Founded in the summer of 2022 in the Copper Queen Library, the cornerstone of Old Bisbee, Cochise Chess teaches kids and adults of all ages the importance of playing chess. Nick Mueller, founder and coach of the nonprofit organization, has been playing the classic game since he was 10 years old (and got recruited to join the varsity chess team toward the end of his freshman year in high school). Going into the third year since their inception, Mueller and the other coaches and volunteers have helped expand the club’s reach to six additional locations throughout the area (the majority at public libraries). The club has also recently dipped its toes into tournament organization by co-hosting the first annual Binational Chess Championship with the Agua Prieta Chess Alliance, who has been their partner since they started. The tournament took place August 31-September 1 in Agua Prieta, Sonora.
As the only bilingual chess non-profit organization that serves an entire rural county in the country, there are a total of 14 coaches and volunteers, four of whom also comprise the board of directors, as well as the three part-time staff. Most of them live in Bisbee and travel to the other locations for sessions. Whatever it takes to spread the game they love to all, regardless of socioeconomic status or experience level, they are eager and willing to do it. “The mission of Cochise Chess is to elevate personal and community well-being through bilingual, inclusive, educational chess programs and collaborative partnerships with local organizations,” said Mueller. “Essentially, we support personal wellbeing through gamification.”
The benefits of playing chess, especially for youth members, include memory improvement, increased pattern recognition and development of logical thinking skills. Another benefit is better communication skills, as the members review games with more experienced players and must practice communicating through this activity. A bonus of the exercise is many times these conversations are happening across generations, genders and races. “Chess brings people together,” said Mueller. “At our sessions, it is common to see three and even four generations of players, sometimes from the same family.” And what’s most impressive for the club is more than 40 percent of their members are female, and more than 50 percent of their members identify as ethnic minorities, primarily Hispanic.
Whatever the club has been cooking up over the past two years to reach more players/students has been working. And because of their inclusive and creative approach to recruiting, they now have a countrywide membership of over 500 people and over 600 when the 92 members of the Agua Prieta location is included for an international total. These numbers include both the coaching staff and the players who attend the sessions. Training for coaches typically takes place on the fly during sessions, with the experienced coaches teaching the newer coaches, as well as outside of the sessions under Mueller’s tutelage. “Half the team is bilingual, including the majority of our in-person coaching staff,” said Mueller. “Local artist and musician, Beca Reyes, teaches me Spanish and co-composes our promotional materials.”
Mueller, who is also an English professor, full-time graduate student and principal of a tutoring business (Cascade Tutoring), was able to turn an idea into reality mainly through donations from friends and family. The fundraising allowed the club to set up a website, incorporate a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and pay for travel their first year. Now, the club is relying on grants, donations from local businesses, individual donors and an upcoming charitable tax credit campaign to fund their scheduled sessions through the end of the year. The Bisbee Foundation helped fund a chess set giveaway in their second summer of operation, with 15 Bisbee and Naco area kids receiving tournament quality chess sets.
More recently, the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative Foundation has come through for the club to ensure they have the equipment and resources necessary to keep going. “Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative supported our sessions in June and July in Benson, Sierra Vista and Elfrida, which brought dozens of more individuals to the game,” said Mueller. “In addition, the SSVEC Foundation has awarded Cochise Chess another grant that will fund sessions in Sierra Vista, Benson, Huachuca City, and Elfrida through the end of this November.” The club also partnered with the Bisbee Woman’s Club to create a summer program that connects scientific method with decision making processes in chess. Their biggest sponsor remains The Local Co-op in McNeal, who has supported Cochise Chess from the beginning.
Session dates and times are released seasonally. The fall schedule was released online in August on their website, Instagram and Facebook, as well flyers across the county. The organization is also looking forward to launching the first ever countywide chess tournament in Cochise County. Please go to cochisechess.org for more details about the tournament or for information about when and where seasonal sessions take place across Cochise County. To donate to the organization, please either go to their website (under Giving) or send a check to: Cochise Chess, P.O. Box 863, Bisbee, AZ 85603.