“It helps me to keep sharp, use my mind. I had a stroke seven years ago, so this is like my personal measurement of how far I’ve come back since that,” says Michael Thomas, resident “chess guru” at the Chess Club of Southern Indiana (CCSI). “It keeps me thinking logically.”

“We all get along; it’s a good group of people that just love chess,” added CCSI manager John Warth.

The Chess Club of Southern Indiana meets every Thursday from 7 – 10 p.m. at Silver Street United Methodist Church, 413 Silver Street, New Albany. New members and guests are welcome from all areas of the Kentuckiana and Southern Indiana region.

“It’s a good location; we’re easy to find,” Warth said.

The Chess Club of Southern Indiana is an official United States Chess Federation affiliate, and welcomes anyone who wants to learn about chess, play chess or even read about chess from their lending library of over 100 chess tactics books.

This story is part of the Authentic Southern Indiana project, produced by the Multimedia Journalism Storytelling class at IU Southeast during Spring 2015.