Do you enjoy playing chess? Join the club!
#ChesswithCoachLarry
Hillsboro joins the chess community
It takes a lot to start a chess club and Martin Blasco, one of the Hillsboro Library staff, has taken up the challenge. Martin has located a room in the Shute Park library, 775 SE 10th, Hillsboro, OR 97123. He has all the essentials: tables, chairs, chess sets and volunteers to help. Martin will be giving out flyers, making posters and sending out emails. He just needs some eager players. The chess club will be open to everyone. There will be chess coaches to help the beginners to learn and improve their chess. Old timers will enjoy getting back in the game if they haven’t played for awhile. The chess club will be open the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, from 1pm to 4pm, starting July 8th. Martin hopes to expand to every Saturday. Note to the Hillsboro chess players: the Hillsboro library and its branches have a wide selection of chess books.
It is hoped that in addition to the biweekly meetings, in the future the Hillsboro Chess Club will hold USCF chess tournaments. Right now only the Portland Chess Club holds adult and scholastic chess tournaments. Chess players who live in Washington County don’t want to travel to Portland to play but would be willing to go to the Hillsboro Chess Club to play a friendly or rated chess game. This summer is a good time to start playing chess again or learning the royal game of chess at the Hillsboro Chess Club!
The Beaverton Chess Club is also growing.
We now have 22 members after being around for only 3 months. We hope to start having monthly rated quads in a month. If you are interested in playing in a quad please let us know. In August there will be an open chess tournament. Details are being worked out. The club is open every Thursday, 5pm-9pm, so drop in and play a game.
We play at Holy Trinity Catholic School, and will play through the summer, even after school is out!
- Questions about the Beaverton Chess Club? Email Larry Ball <larryball48@yahoo.com>.
- Questions about the Hillsboro Chess Club? Email Martin Blasco <martin.blasco@hillsboro-oregon.gov>
Why learn chess? Simple: It’s a great mental workout that helps children perform well in the classroom. Chess is a logical game where kids have to plan ahead and adjust to new situations. But most of all, it’s fun!
Larry Ball (Coach Larry) teaches students of all ages at the Steinitz Chess Academy in Beaverton. For more information, email Larry at larryball48@yahoo.com.
