A grand chess set
23-inch game pieces installed at Leisure Village
By Gabriela Gonzalez
March 23, 2007
At the age of 7, Ivan Bjel learned to play chess from his father in Orava, Slovakia.
He played chess every Sunday afternoon with him and his older brother, mastering the game by age 15.
Now, he will be teaching chess to amateurs in a new chess club at Leisure Village, a seniors community in Camarillo.
The club was created after an outdoor chessboard was built on the east side of the social hall. The 20-foot-square chessboard is equipped with 23-inch-tall plastic pieces in black and white. The players have to walk around the chessboard as they move the pieces.
“Chess is one of those things with no luck,” said Bert Cunningham, a Leisure Village resident. He admitted he hadn’t played chess for years but said he was enthusiastic about the club.
Chess is popular worldwide, with more people now playing online. French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal in the 17th century called chess the gymnasium of the mind.
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I’m 81 and still playing everyday. I love this game.