All ages welcome

Visalia Chess Club gives people of all ages a chance to play game of skill
BY HILLARY S. MEEKS • February 16, 2010

“It’s the sumo wrestling of the mind,” Allan Fifield said as he watched members of the Visalia Chess Club play chess at Panera Bread.

Fifield, a Bakersfield resident, doesn’t always get to join in the club’s fun, but he does devote a lot of his time to teaching chess to the younger generations in the Central Valley.

“Allan is the one who really brought chess to this area. I don’t think anyone worked as hard as Allen to ingrain the game in Tulare County,” said Dr. Joseph Bakhoum, a Visalia pediatrician and allergist.

Fifield accomplished this through Sequoia Chess for Kids, an organization that teaches kindergarten through 12th-grade students how to play the game. He organizes 10 tournaments for the children annually in the Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties area every year. The next tournament will be March 6 at Tulare Western High School.

Chess can be the one thing children is really good at, and that can give him or her confidence, Fifield said. That’s why he provides an opportunity for them to learn what he calls a timeless game.

“I can go in the classroom and in 20 minutes have the kids playing, and having a good time,” Fifield said.

Chess not only teaches a child how to think in a different way, but learning the game’s etiquette can teach them how to be good sports, and polite, he said. The students learn to shake hands before and after games and to be gracious, whether winning or losing.

His lessons have gone a long way.

“Allan started teaching me chess when I was this tall,” said Patrick Enrico, as he held his hand about 4 feet above the ground.

Now 23 years old, Enrico travels from his hometown of Fresno to Visalia three times a week to play with the Visalia Chess Club.

“It’s dangerously addictive,” he said.

Bakhoum agreed with the young man’s observation, and said he’s been addicted to the game for the past 50 years, ever since his father taught him to play.

“There’s an enormous diversity in it. In all these years, I don’t think I’ve ever played two similar games. There’s always a new challenge,” Bakhoum said.

Source: http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com