It’s a Tuesday afternoon and the children are arriving at Huntly Library after school. They race to the counter and ask for the chess boards, so that they can get them set up before Brian Sullivan arrives.
When Brian gets there, they start to play.
Brian, a retired local man, has been teaching the children how to play chess for the past few years. “I’ve taught them well,” he chuckles, “because they’re beating me now.”
Classes are held every two weeks and Brian volunteers his time to teach them the rules. “There are so many different moves in chess. There’s always something to learn, even when you have been playing for a while.”
Brian learnt to play chess when he was a child. “Dad would get home from work and say ‘get the board out’. It was something we could do together.” He recently taught his six-year-old granddaughter how to play. “Sometimes I let her have her day and beat me.”
The classes at Huntly Library came about accidentally, he says.
Huntly Library Coordinator Denise Lamb says Brian, a regular library visitor, started playing the occasional game with the children.
“He helped them become interested in chess and it snowballed from there. Before Brian, no one ever asked for the chess sets. Ever. Since he’s been teaching them, we’ve had to get extra sets because it’s become so popular.
“We really appreciate people like Brian. We are very fortunate to have such wonderful people in our community who give up their time to help our tamariki.”
Brian says the children are excited to learn and it’s a joy to see. “They learn really quickly. Now, they come in here and beat me but I don’t mind that,” he laughs. “They also learn how to be a good sport. It gives them something to do and gets their brains thinking.”
“They’ve got it for a lifetime now. They’ll always be able to play, and they’ll be able to teach their friends and one day they’ll teach their own kids.”
Waikato District Libraries offer a range of classes across the district, including crochet club, Duplo club, Lego club, video games club and toddler time.
As they settle in to play, Brian asks Maxwell “are you going to beat me today?” Maxwell grins. “Maybe,” he laughs.
