Playing chess in the ’hood

Checkmate to stereotypes
As he worked in committee meetings one recent day, he took time during his breaks to bone up on his game by studying a book of chess moves.

"Chess defines us in ways other than the way we are often defined in newspapers and on television with the negative images," he said of African Americans. "Chess knocks the stereotypes and shows that we are intellectual, cerebral people and that we are interested in something other than basketball."

Kevin McPherson, 31, a federal government personnel security specialist who lives in Laurel, was also at Borders for chess. McPherson learned chess at age 5 from his father and is so hooked that he competes with other players about three times a week, plays on the computer three or four days a week and reads books on chess strategy constantly.

Also there was Vincent "Red" Meredith, 56, an IT specialist from College Park who picked up the game from co-workers at the Justice Department 20 years ago. So was Anthony "Little Man" Walker, 34, a used-car salesman from Bowie, who learned chess while doing time for drug conspiracy.

One man's skills honed in prison
Brown also honed his chess skills in prison. He learned to play against the backdrop of the civil rights movement. He was a teenager hanging out in Southeast Washington, embracing black power, when his cousin began giving him lessons.

"The mood back then among most blacks was that they wanted to become enlightened about their history and their rights," he said. "Everybody was reading and learning. Chess was a part of all that."

In 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and Brown, then 21 and disillusioned, turned to heroin. After being convicted of bank robbery and theft, he spent 15 years in prison.

"There were the brothers who embraced the various programs, the brothers who embraced the Bible and the brothers who embraced chess — and I was one of them."

For eight hours a day or more, he played, gleaning such life lessons as "Always think before you move" and "Understand that you are responsible for every move you make."

After he got out, he used chess to help youngsters, teaching them at the Deanwood Chess House in Northeast Washington. He taxis students to tournaments in the Chess Mobile, a dark blue 1984 Lincoln Continental limousine adorned with shiny chrome rims on the outside and chessboards inside.

"I teach them that the best chess players are the ones who make the best decisions," he said.

A long history
The rich tradition of black chess reflects the profusion of good players the region has produced: The first nationally recognized black player, Theophilus Augustus Thompson, was born in 1855 in Frederick, according to http://www.thechessdrum.net, a Web site that spotlights African American contributions to the game. Thompson learned the game while working for the publisher of a chess magazine.

The first African American to achieve the title of chess master, based on points accrued in tournament play, was Walter Harris, a scientist at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Other local chess notables include Frank Street Jr., winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1965 and a chess master; Charles Covington, a noted pianist and chess player from Baltimore; and Kenneth Clayton, who long tutored chess at the Benjamin Banneker recreation center on Georgia Avenue NW.

"A lot of heroes and legends of the game ... play in this area," said chess master William Morrison, a teacher from Baltimore known as "The Exterminator."

Interest in chess skyrocketed among African Americans after Maurice Ashley of New York was named the first black grand master in 1999, said James Taylor (a.k.a. "The Black Knight"), director of the Chess University, a D.C.-based nonprofit organization that works to develop black chess talent.

Blacks underrepresented
But African Americans are underrepresented at the top because they lack sponsorship to pay expenses to travel to larger tournaments, said Ted Fagan, founder of the Forestville and Largo chess clubs.

Back at Starbucks that Friday, Peterbark and Dawson were exceedingly cautious, knowing that the other player would capitalize on any mistake. There is a long rivalry between the men, and each game builds on it. Peterbark says he's won the most games. Dawson, of course, disagrees.

"He's no competition for me," Dawson said. "I just play him for something to do."

They were at it more than an hour when the Starbucks manager notified them it was time to fold up their boards. With less than five minutes to go, Peterbark got a break. He attacked Dawson's queen with a rook. Dawson answered by taking Peterbark's pawn. Inadvertently, though, he failed to protect his king.

"The final curtain! The party is over!" Peterbark shouted, raising his hands in victory.

"That was luck," one observer offered.

"That wasn't luck,” Peterbark said, collecting his things to move down to IHOP. "That was skill!"

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