Emporia Chess Society Emporia, Kansas

People of all ages and levels of chess experience are welcome! Preschool to seniors, beginner to expert players. There is no charge or membership fee. Come every week or just when you are able to play a game of chess. Bring your own chess set, if you have one.

Gravel City Roasters 715 Commercial Mondays, 5:00 to 7:00 pm Granada Coffee Company 809 Commercial Thursdays, 9:00 to 11:00 am On summer break (2024)

Sidewalk chess

Photos by A. Spencer.

ECS News

• May 2024: Thursday sessions at Granada Coffee will take a summer break. We continue to meet on Mondays at Gravel City Roasters (see above).

• November 2023: Dusti Howell, long-term member of ECS recommends this great resource from Josh Waitzkin. He was the person who inspired the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. Go to Chessmaster.

  Check out this Championship Chessmate card-slide guide to all 20 games of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky chess match held in Reykjavik, Iceland. A card slides up and down in the outer sleeve to reveal moves. This archive chess item provided by Doug White.

• May 2023: ECS celebrates the life of Robert Hossfeld (1945-2023), long-time member, chess coach, and organizer of Emporia Open chess tournaments (2006 & 2007).

• August 2022: Qualifying games for the FIDE Fischer Random Chess Championship have begun—see random tournament. Final games will take place in October in Reykjavík, Iceland. This tournament is sponsored in part by Lichess. Provided by L. Huang; honorary member ECS.

• July 2022: Fischer Random, also known as Chess960, has become increasingly popular among ECS players. Here is a link to a site for all 960 possible starting positions in Fischer Random chess. Provided by J. Schubert; honorary member ECS.

• November 2021: Gravel City Roasters has moved up the street to 715 Commercial. Weekly meetings continue as usual on Mondays (see above).

• May 2021: In-person meetings at Gravel City Roasters will resume on Monday, May 3rd (see above). All skill levels are welcome for friendly play. Remember to bring your chess set, if you have one.

• March 2020: Because of the current coronavirus risk, ECS is suspending its weekly meetings temporarily. We will resume meeting when the situation has stabilized.

• December 2016: The ECS team KanZona (Jim Schubert and Jim Aber) participated in a world record attempt by GM Timur Gareyev to play the most number of blindfold chess games. The event took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. GM Gareyev played 48 games simultaneously while blindfolded and riding an exercycle. The tournament began at 8 am on Dec. 3 and ended in the wee hours of the next morning. Player strength ranged from <1000 to >2200.

  Timur Gareyev during the world record attempt. He pedalled the exercycle slowly to provide physical activity and often made hand movements to simulate moving chess pieces on the board.

  Team KanZona had the white pieces, and we played the Polish opening (b4) in order to get off normal opening lines and create a complicated and irregular setup. We did not trade the first piece until move 20 and never did castle. This approach led to a drawn-out game with few chances for either side. Our game lasted 19 hours, 38 moves, and ended in a draw offered by GM Gareyev.

  During the game, we alternated taking moves. Jim Aber (left) prepares for the first move (pawn to b4). Jim Schubert (right) announces and makes a move midway through the game. Team KanZona was among the last 10 games to finish in the tournament. See game moves.

  Out of 48 games, 43 onsite and 5 online, Gareyev won 35, drew 7 and lost 6 for a total score 38.5 points (80% won/lost). This bested previous blindfold records of 46 games (FM Marc Lang, 2011, Sontheim, Germany) and 45 games (GM Miguel Najdorf, 1947, Săo Paulo, Brazil). See blindfold world record.

Guinness world record.

• July 2016: Charlie Wilks and Jim Aber attended the Karpov Chess School summer camp this month in Lindsborg, Kansas. During the week, several tournaments were held among the chess campers. Charlie, playing in his first tournament, took second place in blitz chess, and Jim tied for second in the rated main tournament.

  	Chess instruction (left) with GM Timur Gareyev (standing, right side), and playing fun chess (right) during free time. Flags of many nations decorate the main room.
  	Unusual variations of chess. Board for four players (left). Braille chess sets for tactile play (right). Practice set on left and main set to right.

  New Dala horse on the sidewalk outside the Karpov Chess School. The Good Knight Dala has a theme of chess pieces and was sponsored by Marck and Francine Cobb.

• September 2015: Sketches of ECS players drawn by honorary member Jim Schubert who now resides and plays chess in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

Andrew: I can't believe you just took my queen!

Charles: Kasparov is giving me a free rook!

Jim: I should have played the French defense.

Sketches © J. Schubert.

• October 2013: Jim Schubert, Kyle Granzow and Jim Aber from ECS went to the biennial Swedish Hyllningsfest in Lindsborg, Kansas, where they assisted with open house at the Karpov Chess School.

	Left: Street scene outside the Karpov Chess School following the parade. Right: Jim Schubert (left) plays a speed game against Gabriel Purdy, who is the manager/instructor of the chess school.
	Young players try a game with the large chess set. Note the Swedish colors, yellow and blue.

• Oct. 2011: Kari Bowles and Jim Aber from ECS opened the Karpov Chess School in Lindsborg, Kansas for the biennial Hyllningsfest parade and celebration. Many people visited the school, and some played chess!

Left: preparing for the parade in front of the school. Right: visitors playing chess inside the school.

• Dec. 2010: Lixiao (Lisa) Huang and Jim Aber represented ECS at the Lindsborg Open, where Lisa won the Top Unrated trophy for her first tournament competition. Congratulations Lisa!

• Nov. 2010: Emporia State University has recognized an official student chess club, organized by Lisa Huang. The ESU Chess Club meets in conjunction with the ECS; all students are welcome!

• Oct. 2009: Chess in the afterschool Quest program is underway again this year, and the ECS is pleased to help. James Aber is coaching students at Lowther Intermediate schools (5th & 6th grades), and Dusti Howell has started a chess program at the Turning Point Learning Center, a K-8 charter school in the Emporia district.

• Feb. 2009: Beginning last autumn, Robert Hossfeld and James Aber have been conducting chess classes for the local public schools as part of the after-school Quest program. They are currently supervising students in elementary and intermediate schools in the Emporia district.

• September 2007: James Aber returned lately from a trip to Slovakia and Poland, where chess playing and wooden chess sets are quite popular. He acquired a hexagonal chess set designed for three players. This game was selected as the best new product in Poland in 2005. The game is exciting and fast paced. Without any opening theory, tactics and temporary alliances become more important than long-term strategy for winning.

  	Six-sided chess set for three players from Poland. The three-color division of the board is for beginning players of this game. All pieces move just as in normal chess, but the added dimension makes for many more possible moves.
  	Vertical view from a church tower of outdoor chess at a souvenir stand in central Košice, Slovakia. For a small fee, anyone can play chess.

• July 2007: Zach Button took first place in the scholastic division of the Kansas Chess Open tournament. Congratulations Zach, who has become a top contender in Kansas scholastic chess!

  Related sites

• U.S. Chess Federation – see USCF.
  
• Kansas Chess Association.
  
• Kansas Scholastic Chess Association – see KSCA.
  
• Popularity of chess openings through time.