University chess team takes on prison inmates

Chess team members Brandon Ashe '04 and Ian Prevost '05 spent Friday afternoon competing with 32 New Jersey State Prison inmates at a game of strategy and skill. After four hours of play and more than 15 matches, Ashe conceded to prison inmate Nacirfa Boyer giving at least one win to the home team.

"I think the inmates have played chess amongst each other a lot while in prison," said Prevost. "They were all very excited about the event because they don't have many things like this."

The chess tournament was organized by the Department of Corrections and John Marshall, vice president of Benecard Services, Inc., a local prescription drug distribution company partially owned by former N.J. Senate candidate Doug Forrester.

Marshall said he chose chess because he loves the game and because it "can stand the test across social strata."

The popularity of a similar event held two years ago prompted Marshall to bring it back. The tournament was not repeated last year because of Forrester's campaign for the Senate — Marshall said that they wanted to avoid having the event turned into something political.

"I heard from the warden, Roy Hendricks, that the inmates were so excited about the return of the event that they pulled out their chess books to prepare," Marshall said.

For the first chess tournament, Marshall and Forrester recruited chess master Jude Acers from New Orleans to take on the prison inmates. Acers was scheduled to make a repeat appearance this year to take on some 40 inmates but was unable to attend.

"It was on my shoulders to find a replacement," said Marshall. "That's when I realized that there is an Ivy League institution in this very county."

Marshall then contacted Ashe, president of the University chess club.

'Excited'

"Everyone in the club was excited, but by recommendation of Mr. Marshall, we only took our two strongest players," Ashe said.

Ashe and Prevost were each involved in more than 15 games concurrently. Because Ashe finished his original 15 matches, he picked up some of Prevost's unfinished games. The only incident to be reported was a late start.

"The young men handled themselves extremely well," Marshall said. "The inmates were great and the event went off very well."

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Now that the event has been successful twice, Marshall predicts that the organization of the event will be much easier in the future. He is looking to make the event annual or semiannual — and he will continue to turn to the University's chess club for willing challengers.

"It is certainly possible to recruit grand masters from New York," Marshall said. "But, local students show such great interest, and the amateur flavor of the event adds to it."

According to folklore handed down to Ashe, the chess club has been in existence at the University since the 1930s — though he said he is not certain.

"When I got here my freshman year, the chess club wasn't very active," Ashe said. "But since then, it has gradually been revived and the club participates in a lot of tournaments and competitions."

The chess club meets every Friday evening at 8 p.m. to play chess and share strategy.

"It's not a huge commitment," said Prevost. "Meetings aren't required, but when it comes time for tournaments we pick the top-rated players and take into consideration dedication to the club."

This year, the club participated in the Pan Am games in Florida, and each year they participate in the U.S. Amateur Team East Competition. Earlier this year they beat Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a team competition. The prison tournament was their first involvement in a community outreach program.

The difficulty with outreach programs, Ashe said, is the inability to find sponsorship to help provide supplies. In the prison tournament, the chess boards and books were donated to the inmates by Benecard.

Both Ashe and Prevost expressed great interest in participating in the prison chess event in the future.