Checking the competition
County's chess clubs dominate school league
By Sande Snead CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Elli Morris/Chesterfield Observer Tim Dannenhoffer ponders his next move during a recent chess competition.

After Bill Barrow and Badr Sharobim taught their kids to play chess, it wasn't long before their progenies turn to prodigies. Their sons' love for the strategic board game led both men to become coordinators for high schools in the Greater Richmond High School Chess League.

"My son, Jack, started playing when he was in the 4th grade," Barrow said. "I used to watch him play, and I'd get all upset because I thought he was making mistakes, but then realized I was wrong. He knew what he was doing. Jack is probably the highest rated chess player in Richmond. He usually ranks in the top two or three for the whole state of Virginia."

Jack is now a senior at Clover Hill High School, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the league with 17 wins. There are 13 high schools in the league.

Likewise, Sharobim's son, Mina, was undefeated in the league last year, and he is undefeated in the league again so far this year.

But, his winning streak ends with his father.

"It's always fun to play my dad," Mina said. "He beats me, then I beat him. It's a friendly competition."

The league is divided into two divisions based on school location. Teams play a match every other week. At the end of the season, the top four schools compete in a tournament. The top two schools in the league so far this year are both Chesterfield schools - Clover Hill and Midlothian.

During regular competition, four chess team members from one school compete against four team members from another school. If a player is ranked by the U.S. Chess Federation, that player is required to play the highest board. Many of the students are not ranked, however. Mina is not.

In the school competitions, there are four tables competing at once. Each chess player has one hour to complete the match, so a match could last as long as two hours, but that rarely happens in this competition. In the beginning of a match, the play tends to move quickly and players take their turns every few seconds. But, toward the end of a match, players may take 5 to 15 minutes or more to move a chess piece.

"I love to use my mind and think ahead, calculating all of the strategic moves and positions," Mina said. "Somebody once said there are more possible combinations of moves on a chess board than there are atoms in the universe. I like the challenge of being able to checkmate my opponent."

Senior Daniel Jordan is the top player in the Matoaca Chess Club. He is rated 1,140 by the U.S. Chess Federation - 2,000 is the highest rating.

"I've been a member for six years now," Jordan said. "It's hard to go up in the ranking; it's not hard to go down because you are competing on a world scale."

Jordan said he likes to play in the high school chess league because it's fun and competitive.

"Sometimes people who aren't ranked are better than those who are," Jordan said. "If you are rated by the federation, you have to play the highest table. It's not as much of a skill definer as it should be."