CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In the game of chess, every pawn has a chance to become a bigger piece on the board. A Corpus Christi poet and musician is hoping to offer that same opportunity to local artists and chess enthusiasts this weekend.
Kiya Vance is not just the youngest and first Black poet laureate in Corpus Christi history. He's also a musician, a father and a lifelong chess player.
"I see chess as the perfect metaphor for what Corpus is going through. It's kind of a battlefield," Vance said.
Vance's relationship with the game began in the fourth grade, when a teacher introduced him to it.
"It started with Grant, 4th grade Mr. Levvings. I'm sure he's seeing this he's gonna lose his mind I said his name. I was kind of a troubled kid, you know?" Vance said.
He says that as soon as he sat down, his fourth grade teacher gave him a lesson he would never forget.
"And he sits down and he plays my first game with him and he destroys me, no mercy, didn't care I was in 4th grade completely wrecked me. But I was like 'Yo, this is what I want to do,'" Vance said.
That fourth grader is all grown up now and wants to grow the game of chess in Corpus Christi. Vance is teaming up with Christian Leos and Aldrin Arandela, who have been hosting weekly chess events and recently founded the Coastal Bend Chess Academy.
"We're fairly new but we do plan on running a lot of tournaments soon here in the Coastal Bend soon," Leos said.
The trio is hosting a chess tournament on Saturday at 4 p.m. at The Exchange in downtown. There is a $5 buy-in, with the winner receiving a $100 gift card and smaller gift cards for second and third place.
But there's also a free tournament for everyone to learn and develop their skills. Arandela, Leos and Vance all say the primary goal is to spread their love of chess to everyone in Corpus Christi.
"I would say if you're just learning, come on by! I'm still learning. This isn't one of those places where it's toxic or we care about winning, it's all about growing. Even right now as we're playing I'm learning and growing," Vance said.
After the tournament, Vance will be performing some of his music along with other local artists. He says another personal goal is to expand the local music scene across the area.
"Corpus is going to expand in the next couple of years especially with music," Vance said. "You go on the streets at Art Walk and it's blooming with music."
Registration for Saturday's chess tournament at The Exchange is now open. To find out how to register and to get more details, you can visit this link on the Coastal Bend Chess Academy website.
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