Anyone wandering into Lynn Vocational Technical Institute on Thursday might have come across a number of chess matches underway in the school’s cafeteria. The players quiet demeanor and concentration belied the significance of the matches.
For the first time, Lynn Tech and St. Mary’s chess clubs competed against each other in after-school matches. For Tech, not only was it the club’s first time playing St. Mary’s; it was the first time in the program’s 20-year history that they went up against an opponent from another school.
Tech chess coach Jeremy McKeen said it was an incredible experience for him as well as the players. He compared the Tech club’s first-ever competitive play to his days as a soccer coach when the team would go up against other high schools in the city.
“It was beyond (referring to the chess match). I used to coach soccer and when we had the city tournament, (it was) that kind of swelling excitement, but even more so today since we’ve never had a match. The kids are excited and nervous and competitive, so today was awesome.”
The idea to bring young Fischers and Spasskys (the two chess titans who ignited a U.S. resurgence of interest in the game in 1972) came from a St. Mary’s student who suggested the schools’ chess moderator, Jim Correale, get in contact with Jeremy McKeen, the moderator at Lynn Tech.
“A student came up with the contact information here for Jeremy and right away we called a few weeks ago and we started hashing away the day and time and things like that,” said Correale.
St. Mary’s is fresh to the competitive scene as well. The club started four years ago under Correale, and played its first ever match against Marblehead last year.
Before the match began, McKeen and Correale went over rules and procedures. The students then took their seats, with each school lining up on different sides of the table. The matches were played in a round-robin style, with each student playing every member of the opposing school. For a majority of the contest, it was silent as each player concentrated critically on their game. Every now and then however, a smile would crack and a laugh would come out, certifying the excitement and competitiveness that McKeen had mentioned.
One of those competitors, Chris Grossmann, an eighth grader at St. Mary’s, didn’t drop a single match. After the contest, Grossmann talked about the experience of getting to test his wits against other school programs.
“It’s really cool, going around and being able to see the different schools is awesome,” he said. “It’s just fun to meet everyone, and it’s just a great experience.”
On Lynn Tech’s side, it was a pleasant experience for Geber Gomez, who said after the match that it was unique, but he was happy to be a part of it.
“It was different because I’ve seen other players with different play styles and overall, just good sportsmanship here. I’ve seen people talk even while playing games. Even though there were some losses on our team, we still preserved and I did my best as well, it was definitely a good experience.”
With the first intra-city matchup between the schools in the books, McKeen and Correale said that they hope to help expand the game of chess between all five Lynn Schools, and start something similar to that of the Lynn sports jamborees that take place at the start of each season.
For now, Correale says he will be inviting Tech to come to them next time.
“I’m certainly going to invite these guys to our school sometime in February, March, April, we’ll see what works out for us.”
