Community & comradery: With endless possibilities, chess club celebrates age old game

By Steve Wilder

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    WAYNESVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — It’s one of the oldest games around, but folks with the Smoky Mountain Chess Club never get tired of playing.

“It’s over 1,000 years old,” says acting president Leon Sellards, who’s been playing chess for over 60 years.

“I enjoy the fellowship and the comradery,” he adds. “There’s a difference between playing a person over a board and a computer.”

“It’s endless,” club member Doug Holmes describes the game. “There’s so much to know about chess. There’s thousands of chess books and you can study and read. Within three or four moves, there’s a trillion possibilities.”

But the club is about more than just the game itself, it’s about people.

“What I like about it is the friends you make and it’s a very good activity for kids,” club member Bruce Goowin says. “They love it once they get into it.”

The Smoky Mountain Chess Club meets at least twice a week and players of all skill levels are invited to attend.

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