Author thinks chess can win bigger U.S. audience
Fri Mar 23, 2007 7:12AM EDT
By David Gregorio
…Weinreb found it challenging to write in a compelling way about an intellectual game.
“I don’t know if chess really is a sport, but I wanted to treat it like it was a sport…to really get into what’s going on inside these kids’ heads as they play, and just try to make it as exciting as possible,” he said.
…”There’s basically no way to make money playing chess in this country,” Weinreb lamented. “Even the best player in America in a generation couldn’t get sponsors. He’d have to move to Europe where chess is more respected.”
But Weinreb is confident that can change.
“I think the fact that poker and Scrabble and things like that have found their way into the mainstream means there should be an opening for chess to do the same thing.”
Here is the full article.
Chess would have a bigger audience if quality Chess players would do more to grow Chess with young people. Most efforts I have made to get high level Chess players to assist our small student group have been met with complete indifference. There seems to be an attitude like: I had to learn this the hard way you can too. In order to gain respect, high level Chess players should show it first. Especially to young up and comers.
Scrabble is in the mainstream in a way chess isn’t?
I still don’t think chess will ever be big here. I can agree it can be “bigger”, but it will never match the level of involvement in other countries.
There is just too much going against it. I could post paragraphs on why, but I’ll spare you. =D
Yes…yes…yes! This is attainable. I feel that chess is ready to blast off. If everyone does their little part it will spread like wildfire. Let’s go people, we can do it! Susan puts forth an effort that would take thousands of others to duplicate. Don’t be a couch potato by making her do all the work.
Cleveland, Ohio.
Thanks, Susan. I’m following your lead with a lot of these ideas, of course. I admire your attempts to get beyond the internecine squabbling that seems to plague the USCF and I can only hope my book will help your cause, if only a little.
Best,
Michael Weinreb
http://www.michaelweinreb.com