Peoria--
One of the largest annual chess tournaments was held in the Civic Center. This year, more than 1,000 players, from 138 schools, competed in almost 4,000 games.
This was one of the few tournaments in the world with an 8-board match- one of the reasons why it attracted so many players.
Eric Rosen, a freshman at the University of Illinois, was a member of the winning team in 2012. He's chess resume also includes ranking as a Chess FIDA Master and being considered one of the top 10 players, for his age, in the country. He returned this year as a coach for his former Chicago-area high school.
He says anyone can learn how to play chess, and the game is full of life lessons. "It's learning how to deal with your loses." He added, "And then learning from the mistakes you've made to make yourself better in the future."
Even observers were able to enjoy playing the game. Skittles games, noncompetitive matches, were set up for those waiting outside the tournament area.
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