Cook County Jail Inmates Take on Russians in Chess Match
Charles Hopf, 19, of East Chicago, Indiana sat quietly with his fellow inmates in the midst of "media-chaos" last Wednesday as anxious reporters and cameramen vied for the best vantage point inside a small room at Cook County Jail's Division 11, the site of the first-ever chess match between American and Russian detainees.
"I won my practice match," Hopf said as he waited for the tournament to begin.
It wasn't clear whether President Barack Obama and Russian President, Vladimir Putin were aware of the "international event." Nevertheless, the chess game--played between 10 Americans and 10 Russians went off without a hitch.
The American team qualified for the competition by winning internal Cook County Jail tournaments.
The two teams squared off via a secure Internet line at the jail. And after about an hour of skilled focus and concentration, it was the Russians who claimed victory, with a final score of 14 1/2 to 5 1/2.
The tournament was described as a collaborative effort between Sheriff Dart, Dr. Mikhail Korenman, head of the Cook County Jail chess program, and Anatoly Karpov, a legendary Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion.
A 9 a.m. press conference with local media, Sheriff Dart, Dr. Korenman, and Russian officials via Skype, preceded the actual transnational match that began at 9:30 a.m. where
Dart stated he believes chess has changed the lives of some of the players because it requires them to think ahead.
"The participants are excited and this is the most rewarding program we've ever had," Dart said. "This is something positive for the detainees to do and it's an incredible art form; studies show it has a positive impact on people's lives.
The idea of the competition is to have the young male detainees at Cook County Jail, of which the majority of who are African American, engage in positive endeavors.
For some people, it's been a reactionary type of life," Dart said. "When they're active, they're less likely to be involved in negative things. It's also a skill they can take with them."
Dart also addressed the Russian team on their victory.
"Today's successful competition is a tribute to Dr. Korenman for his vision, our correctional officers for their steadfast support of the program and of course to the competitors on both sides for their sportsmanship today and their commitment to utilizing the lessons of chess as a valuable rehabilitation tool," Dart said after the match.
The program will continue but a rematch date with the Russians has not yet been set.
Using standard chess boards and pieces, Sheriff Dart launched the jail's chess program in April 2012, as a way to instill detainees with patience, diligence and critical thought.
In December 2012, the program expanded, allowing detainees to participate in online chess tournaments using secure laptops that allowed them to play against anonymous players from around the world, including players in Singapore, Croatia and Canada.
Dr. Korenman meets with participating detainees two hours a day, three days a week for group lessons and to coordinate matches.
To date, approximately 600 Cook County Jail detainees have participated in the jail's chess program.
The young men at the Cook County Jail have plenty of reasons to hold their heads high, one being, Darwin Brown, 35 who Kirov referred to as the most "distinguished," competitor of both sides, having won both of his games - including one in just three moves.
While some of the participants in the Cook County Jail chess program had previous experience with chess, most of them began recently as novices - including several who participated in the Russian match.
Dr. Korenman, an International Chess Organizer certified by the World Chess Federation FIDE, is a principal of the Russian School of Mathematics in Naperville. His extensive background in chess includes founding the Karpov School of Chess in Lindsborg, Kanas, which was the first chess school Dr. Korenman also initiated the Chess for Peace program which is designed to promote peace throughout the world by bringing secondary students from different countries together to learn how to play chess and establish lasting friendships.
By Deborah Bayliss
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