Chess club keeps players in the game

Chess is the name of the game twice a week in the Summerlin area.

Members of the Nevada State Chess Association, formed in 2008, meet at a Starbucks inside the Vons at 8540 W. Desert Inn Road. The group takes up residence there from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays.

"We try to be respectful of other Starbucks customers," said group founder Stan Vaughan. "We try to leave at least one table open."

As soon as players arrive, they roll out their vinyl chess mats, whip out a timer and set up the board pieces. Then it's a silent and serious race to capture pawns, rooks and queens.

As one recent match progressed, things heated up. There were signs of stress. One player took off his hat, unconsciously wetted his lips and leaned forward as he studied the board.

Those watching muttered an occasional "ooh" and a "cagey move."

In the end, instead of immediately starting a new game, the opponents replayed certain combinations from the game, checking what they could have done differently.

"Chess is mental boxing," Vaughan said. "It's a great mind sport where you can find truth and justice. Lies and hypocrisy do not exist on a chess board."

In speed chess, players can make moves in less than two seconds, slapping the timer as soon as they've moved a piece. One player even took a phone call as he played speed chess, never missing a beat. It was all over in less than five minutes.

Not all games take five or six minutes. Three or four times since the club's inception, games have lasted until well after midnight.

"Good thing Vons is open 24 hours," said Ron Jackson, one of the original members.

Another core member of the group is Ron Gross, a World Chess Federation world master. He holds the 1993 U.S. Senior Champion title and won the Candidates Tournament in 2010. He has the distinction of beating then-rising chess star Bobby Fischer in 1955 at the junior championships.

To keep things interesting, club members sometimes play matches "blindfolded" -- actually accomplished by facing away from the board. It involves keeping track of each move. Sometimes more than one blindfolded game is played at a time.

"It can be difficult to keep the different boards, the different (configurations), set in your mind," Gross admitted.

The club has a database of roughly 800 players, made up of mathematicians, lawyers, teachers and musicians. The oldest member is 94, and the youngest is 3. There are no dues.

Not all the members converge on the Starbucks location to play. Only 10 to 20 players show up at any meeting. They come and go as their schedules allow.

"It's kind of ad hoc," said Jackson, who happily admits to a "chess obsession."

For more information about the World Chess Federation, visit wcfchess.com. For more information about Vaughan, visit stanvaughan.com.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.