There are chess clubs and then, there is the Playa Vista Chess Club.
The latter was founded and is run by Ben Eubanks. In an age when soft discipline is acceptable, Eubanks prefers a slightly more traditional approach to teaching.
His methodology is designed to help young club members know their “boundaries,” of which they can overcome.
Eubanks, a Marina del Rey resident and realtor by trade, teaches his 25-plus students the principles and philosophy of a board game that, he says, “reflects life.”
“In chess there is a rule called ‘promotion,’ where a pawn [reaches its eighth rank] and miraculously, can change into a queen,” Eubanks says. “That pawn was the lowest piece on the board, yet has elevated itself through the right approach and sound decisions.”
He wants his club students to believe that anything is possible, regardless of where they start.
While winning is the immediate prize, personal growth can be measured over a lifetime.
“Chess is a game in which you are always learning, always growing,” Eubanks, 62, a competitive player in his own right, says. “Even after playing this game for fifty-four years, I find myself still learning.”
He started the Playa Vista Chess Club in 2012, to give kids a safe haven, keep their minds stimulated, and to give back to the community.
The club, which is open to youth ages 5 to teens (no previous chess experience necessary), meets Wednesday afternoons for one hour year-round, and costs nothing. The meeting spot is a community room inside the Los Angels Library, Playa Vista branch.
Parents are encouraged to stay for the weekly session, and the club has the support of the PV Library, and the Friends of the Playa Vista Library Board of Directors.
Meena Shrestha says her two kids have been regular members of the Playa Vista Chess Club for a few years. They routinely make the trek every Wednesday from Hawthorne.
“My kids hardly knew what a chess piece was when they started,” Shrestha says. “[Eubanks] has a different technique, more strict. He teaches them to never give up. Now, I have two champions.”
Daughter Ashreeya, 11, was voted the 2015 Playa Vista Chess Club Player of the Year, for exemplary attendance, a strong attitude of service, and the most improved chess player.
Both Ashreeya and brother, Awishkar, 9, have won between 10 and 15 prizes apiece, their mother says.
Wednesday lessons are from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.; most meetings open with students playing chess for about 45 minutes. Eubanks reserves the last 15 minutes for discussion.
“I want total focus,” he says. “No cell phones, no texting, no distractions.”
On this day, Eubanks, a former high school government teacher, calls on his students individually to read from a sheet of paper about the game of chess. This exercise keeps the youth engaged, while helping them overcome shyness.
“Yes, I’m a little hard-nosed at times,” Eubanks admits. “But when I call on students, I call on all students. They understand that above all else, I’m fair.”
Next lesson for the day is a demonstration of chess strategy.
Students volunteer to present their opening moves. Eubanks says that “to develop (place into position) one’s pieces effectively, the first four moves are critical.
“This initial positioning takes place in what is called the ‘opening game,’ which sets the stage for the subsequent stages of a chess game which are the “middle game”, and the “end game,” he says.
The demonstration teaches students the various stages of the chess. And helps prepare his club members for competition.
“The experience of stepping up to the front of the room and responding affirmatively to a technical challenge makes all of our chess club members better, and more confident,” Eubanks says.
Tournaments are routinely hosted by the PV Chess Club, while members also travel to other competitions throughout the year.
Playing different opponents is essential to self-growth.
Eubanks adds that technique and strategy are important, but so is nimble and creative thinking.
“My arsenal as a chess player is exactly the same as my opponent’s. We both start with 16 pieces each, and all 16 pieces are exactly alike,” Eubanks said in a previous interview. “In cards or dominoes, your hand is up to chance — it’s luck, basically. In chess, there’s no luck involved. Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will get you everywhere.”
One of the Playa Vista Chess Club’s first members in 2012 was Klayman McDaniels. Eubanks says with “pride,” that McDaniels is now studying at UCLA.
For Playa Vista Chess members, Wednesdays is a day with a new game lesson, as Eubanks tells it.
“They think they are learning the game of chess. But we are actually pointing them in a bigger direction: College.”
The Playa Vista Chess Club is a free program offered by the Playa Vista Public Library under the auspices of the Friends of Playa Vista Library, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit entity. The library is at 6400 Playa Vista Drive. To learn more about the chess club, contact Ben Eubanks at beeubanks@yahoo.com
