Hotep,
For the duration of 30 years, Henry McCollum was labeled as
a murderer by the state of North Carolina.
Sentenced to death at the age of 19, Henry had been on death row for 14
years when I arrived in 1997. We rarely
spoke, but talking heads made it known that Henry had been wrongfully
convicted.
Today (9/2/2014), he was acquitted of all charges by a
Robeson County Superior Court Judge. The
tear in his family’s eyes is a true testament to how a milestone of this
magnitude can affect people on both sides of the concrete barrier that
separates us. The death row population
exhales another injustice. Good luck
Henry. You bore the burden of the red
jumpsuit for far too long. Be easy on the
other side.
Back on this side of the wall, another milestone is
brewing. Rodney Taylor (my associate,
partner, and pen brother) has been inspired to chronicle the history of the
death row chess club. As the official
chess tournament coordinator, Rodney records every game to the finest detail,
in a weekly commentary called “The Death Row Gambit” (formerly known as
Checkmate).
The following expression will be an in-depth experience of a
milestone on the horizon. Do what you
do, Rod. In this case, Checkmate is a
beginning. Ya heard?
Always 100,
MannofStat
Copyright © by Leroy Elwood Mann
Checkmate
“Chess On Death Row”
Checkmate is the ultimate goal in the game of chess, by
which the enemy king is checked (threatened with capture), and has no means of
escape. Checkmate ends the game
immediately. Simply put, it is a
declaration of victory.
The origin of chess is shrouded in mystery. The earliest date to which chess can be
traced is about 600 A.D. Travelling from
India via the Arab world to Europe it has spread worldwide attracting players
from a wide range of cultures.
Chess can be likened to a war between two military forces
battling for control of a specific region.
It is a mental battle between two people striving to outthink one
another, maneuvering their pieces around the board to a position of
victory. This requires focus and the
ability to strategize – analyze a situation and act methodically to achieve a
desired goal.
An intriguing factor about chess is how its principles are
applicable to real life situations. If a
person wants to be successful in life they must be able to strategize, meaning
they must be able to plan a course of action to achieve their goal. Furthermore, they must be able to maintain
focus to follow through with their plan to fruition.
There is a saying in chess: “Think b4 you move.” Such is the
case with life. It is necessary to think
about whatever it is you intend to do, taking into consideration both the best
course of action to take and the potential consequences. In chess a bad decision (move) can lead to
checkmate. Likewise, making a bad
decision in life can lead to failure, which is a checkmate of sorts, if they
don’t learn from their mistakes and make better moves (decisions).
The reasons people play chess vary. Some play simply for the enjoyment of it and
others as an occupational sport. Then
there are those who play chess for mental conditioning. Playing chess relies on memory, the ability
to calculate sequences of moves, and the recognition of patterns all of this is
relatable to real life situations, from social interaction to operating a
business.
Some of the world’s most successful people play chess and
have employed its principles in their lives.
Even parents and teachers introduce children to the game of chess for
the purpose of developing analytical and problem solving skills that will
enable them to have successful futures.
Chess grandmaster Dr. John Nun said, “Simply put, chess is a
beautiful game. For all of the supposed complexity of chess, the geometry is
simple and elegant. A well-played game
has a certain crispness about it. Simply
seeing a good move on a board can give chess players pleasure. It is a glorious feeling to play a great game
flowing from start to finish.” This is
why chess is so popular.
We have this chess class going on here. Though everyone in it knows how to play
chess, the class has created an opportunity for us to get a more comprehensive
knowledge of the game. It has also given
us a deeper appreciation of chess we have been playing chess more lately
especially with the pending chess tournament.
What was once on occasional pastime is now a daily routine. Not a day goes by without multiple games of
chess being played “think b4 you move,” is a principle of chess that can be
used in our daily lives. Chess isn’t
just a game; it’s a way of life.
Check,
Rodney Taylor
Copyright © 2014 by Rodney Taylor
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