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Master chess players uniting for Hall of Fame celebration

Former and current champions will honor each other and Nebraska's rich history in the game

Updated: 3:34 PM CDT May 30, 2024

SEVEN SKYCAM NETWORK. ITS BEEN AROUND FOR 1500 YEARS, BUT FEW HAVE MASTERED IT. WERE TALKING ABOUT CHESS AS NEBRASKA HAS BEEN HOSTING NATIONWIDE EVENTS SINCE WORLD WAR TWO. SO HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE NEBRASKA HALL OF FAME CHESS CELEBRATION COMING UP IS SENIOR MASTER CHESS PLAYER AND NEBRASKA NATIVE RODNEY MILFORD. WELCOME. WELL, THANK YOU, WAVERLE. YES, AND THANK YOU FOR DOING A CHESS STORY I KNOW RIGHT? CHESS IS REALLY EXPLODING IN POPULARITY. IS IT WITH THAT QUEENS GAMBIT TV SERIES? WELL, IT WAS AMAZING. AND KIDS ARE PLAYING ONLINE WITH ANYBODY, ANYTIME IN THE WORLD. AND SO WERE HAVING A REAL EXPLOSION OF CHESS POPULARITY, AND WERE TRYING TO DEVELOP THAT NOW IN NEBRASKA TO BY LOOKING BACK AT OUR GLORY YEARS, WERE A LOT LIKE THE NEBRASKA FOOTBALL PROGRAM. WE HAD INEXPLICABLE SUCCESS FOR DECADES. RIGHT. AND NOW WERE WORKING TO BRING THAT BACK. BUT TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, IN ONE DECADE, IN THE 1970S, NEBRASKA HAD THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPION OUT OF BROWNELL-TALBOT. WOW. AND THEN LATER ON, NATIONAL JUNIOR HIGH CHAMPION FROM BROWNELL. BUT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA WAS THE NATIONAL CHAMPION, AND WE HAD THE US WOMENS CHAMPION, THE US ARMED FORCES CHAMPION, THE US DEAF CHAMPION, AND THE US CORRESPONDENCE CHESS CHAMPION, ALL WITH HALF A PERCENT OF THE POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES. WOW. SO THIS WEEKEND AT THE GRADUATE HOTEL IN LINCOLN, WERE BRINGING ALL OF THOSE PLAYERS BACK, AND WELL BE HAVING A TOURNAMENT AND EVERYBODY GETS TO MEET ALL THESE GREAT OLD PLAYERS AND PLAY AGAINST THEM EVEN, AND WELL TRY TO GET A REAL SPARK FOR CHESS HERE IN LINCOLN AND OMAHA. WOW. SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING? IVE BEEN PLAYING SINCE 1972 WHEN WE HAD WHAT WAS CALLED THE BOBBY FISCHER BOOM. OKAY, BOBBY FISCHER AND MUHAMMAD ALI WERE THE TWO MOST RECOGNIZABLE PEOPLE ON THE PLANET. BRIEFLY, IN 1972. AND A LOT OF US GOT STARTED THEN. WOW. ITS AMAZING. AND SO WHY IS THIS EVENT? I MEAN, YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON IT. YOURE GOING TO BRING SOME OF THE OLDER FAME IN THE CHESS WORLD INTO LINCOLN, YOU KNOW, BACK ALTOGETHER, WHAT WILL THAT ATMOSPHERE BE LIKE? I MEAN, THERES A LOT OF SMART PEOPLE IN ONE ROOM. WELL, SURE, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF FUN, TOO. THERES NOTHING MORE FUN THAN A GROUP OF CHESS PLAYERS TOGETHER. AND, UH, CHESS. NOW IS PLAYED REALLY QUICKLY. WE PLAY WHATS CALLED BLITZ CHESS. ITS NOT LIKE WATCHING PAINT DRY. SO IF ANYBODY WANTS TO COME AND SEE A CHESS TOURNAMENT, I RECOMMEND COMING SUNDAY MORNING WHEN WELL BE HAVING A SPECIAL BLITZ TOURNAMENT WHERE THE PLAYERS HAVE TO MOVE WITHIN A SECOND OR TWO. A PIECE IS FLYING ALL OVER. ITS NOT LIKE WHAT YOU ENVISIONED. YEAH, YEAH. I MEAN, UM, I KNOW THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT THE QUEENS GAMBIT KIND OF BEING THAT INSPIRATION. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO HOPE FOR? THE FUTURE OF CHESS IN NEBRASKA? WELL, ID LIKE TO SEE YOUNG PEOPLE CONTINUE TO BE MORE INTERESTED. AND THERE ARE SOME GREAT CHESS COACHES IN THE OMAHA SCHOOLS. OH, THATS COOL. AND THE KIDS LOVE TO LOVE TO PLAY ONLINE. AND WE HAVE A LOT OF RESEARCH SHOWING THE VALUE OF CHESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. THEY DEVELOP ALL THE, UH, SPORTSMANSHIP AND ETCETERA THAT YOU GET FROM REGULAR SPORTS, BUT ALSO THAT ANALYTICAL ABILITY THAT RIGOR. AND YOU ALSO HAVE TO DO A LOT OF RESEARCH WHEN YOURE LEARNING CHESS OPENINGS. SO KIDS DEVELOP THESE RESEARCH AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS THAT REALLY TRANSLATE WELL INTO OTHER FIELDS. VERY COOL. SO THE EVENT IT IS THIS SUNDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AT THE AT THE GRADUATE HOTEL, TWO FULL DAYS. SATURDAY NIGHT THERE WILL BE A LOT OF INTERESTING EVENTS. BE A GOOD TIME FOR PEOPLE TO COME. OR LIKE I SAY, IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE PIECES REALLY FLYING AROUND SUNDAY

