Funding for chess in Salinas

For east-Salinas native Alberto Murillo, chess is not just a game.

It’s a gateway to new opportunities for the children of his hometown.

“I realized that the relationship between strategy, planning and foresight in order to win could be the way to live,” Murillo said Tuesday, recalling how the centuries-old game helped keep him motivated as a student. “All I had to do was make the right moves.”

Tonight, the substitute teacher saw his vision come true. The Alisal Union School District’s board of trustees unanimously approved Murillo’s proposal to provide chess instruction and tournaments to students this spring.

The proposal was also brought by Murillo’s former fourth-grade teacher, Gary Jones, who coached Murillo to a fourth-place finish in the National Chess Championship in Detroit when his student was just 11. The two pledged to keep costs to $12,240 or less.

“The thing about chess,” Murillo said, “is that it’s affordable. You don’t need equipment or insurance.”

It’s so affordable, in fact, that the two men gave out 100 free chess games to local children before the meeting.

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