The Tribune

IF one walked along Arawak Cay on July 10, you would have seen a number of distinctive black & white chess boards and heard the sounds of banter and trash talking among enthusiastic chess players of all ages at Frankie Gone Bananas.

This was the scene of The Bahamas Chess Federation’s inaugural ChessX event. The scene was a far cry from the more traditional local chess tournaments where the silence is only intermittently interrupted by the pressing of the clock.

Outdoor chess spots where chess lovers can stop by and play a game of casual chess are popular around the world, think the popular Union Square in New York City.

The inaugural ChessX at Arawak Cay was made possible through a partnership between Frankie Gone Bananas and The Bahamas Chess Federation. During four-hour event, tourists and locals alike stopped under the Frankie Gone Bananas outdoor pavilion for chess lessons, to take up the challenge to play a member of the Olympiad team or to simply enjoy a game of casual chess.

Chess, as is true with all sports, offers persons a myriad of benefits and opportunities. Chess is also one of the most effective ways to improve problem solving skills and concentration. Studies have shown that one of the key educational benefits of chess is increasing memory and verbal reasoning skills.

But, at its core, chess is a fun game that has the power to bring together people of different backgrounds.

CM Kendrick Knowles, president of The Bahamas Chess Federation, expressed how happy he was to see his ChessX vision come to fruition.

CM Knowles expressed his excitement for more ChessX events in the future.

“The BCF is excited to start the summer off with our social chess initiative, ChessX. ChessX are events held at numerous local social spots in the community. Frankie Gone Bananas graciously agreed to be our first official host of ChessX, and the reception was overwhelming. Local chess fans, chess enthusiasts and persons interested in learning chess attended the event.

“We look forward to increasing the level of play and education during upcoming ChessX events and we encourage the local Bahamian community to support and look out for the next ChessX event planned for August.”

Those establishments interested in hosting a BCF ChessX event are asked to email bahamaschessofficial@gmail.com