When the 13-year-old freshman confidently strode into the classroom at Orr High School, coach Tom Larson knew he had a great one.
What’s remarkable about Orr’s success at chess is that the school’s not known for academic excellence. Over 80 percent of its student body scores below the state averages in reading and math. “These chess players are shattering all the stereotypes about our school and its students,” says Larson. “Chess is a complicated game. You have to be smart to play chess well. I tell them if they can do well at chess, they can do well at anything.”
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He began teaching chess to his students as a way of getting them involved in math. To his surprise, they immediately took to the game. “They liked the battle of the game,” says Larson. “They liked the give-and-take and the challenge.”
Larson’s first team at Orr had just six members. By 1989 there were over 50 members of the chess club. That year’s team placed 23rd in the national high school championships.
“I don’t want my kids to be like Bobby Fischer. I mean, he’s a great player, but he’s not the kind of person I like. He’s too absorbed in chess. I want the opposite for my students. I want them to enjoy life and broaden their horizons and see the limitless possibilities of what they can do. I don’t want them to be narrow-minded.”
Other great players from Orr’s past include Latasha Jones, one of the school’s few female players.
If high school players have a weakness, says Larson, it’s their impatience. “They all want to play the speed game: fast, fast, fast, get it over quick so you can play another one,” he says. “I try to get them to slow down, plan your moves, what’s your hurry? Another problem is that a lot of kids aren’t book smart when they come here. They’re not readers. I tell them, “If you want to get good at this game, if you want to improve, you have to read.”‘
