“It’s great to see these kids who think they have a chance,” he said before heading in to face anxious students in school uniforms lined up in front of checkered boards. More and more kids do, he said. “I don’t give them any games, though. They have to beat me.”
As Ashley circled the rows of chessboards, exchanging moves with one student at a time, the hushed crowd could hear only the tap of chess pieces. The children stared into their boards, foreheads creased, chins cupped in hands, fingers pressed against temples.
