Chess camp to inspire younger devotees

Zac Wilson has a passion for chess.

The 48-year-old almost single-handedly pushed for the creation of a chess club in Hood County.

“When the pandemic hit, it really messed up my business with my travel agency, as you can imagine, and you know, life was pretty stressful,” Wilson said. “And so, I was looking for a way to personally relax and have some fun, and I had always wanted to play competitive chess.” 

The club president will soon have a new — and a much younger — audience for him to extoll the virtues of chess when he holds a camp at the Hood County YMCA from Dec. 27-30 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. To register, go to the YMCA website or the Hood County Chess Club’s Facebook page. Wilson will host two different chess lectures involving different topics with open playtime in between. 

Chess is an abstract strategy game played by two people (one controlling white pieces and the other black) on a square board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. Each player control 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops and eight pawns. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king, leaving the piece nowhere to move. A game can also result in a draw.

Wilson started the Hood County Chess Club, a United States Chess Federation affiliate, in 2020 because there were no places to play.

“I couldn’t believe there was no chess club, you know, an official U.S. chess club in Granbury, Glen Rose, Weatherford, or in Stephenville, and I was like, man, surely there are chess players around here,” Wilson said. 

Wilson contacted the USCF, and his dream of a club in Hood County gained traction.

Finding a place his club can call home was a challenge at first. COVID infections were on the rise and much of Hood County was shut down.  

“The hardest part was trying to find a place that would actually allow us to meet in person and to be able to play because, of course, you know, masks required, and people worried about COVID,” said Wilson.

The late Shad Ramsey offered Wilson and his club space in the Langdon Center. They’ve been meeting there ever since.

Wilson, like many in the club, never passes up an opportunity to preach the gospel of chess.

“If a new person comes in, I take the time to teach them some concepts,” Wilson said. “Sometimes it’s a brand-new person, so I have to teach them the rules and how things move. Other times, it’s someone who’s been playing a while but really wants to improve. Everybody seems to be pretty welcoming and excited when someone new comes in.”

Seniors make up the bulk of the club’s membership. It needed new blood.

Holding a camp at the YMCA seemed like a natural next step. Wilson volunteered to run the camp, hoping to hook a slew of younger devotees.

It is free to join the Hood County Chess Club, but donations are appreciated to help pay its annual dues to the USCF and purchase new equipment. The club meets every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Langdon Center. 

For more information, contact hoodcountychess@gmail.com or follow their Facebook page.