OUR TOWN
Photo and story by DON SHRUBSHELL of the Tribune’s staff
Published Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Eric Estrem, 22, and Brayt Madenwald, 20, both students at the University of Missouri-Columbia, ignore people walking past them in front of Coffee Zone at 11 N. Ninth Street. The men study each other’s moves with careful concentration. They do this on a daily basis.
Eric and Brayt met about two years ago at Coffee Zone and have been friends ever since. They found out they both enjoy chess and now play three or four games daily.
“I’ve been coming here for longer than I can recall,” Eric says.
“There’s actually a lot of very decent players up here,” Brayt adds.
Brayt brings his own table and chess pieces. The games usually last from 15 minutes to a half-hour, although they have played for two hours when they’re feeling competitive.
Both men learned the game at an early age.
“I learned when I was very young. Probably 6 or 7,” Eric says.
Brayt began playing when he was 4 but quit for about six years before taking it up again a couple of years ago. He now plays competitively in tournaments.
“Do I need that bishop? That’s way too powerful,” Eric says, studying the board.
“The game itself is pretty simple,” Eric says. “Once you learn the moves, anyone can play it, really.”
Both enjoy the strategic element of the game.
Source: http://www.columbiatribune.com/
Are they uscf members?
Did they have to put coins in the machines to reserve the spots 🙂