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Teddy Kerr (left) and Archie Kerr face off against each other during one of their practice chess games.
Even though they can’t meet in person, Snyder Homeschool Group’s chess club members have continued to practice and learn new tricks.
While following Stay Home, Stay Safe orders, Archie and Teddy Kerr continue to practice their skills and strategies for the next time they can compete in person. They take online lessons twice a week from a chess coach in Serbia, participate in weekly Zoom meetings with other chess club students, compete in online tournaments and read chess books.
The brothers had planned to travel to Houston to compete in the Texas State Scholastic Chess Championship before it was cancelled.
The Kerrs have been playing chess for about a year and a half, and their mother, Steffani Kerr, said that they got into it very quickly.
“Not this previous Thanksgiving, but the Thanksgiving before, they played a cousin over the holiday and lost, and that kind of set them off,” she said. “They quickly started studying, and they spent countless hours working on it so that the next time they saw their cousin, they would be able to beat him.”
Kerr said both of her sons have a competitive spirit, and playing chess has taught them to lose well, demonstrate good sportsmanship and win respectfully. Chess also offers several other benefits, such as increased focus.
“(Teddy) is just a real wiggly kid by nature,” she said. “It’s hard for him to sit still in a chair, let alone focus on a math problem or something like that. But doing something that’s fun for him like chess has really helped him to focus in other areas.”
Steffani Kerr said that she thought one of the best lessons she and her sons have learned playing chess was the ability to think ahead.
“That’s one of the best parts, I think, about chess,” she said. “They have to develop a mindset of thinking a few moves ahead, which carries over into life. It’s definitely helped their focus.”
Archie and Teddy used to meet with the rest of the club in Lubbock, but those meetings have moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beyond the competition, Archie and Teddy Kerr enjoy the social aspect of playing chess.
“They get to see the other kids, and it’s a good outlet for them,” Steffani Kerr said. “They all can get together, and they do this thing where they play as a team and they vote for what move they want to make next. It teaches them to work together.”
The Texas Tech chess team is considered to be one of the best in the nation, and they regularly hold tournaments for children. The Kerr boys have competed in those as well as other online tournaments. The two hope to attend Texas Tech and compete as part of the chess team.
“Even though there’s an age difference, they’re pretty evenly matched,” she said. “Chess is a game where people from a variety of ages can be on the same level.”
Despite that, Kerr said that she and her husband don’t stand a chance at beating their sons.