Chess official sees ‘massive boom’ in CNMI

A visiting official from the Oceania Chess Confederation has high hopes for the game of kings in the CNMI.

Oceania Chess Confederation deputy president  Jamie Kenmure met with Boy Ching, president of the newly formed CNMI Chess Association, as well as an official from the Northern Marianas Sports Association during his brief stay on Saipan.

“Chess in the CNMI during the COVID times really peaked online… Getting back to the board stuff though we can see that there will be a massive boom here,” said Kenmure. 

The Melbourne, Australia native said he used to contribute chess articles for a local newspaper on Saipan and was encouraged with the feedback he was getting.

Fresh from helping with last week’s Guam International Chess Tournament, where Philippine grandmaster Eugene Torre ruled the roost, Kenmure said he didn’t want to miss a chance to visit Saipan and update the Oceania Chess Confederation about chess in the Commonwealth.

“My plan is to get not only all the stakeholders together but get government support and NMSA to support chess. I also want to get the [the Public School System] to support chess and get more schools involved.

One local school that already has a chess program is the Isla Montessori School, where Kenmure said there are about 20 students playing the board game.

“I know there are other schools that are interested in chess as well. This is what we need. The educational benefits that will help foster from chess into the communities are tremendous. It will help the future generations look toward new ideas and shape their country, their territory—it’s absolutely important.”

As for his meeting with NMSA, Kenmure encourages the local chess federation to join the sports body so chess can develop in the CNMI at a more rapid pace.

“I think this is a great opportunity to really explore and develop chess and to look at ways on how we can get an agreement [with NMSA] because there is a lot of potential for the sport here,” he said.

Kenmure also is looking at the sport as a way to form a bridge among the diverse population and cultures of the CNMI.

“There’s a lot of Filipino chess players here and we’re also looking at attracting a lot of the local people here—Chamorros and Carolinian—to play the sport as well. I want to get Carolinian people involved. This is very important for chess. It keeps cultures alive and keeps language alive, but through something that’s educational like chess. That’s what I want to see.”

He said he already saw the growth of chess among the Chamorros in Guam and hopes it could be replicated here. 

“Getting back to the Guam Chess International, I want to point out that there were seven Chamorro players playing in that event. This is a massive increase. They only had two or three players before and now they have seven.”

During the said trip to Guam, not only did Kenmure reconnect with  Torre, who is Asia’s first chess grandmaster and a good friend, but he also had a chance to meet with Micronesian Games Council secretary general Joey Miranda III.

“We are looking at how we can include chess in the Micronesian Games. I would love to see the CNMI represented in chess in the Micronesian Games.”

And speaking of Guam, Kenmure also observed that the youth movement in the sport in the U.S. territory is as strong as ever. 

“It featured just over 60 players. There were a lot of juniors that participated and about 60% of the field were actually juniors, which is a great turnout. You want to see juniors play chess. It’s great for the mind. It’s great for many life skills and educational benefits as well.”

Of Torre, Kenmure said he basically dominated the Guam International Chess Tournament, winning all nine of his matches “for a vicious score” and a “picket fence.”

“He supports developing chess nations. He believes that his presence as a GM helps inspire other people to play strong and be better.” 

While on Saipan, Kenmure also did a bit of sightseeing as Ching and company toured him to the usual tourist sites like the Grotto, Bird Island Lookout, Suicide Cliff, among others.

“I must say Saipan is a hidden treasure of the Pacific. What we need to look at is how we can actually improve it with tourism,” he said.