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Checkmate: Weaver’s Way Chess Club Captures Admirers

Negotiating life can be challenging, but learning how to negotiate a chess board might help you through life’s adversities and quests.

“I attribute my success in business to the success I’ve had playing chess,” says Maarifa Roho, a self-employed multi-business owner who runs the Weaver’s Way Chess Club.

“In the sales realm, there is an opening where you have to establish a rapport and lead the sale along to the next level. The opening can last days, weeks, years or ten minutes, the same as in chess,” he says. “In the middle game, you’ve established a rapport, and now you’re trying to guide your prospect through to the end game, which is the close. I’ve seen a lot of sales people, just like chess players, who get to the end game and can’t make the sale, can’t put away an opponent of equal strength.”

Roho’s enthusiasm for the game is evident. At 44, he’s been playing for about 20 years, having started while living in San Francisco. Up until about three years ago, he managed the Franklin-Mercantile Chess Club in downtown Philly. When Weaver’s Way wanted to re-launch its chess club, Roho jumped at the opportunity.

The weekly meetings, which began earlier this summer, take place on Monday nights, 6:30-8:30 pm, at 555 Carpenter Lane, Mt Airy, Philadelphia. Beginners (like me) and experts show up and enjoy the camaraderie. “My vision is to keep it fun and add in things that people are searching for, such as a casual league, tournament play, and maybe a second night,” Roho says. He’s even thinking about having a marathon night and an “online” night where people bring their laptops and play.

The game of chess began in India around the 6th century, although some accounts trace it back to 2nd century B.C.E. China. In India, the game was known as chaturanga, which translates as "four divisions of the military" – infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariotry, represented by the pieces that would evolve into the modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook, respectively. It spread quickly to Arabic countries, where the pieces were abstract representations because of religious restrictions on human representations. From Moorish Spain, realistic and abstract pieces have been found, reflecting the confluence of Christian, Jewish and Muslim peoples. The game eventually made its way throughout Europe.

Chess was a favorite among royalty and the upper class, and considered a sign of cultivation. Knights in the Middle Ages were expected to excel at it. Women of leisure took to the game because it could be played indoors while seated. It was, in fact, one of the early equalizers between the sexes.

Religious leaders in all early cultures periodically banned the game, as it was lumped in with other games of “chance” (spectators used to bet on moves). The latest prohibition came in 1979 when, after the Iranian revolution, religious leaders banned the game for 10 years because it was considered too intellectual. For the most part, however, religious leaders throughout time have turned a blind eye on the sanctions, particularly among the upper class, which allowed the game to remain popular, spread to various cultures, and eventually take hold with the middle class.

The game as played today bears a remarkable resemblance to the original, although the pace is much quicker today. One of the more interesting developments, however, has been the emergence of the queen, replacing the general, an advisor to the king. One of the first reports of a queen dates to the early 1300s. In the book “Birth of a Chess Queen: A History,” Marylyn Yalom posits that as historical queens became more powerful, so did the chess queen. Initially, the queen could move only one space diagonally, the same restriction put on her predecessor, the general. But by the time Queen Elizabeth I sat on the throne of England in the late 1500s, the chess queen was the most powerful piece on the board.

Historically, more men than women play chess, including at Weaver’s Way Chess Club. Roho encourages women – and girls – to come out and play. Boys as young as 7 years old have shown up (including my 8-year-old son). It’s a lot of fun and the seasoned veterans are generous with their knowledge. “If you’re a beginner, get all your pieces active and try to control the middle,” says Arn Specter, an activist for peace and social justice, and an excellent chess player whose strategizing strengths in chess translate well to his maneuvering in Washington. Roho also suggests reading Lev Alburt’s books on chess, written for all levels.

I’ve looked at some books (not Alburt’s), but don’t like that they all contain pages and pages of chess board mock-ups. I told Roho that I want to read a book that is mostly text, to better understand the game. He said, “You need to get in the habit of visualizing the board and visualizing your move before you make it.”

My beginning game has improved since attending the chess club, and now I’m trying to develop my middle game. In the mean time, my son and I are having loads of fun playing, learning, and meeting other chess enthusiasts.