In a first, Minnesota prison hosts official chess tournament
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
In a gymnasium behind several intimidating layers of heavy security Thursday, a few dozen inmates got an early morning run-through on the rules for what officials said was a first in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater was hosting an official chess tournament — taking what’s a pastime for many inmates, and allowing them to play the game in a formal competition.
“We are going to be on the clock. It’s going to be 25 minutes with five-second delay,” said Ed Bourgeois, with the Minnesota State Chess Association, as he spoke to the gathered players. “We’re in a rated tournament, we really ask you to stay quiet, to respect the other players that are playing.”
Bourgeois explained that he and others worked for two years to make the tournament a reality. And he told them: Don’t worry if you make a mistake — even the best players do. Just move on and try to stay focused.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
It was that kind of life lesson, that organizers hoped the game could teach and reinforce for the players.
Before the chess tournament could take place, boxes of flexible vinyl chessboards, bags of white and black chess pieces and several volunteers had to make it through security.
The tournament was hosted in partnership with the nonprofit The Gift of Chess. Stillwater resident Lon Newman was among the people who made it possible.
“To do some good, I have three rules for retirement,” he said. “Do what you love. Do it for somebody else. Don’t depend on anybody else to do it.”
Newman is a big fan of chess, and said he’s convinced that the game can do much more than simply entertain.
“There’s decision-making, you know — judgment, impulse control, some things you learn from the game,” he said.
Newman said about 350 prisons around the world take part in formal chess competitions.
Inmates taking part in Thursday’s tournament included 52-year-old Hannabal Shaddai, who’s in the 31st year of a prison sentence for felony murder.
“I love chess. I’ve been playing chess since about 2009,” he said. “I’ve known how the pieces move since the sixth grade, because my sixth-grade teacher, he said. “‘Chess is like life.’ You should know every move you’re gonna make. You should know it, and have a reason to make the move — otherwise, don’t make the move.”
Shaddai said he spread the word about the chess tournament among other inmates at Stillwater. He agreed that the game offers many lessons.
“It does make you think, like life — why am I doing this? Why am I doing that? It’s part of my rehabilitation,” he said.
As the tournament got underway, the players stuck to the rules — though there was still at least a bit of trash talking.
“Whose move is it?” asked one player.
“It’s mine, if you would be quiet,” replied his opponent.
There was also strategy sharing among the players — like keeping notes on moves made.
“There’s no need in trying to write it out — unless you want to learn from a mistake,” Shaddai said.
Stillwater Warden William Bolin said all 40 available spots for the tournament were filled.
“I’m not surprised at all. We’ve got quite a few of our incarcerated men that play chess, play checkers, things of that nature,” he said. “I was a former therapist prior to being a warden, and a lot of our evidence-based programming really is based on cognitive behavioral therapy, which is involved in critical thinking, making good choices based upon your thought process and thinking.”
The top four players in the tournament were expected to compete against other incarcerated people living in facilities across the United States. It’s unclear whether the tournament at the Stillwater prison will become an annual event.
