CROSSVILLE, Tenn. — You may not know that Crossville is home to the only national headquarters for the U.S. Chess Federation, and it's been that way for 15 years.
U.S. Chess is an 82-year-old official governing body and nonprofit organization for chess players and chess supporters in the United States. It hosts various professional and scholastic competitions every year for players of all ages to compete.
National Master Forest Chen and University of Tennessee Ph.D. student Viktor Zenkove are just a couple of avid chess players in East Tennessee who are glad to have U.S. Chess so close.
Whether it's professional, scholastic, or leisure play, chess is a game that's shaped both of their lives.
"There's always ways for you to improve yourself," Chen said.
The headquarters hasn't always been located in Crossville, though.
A famous quote from Albert Einstein claims, "life is like a game of chess, to win you have to make a move." That's exactly what U.S. Chess did in 2006 when it moved its main operation from New York to Tennessee.
Not only was it cheaper for the nonprofit to set up shop in the Volunteer State, but it's also closer to the middle of the nation, and the enthusiasm was there.
"Believe it or not, Crossville, Tennessee at one point was a hotbed of scholastic chess," U.S. Chess Senior Director of Strategic Communication Dan Lucas said. "Harry Sabine was a county commissioner for Cumberland County and he was able to arrange for a building for us."
The community is glad to have the national organization in its own backyard too, according to U.S. Chess Executive Director Carol Meyer.
"I think there's a tremendous sense of pride among the Crossville residents who are in some way affiliated with the game," Meyer said. "There is a very active chess club in Cumberland County."
Inside the headquarters, you can find a library filled with books, history, and memories. When U.S. Chess came to Crossville, it brought the production of its national magazine publication, Chess Life and Chess Life Kids with it.
For over a decade, a local printer helped produce Chess Life Kids, which was a boost to the economy.
For the staff, chess is much more than a brainy board game. It's a connector and teacher.
"It's a universal game that anybody from anywhere, even if you can't communicate like we're doing, can play together," Meyer said.
COVID forced tournaments to go online during the pandemic but the chess world is not at a stalemate. In fact, pent-up demand and pop culture helped fuel the fire.
"The popularity of playing chess online has been growing for some time, but the Queen's Gambit and the pandemic both allowed chess online to grow in ways we really didn't anticipate," Meyer said.
"There's more ways now than ever to play chess online", Meyer said.
Membership with U.S. Chess is up too. Before the pandemic, the organization saw record-level growth. The staff hopes the trend keeps growing.
"We were experiencing a real boom in membership in U.S. Chess pre-COVID times and over 60 percent of our membership was scholastic, so there was no doubt that that's where the growth really is," Lucas said.
U.S. Chess usually hosts the national high school, junior and elementary school championships in the spring. Every four years, they have what is called super nationals where all those events are combined under one roof.
They had to cancel the event this year, but they were scheduled to have over 5,000 participants plus parents, coaches, and siblings under one roof at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville.
July 31 is the U.S. Chess Open. It’s an event that has been running continuously for over 100 years. Last year they had to cancel it because of COVID, but they moved it online instead.
"This year, it's really fitting that this is our first event back to something normal because of the history and the legacy that's associated with this event," Meyer said.
July 31 will be the first national event since the pandemic they are directly organizing themselves, but the first real big national event taking place in person is called the national open in Las Vegas from June 16 to June 20.
"They're experiencing record-setting numbers of advance entries right now because there's this pent-up demand to get back to playing in person,” Lucas said.
The staff hopes the game of discipline will help those young and old, in big cities and rural areas. Lucas says the benefits of playing chess help the mind, body, and spirit.
"As we re-enter this post-COVID world, there are just clubs all across the country in many small towns, including Crossville, Tennessee," Lucas said.
Local company, Flynn Sign Co. put up billboards and signs all throughout Crossville advertising U.S. Chess, which was a welcome surprise to the nonprofit. Meyer says if you see the U.S. Chess signs on the side of I-40, feel free to stop by during business hours.
"Take a detour and come visit our staff, they love to have people stop by," Meyer said. "There's a continuous game being played, there's a board set up in the front lobby, and so you can come make the next move. We welcome anybody who wants to stop by to do so."
The staff is looking to the future and trying to expand the resources they are able to offer others.
They are trying to put together new programs that would close the gap in terms of the number of women and girls who play the game of chess and are also looking to reach kids who are at risk by introducing the game in local communities.
"I would love to see scientific studies funded that actually can prove that and that we can point to, instead of just saying we have stories about this," Lucas said.
Lucas says even if you have a casual interest in playing chess, there’s a benefit to joining U.S. Chess. You do not need to be a master-level player to join.
You can go to USChess.org to sign up or donate.