'Giant' chess match in Coventry Village this Sunday

At 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 22, Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Park will host a unique chess match between International Grand Master Chess Champion Anatoly Lein and Original Life Master/National Master David Allen, a Cleveland Heights resident.

While the match will be played on a regular-sized chess set, a “giant” chess set, with 18-inch-high pieces, will enable spectators to easily view the match as it unfolds.

Steve Presser, a Coventry Village SID board member, helped to organize the event, which is part of Coventry Village’s summer series.

Presser said, “The idea was brought forth by a local Coventry resident, Craig Bourne. We’re always looking for creative ideas for programming, and we were discussing chess as a form of competition and a learning tool for children. Craig proposed a chess match, and brought in the players. He mentioned that Sunshine Headquarters Too [a store on Coventry Road] had a giant chess set, and we’ll be using it during the match.”

As the players move, Presser explained, David Allen’s children will be moving the large pieces around the large board, making the match visible to anyone seated on the nearby hill.

Presser, who noted that he has never played chess, said, “The Coventry Village SID purchased the chess set, and we’ll keep it and hope to use it for chess matches.” Chess was once part of the Coventry street scene, recalled Presser, who said, “Chess matches used to be played in front of Arabica—now the Grog Shop. Perhaps we can revive that tradition.”

For information about the event, visit http://coventryvillage.org/events.

Kim Sergio Inglis

Kim Sergio Inglis is editor-in-chief of the Heights Observer. She lives in the newly designated Shaker Farm Historic District in Cleveland Heights.

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Volume 5, Issue 8, Posted 4:09 PM, 07.19.2012