chess as part of the curriculum. It is an international language.”
