Christopher Salley began playing chess at the Largo-Kettering Branch Chess Club at age 6. Today, at age 11, Christopher has held his own for 19 moves against the International Grandmaster Maurice Ashley. When asked how that felt, Christopher said, “It felt really good. I tried my best to win and make it hard for him to beat me. I did make him (the Grandmaster) think once when he put me in check, and I escaped to survive for a few more moves.” Christopher Salley, after much deliberation, concluded that it was the most strategic move he has ever made.

His father, Kevin Salley, taught Christopher how to play the game. “He showed me how the chess pieces move,” Christopher stated. “When I remembered the next day, he started showing me how to play the basic game.” Christopher was just 5 ½ years old at the time. “When he started winning the games against us for real that’s when we decided to let him join the chess club at the Largo-Kettering Branch Library,” his parent’s Kevin and Candace Salley explained. “The whole family began learning chess. Instructor Lawrence Scott asked us, “How was his end-game, mid-game and so forth? After asking a few more questions that we could not answer, Mr. Scott just said, “I’ll take over from here.”
 

Since then, the Largo-Kettering Chess Club star’s accomplishments have included:

1. Winner of the D.C. Junior Open Chess Tournament at the U.S. Chess Center (in the under 600 rated section) – January 16, 2010
2. Winner of the Greater Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Chess Tournament at UMBC (in the elementary school section) – February 5, 2011
His next major tournament will be the Greater Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Chess Tournament, middle school section, in February 2012.
 

Christopher Salley attends Chesapeake Math & IT (CMIT) Academy in Laurel, MD. The academy does have a chess club, but Christopher would like some more experienced players to join. When asked, “What he would like to be when he grows up, and how chess will help him achieve this goal;” Christopher answered, “I think I would like to be an engineer or an accountant, or have some occupation that will allow me to use my math skills. Chess helps me focus for long periods of time, which will help me when I have to study those hard subjects!”
 

“Chess has exposed Christopher to the diversity of cultures in our area, allowing him to meet and make friends with many children of different nationalities and ethnic groups. It has boosted his self –esteem and contributed to some of the social confidence he now has,” noted Mr. and Mrs. Salley.
To aspiring chess champions, Christopher says,
Chess should always be fun. If you like the game of chess you will do well. You should keep practicing by playing other people who are better than you. This will make your game stronger. As Maurice Ashley says, “losing is learning.”
 

For additional information regarding the chess event with Maurice Ashley, International Grandmaster, the first African American to hold this distinguished title, visit our website at www.pgcmls.info, click on the Washington Post, then back issues, October 13, 2011, pages B1 and B8 for the article: Your move, Mr. Grandmaster, by Michael Alison Chandler. Christopher is pictured in an orange CMIT shirt on page B1.
His chess instructor at our Largo-Kettering Branch, Lawrence Scott actually came to the Largo-Kettering Branch to learn chess under librarian, Guy Charity, fondly known as “Coach.” After Guy’s transfer to the Glenarden Branch, Scott continued the program. Lawrence Scott believes that Christopher is chess scholarship material. He recommended that Christopher join the U.S. Chess Center and the U.S. Chess Federation. His parents agree and are hoping to position him for success.
 

LARGO-KETTERING BRANCH
Chess Club
Tuesdays, 7 pm
Instructor: Lawrence Scott