By Mike Abell
Student Frank Williams details his passion for chess; plays 24-60 games a day
While most students are slouched over texting in the Student Center, there is one student who is slouched over plotting his next move.
From the time Frank Williams started attending the college he has the turned the chess club upside down. Williams originally enrolled in a statistics class in order to assist his daughter with the course and befriended his mathematics professor, Ron Palcic. Palcic not only encouraged Williams to start a chess club but he also sponsored it. After taking time off from running the chess club, Williams has returned.
Williams said when they originally got Student Senate’s approval they were assigned a room and only had about an average of four people showing up, so he quickly made the decision to start hosting games in the Student Center in order to gain participation amongst students.
Williams can be seen playing with the rest of the club Wednesdays and Thursdays in the Student Center from noon to 5 p.m. Williams said he can play anywhere from 24 to 60 games of chess a day, depending on the skill level of his opponents. Anyone can sit down and play Williams or join the chess club. He said anyone who follows the rules of chess makes a worthy opponent.
“All sports have rules,” Williams said. “Now, we have moves that are allowed, some moves are not allowed but that is simply the chess rules.”
Williams has played chess for over 60 years and has been in multiple clubs throughout that time frame. He first started playing the game in first grade. Growing up, he had a brother who was more of an outdoors type of kid while Williams preferred to sit inside and play a game of chess.
He considers himself to be most like the knight because the knight can do stuff other pieces can’t do, like jump over any of the other pieces.
“I like the knights, I like to play them because they’re tricky and I like to collect them if it’s the other guys’ knights,” Williams said.
Out of all the games that he plays, he enjoys chess the most due to the fact that it is based on skill and the only luck involved is who makes the first move. Players who often play white often play offensively while black will play defensively. Williams typically enjoys playing white more often than not.
“White has the advantage and I think I play white better than black,” Williams said.
Contact Mike Abell, photo editor, at mabell@jccc.edu.