By Kathy Bohannon
For Coastal Senior

If you hear Michael Kruse talking about a fork, you might check out his knight. Chances are a couple of your chess pieces are in trouble.

Whether it is a fork, a pin, or the promotion of a pawn, Kruse has plenty of experience when it comes to the game of chess. In 1998, he played the master Garry Kasparov, who held the world champion chess title until the year 2000. Kruse was one of 15 opponents in the match where Kasparov performed his usual perfected moves and won out over all. But Kruse held him for 32 moves, and was one of five players left. It was a feat that reflects his expertise in the game.

The chance face-off with Kasparov was, in the chess community, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While living in Phoenix, Ariz., a colleague of Kruse's said Kasparov would be in town. Kruse thought he was kidding. "True enough, he was playing in a simultaneous exhibition," Kruse explained, "So I called the organizers to ask what it would take to be one of the 15 people to play."

The cost to participate was designed for corporate sponsors and was quite pricey. Kruse lost hope. At the last minute, a spot opened up and the entry fee had been reduced so individuals might participate. Kruse immediately paid the fee and secured his place to battle the master.

"He is the highest-rated chess player in the history of the world, above Bobby Fischer, Karpov, and all the other greats," Kruse stated. Bobby Fischer is well known as a World Champion chess prodigy, and Karpov is the famous Anatoly Yevgenievich Karpov, a Russian-born world chess champion. The match was a milestone in the career of chess for Kruse and, as a result, he was featured in an issue of the ADEQ Sampler, a publication of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Once he moved to Savannah, Kruse began operating a chess instruction company, ChesSmart, which he founded in 2000. As a 14-year member of the U.S. Chess Federation, he serves as president of the Savannah Chess Club, oversees tournaments, and has written an instructional book for the game of chess. Kruse works all over the coastal region, with private schools, clubs and community programs to share his chess knowledge with students.

Kruse has won U.S. Chess Federation tournaments in three states, and was trained by national champion and international master Michael Brooks. Previously an environmental scientist for the state of Arizona, Kruse decided to start teaching chess professionally once his family made the move to Savannah.

"I added a lot of different things to chess instruction which I think makes it a lot more fun and interesting for kids," he stated.

Incorporating elements such as poetry into his instruction, Kruse tailors his curriculum based on the age of his students. Middle school students enjoy a rap song that tells the movement of the individual pieces, while younger kids relate to cartoon illustrations.

St. Andrews school student Katie Ambrose is in the seventh grade, and in her second chess class with Kruse.

"I like to learn a lot of things about chess," she said. "It is an interesting game, and I am learning a lot."

Fellow classmate Max Miller added, "Chess teaches strategy and logical thinking." Miller is proud to have won twice over his teacher.

A binder is provided to each student and contains various items of instruction, including a "Chess Oath" which states in part, "I eat well, exercise and read chess books. I don't harm myself with drugs, tobacco or alcohol. I will always be a good sport, win or lose."

Em Hubbard, headmaster of St. Andrews School, appreciates having chess instruction as an option for his students.

"Mike has captured the essence of what I believe about this in the title page of the book he gives to the students," Hubbard said. "To think beyond the moment, to plan strategies into the future, to be able to see how things unfold, and to be able to put yourself in the mind of another, all those things that require kids to think beyond (the moment) are wonderful exercises for the mind."

He added, "Mike is a talented teacher, he makes it interesting and the strategies are intriguing to the kids."

In an effort to provide user-friendly tools, Kruse has invented instructional chess pieces, and has received a patent for them. He is working toward obtaining funding to produce them in the near future, and make them available for people who have an interest in learning to play the game.

Chess enthusiasts can be found all over the world, and the coastal region is very much alive with the game.

"Savannah is in the center of two chess powerhouses," Kruse said. "Brunswick, Ga., and Beaufort, S.C., have tremendous scholastic chess programs going on." Georgia chess championships have been held twice in Brunswick, and several tournaments are held every year.


Learn More

For more information about the U.S. Chess Federation, log on to www.uschess.org


Upcoming chess events:

Chess camp, July 14-18, 2nd grade to 12th. Call for information (912) 879-6314 The Savannah Chess Club meets each Monday at Books-a-Million. Chess playing at the Island Mini Golf and Games on Wilmington Island every Friday night.