Chess Master Holds Charity Exhibition

Chess Master Holds Charity Exhibition
6/13/09 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

North Carolina’s number one chess master, FM Andrey Chumachenko, will demonstrate his skill for charity Saturday, June 13th in Hickory by playing chess with up to 40 people simultaneously.

Sponsored by the Hickory Foundation YMCA Miller Teen Center and the Hickory Chess Club, the simultaneous exhibition takes place at the Foundation YMCA Miller Teen Center, meeting room A, 701 1st St. NW, Hickory, Saturday, June 13th, from 10a.m. – 3p.m. The event is a fund-raiser for Panzi Hospital in the Congo.

In a simultaneous exhibition, a chess master moves from board to board inside a circle of tables, making a move at each. Challengers have time to consider their own move while the master cycles back to them.

With so many games to keep track of, most masters simply size up the position on each board as they come to it and move accordingly. Only the strongest players can expect to win most of their games against all comers under such conditions.

Chumachenko, age 45, lives in Charlotte with his wife and 2 daughters. He moved to the US from Russia in 2000.

The 69th highest-rated chess player in the US, he was co-champion of the 2006 US Masters, in Hendersonville. He won many tournaments in Russia, where he taught chess in schools and chess clubs.

With a US rating of 2459, Master Fide 2320, Chumachenko has 20+ years of teaching chess to adults and children, and coaches several of the area’s top players. He is currently accepting new students.

The simul will be preceded by a lecture.

The entry fee will be $15 for adults and $10 for students, with spectators welcomed for $5. Call 828 322-9284 to pre-register, and plan to bring a chess set.

The Hickory Chess Club meets Tuesdays, 5-7:30 P.M. in meeting room A of the Miller Teen Center.

Some active members travel from as far away as Morganton, Taylorsville, Asheville and Statesville to attend. With members originating from around the U.S. and several other countries, ranging in age from 10 to 80, the club strikes a weekly blow for harmony, diversity, and good chess.

All ages and skill levels welcome. One on one lessons are available to beginners.

The C.O. Miller Teen Center at the Hickory Foundation YMCA is one of a kind in all of North Carolina.

Located at 701 1st St. NW, Hickory, the facility serves local teens in a variety of capacities. ”To have a building of this scope built for the express purpose of giving kids a place to call their own is rare,” said Teen Center Director Mike Hall.

“Last year alone, over 4,000 teenagers came through our doors for dances, clubs, concerts and other social activities,” he said. “Our purpose is to spur young people onto healthy, productive lives while in school and long afterward.”

The Teen center sponsors a program called AXION (pronounced Action). The group’s focus is to raise awareness about humanitarian causes both locally and globally.

“In the past, we’ve focused on child soldiers in Somalia, given winter coats to kids at Longview Elementary, and raised money to build clean water wells in Africa,” Hall said. “The students were both middle and high school age.“

The simul was the brainchild of Hickory HS student Nick Joseph. When AXION members wanted to hold a fundraiser for the Panzi Hospital in the Congo, Joseph, also a member of the Hickory Chess Club suggested a chess event.

The Teen Center will have its cafe open during simul, providing snacks and drinks.

For more on the Miller Teen Center, see http://www.ymcacv.org/millerteencenter/branch-home.html, or call 828 322-9284. Information about the Panzi Hospital can be found on the internet at : http://www.panzihospitalbukavu.org/. The Hickory Chess Club’s webite is at http://www.hickorychessclub.org, or call 322-1493.