Friday, June 21, 2019
YOUNGSTOWN
Whether he wins or loses, Michael Abron, 65, will earn a unique achievement when he competes in a chess tournament in Alaska this fall.
Abron would become the first black man to play in United States Chess Federation tournaments in all 50 states, according to the Idaho Chess Association.
Alaska is the last state on the list.
“Chess and travel. That’s what I’m all about,” he said.
The Youngstown resident taught himself how to play chess in high school and was encouraged to keep playing after he won a high-school tournament.
By 2006, he played chess in 30 states. After that, he took a break from chess for several years.
In 2018, a few years after retiring from his career as a math teacher, he set out to finish his quest of competing in each state.
“I’m having fun, I’m loving it,” he said. “I put the ‘gold’ in ‘golden years.’”
He initially played in tournaments on the East Coast, and made his way over to the West Coast. During these travels, he met fellow chess players who became good friends. They encouraged him to keep going.
“When I first started, I decided I was going to jump on the road and play in 20 states,” he said.
People he spoke to about his goal donated money to allow him to keep traveling and competing. He found ways to cut costs such as staying in hostels instead of motels.
“People have been good to me, Jesus has been good to me,” he said.
Last May, he won the Idaho Open Chess Championship with a perfect score. That tournament marked the 34th state he played competed in.
Anyone can learn to play chess, he contends, but it takes patience and a grasp on logic.
From his adventures, Abron said he has met people from all over the world, and the kindness they have extended to him taught him to love everyone.
“I love being around people and having fun with them. I’ve learned about different cultures, even if I didn’t always know the language they were speaking,” he said.
He has a photo album filled with postcards from all the places he has visited, along with notes about his journeys and rankings.
“Hawaii was the most beautiful,” he said. “I took some pictures with the big trees in Hawaii.”
Abron said he wants to see a chess community grow in Youngstown, noting the Chess House on Market Street is a fun place to play.
“Maybe if I live long enough, I can become a chess grandmaster,” he said.
To donate toward Abron’s fund to enable him to travel and play in tournaments, visit https://www.gofundme.com/56znuqg.
He blogs about his experiences at http://gettingto2000.blogspot.com/.uscf.