Master chess players uniting for Hall of Fame celebration

Former and current champions will honor each other and Nebraska's rich history in the game

Updated: 3:34 PM CDT May 30, 2024

If you're a fan of the show "The Queen's Gambit," there's a chess event in Lincoln you should check out.The Nebraska Hall of Fame Chess Celebration is honoring the state's rich history in the game. After World War II, Nebraska began hosting prestigious events, even drawing future world champion Bobby Fischer to the Cornhusker State. For a decade, beginning in 1969, Nebraska produced the nation's top chess players. "Nebraska deserves a chess renaissance," says chess visionary Rodney Malpert. Malpert sat down with KETV's Waverle Monroe to discuss the celebration, which some are calling the most exciting chess event in Nebraska in almost 50 years. The Nebraska Hall of Fame Chess Celebration will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 1 and 2, at the Graduate Lincoln hotel. The event will include a chess tournament that will unite former and current champions from around the country. For more information on how you can attend, or take part in the tournament, go to nebraskachess.com. The first place prize is $1,500.

If you're a fan of the show "The Queen's Gambit," there's a chess event in Lincoln you should check out.

The Nebraska Hall of Fame Chess Celebration is honoring the state's rich history in the game.

After World War II, Nebraska began hosting prestigious events, even drawing future world champion Bobby Fischer to the Cornhusker State.

For a decade, beginning in 1969, Nebraska produced the nation's top chess players.

"Nebraska deserves a chess renaissance," says chess visionary Rodney Malpert.

Malpert sat down with KETV's Waverle Monroe to discuss the celebration, which some are calling the most exciting chess event in Nebraska in almost 50 years.

The Nebraska Hall of Fame Chess Celebration will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 1 and 2, at the Graduate Lincoln hotel.

The event will include a chess tournament that will unite former and current champions from around the country.

For more information on how you can attend, or take part in the tournament, go to nebraskachess.com. The first place prize is $1,500.

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Master chess players uniting for Hall of Fame celebration - KETV Omaha