The World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries in St. Louis, Missouri, pictured this past July. Rep. Dean Fisher, who took the photo, has spent the past month forming a new local chess club that will hold its inaugural meeting next week. PHOTO COURTESY OF DEAN FISHER

TAMA – Rep. Dean Fisher of Montour thought his chess-playing days were over after giving up the mind sport half a century ago following high school. But through his work with the private, non-denominational K-8 Tama-Toledo Christian School, he’s picked up the game again after all these years, leading him to form and organize the new Tama-Toledo Chess Club.

“My dad taught me when I was in fourth or fifth grade, he learned how to play while in the Army Air Corps during World War II,” Fisher told the newspaper in a recent email exchange about the new club and his reasons for organizing it. “When I was in sixth grade in Montour, our math teacher, Mr. Preston, asked if anyone knew how to play – apparently he had just learned the game himself. We played during study hall a lot that year. At first, I could beat him easily, but of course he caught up and we were a good match for a while. I played a lot in high school at STC, too. After high school I never played until recently, so a 50-year gap.”

At the suggestion of teaching assistant Allison Hill, Fisher decided to start a chess club at TTCS which spurred his interest in the game again. From there, he started playing on Chess.com.

“[I] have been enjoying that, but really want to play face to face. The Marshalltown chess club seemed to have fizzled and other clubs are too far away, at least an hour. So I thought, why not try it for the community here in Tama-Toledo? So far I’m sensing a good bit of interest, we may have 20 adults and kids at our first club night.”

The newly formed Tama-Toledo Chess Club is open to everyone – not just TTCS students – and will meet for the first time next week Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Tama-Toledo Christian School located at 600 Oswego St. in Tama.

“We are open to kids and adults, (but) children under 12 will need a parent present,” Fisher added. “We will teach newcomers, and provide a place for experienced players as well.”

Perhaps in preparation for next week’s inaugural club night, Fisher further reignited his dormant chess-playing abilities at the 2026 Iowa State Fair earlier this month.

“On a lark, I went to the State Fair chess tournament. I had low expectations for myself knowing it would draw high-ranking players, but thought it would be a good chance just to see how a tournament works. Before the scholastic portion started a 6-year-old kid asked me to play a friendly game, he beat me pretty handily! … In the adult tournament, I got beat out in the first round, but it was fun and a great experience watching the others advance.”

While Fisher owns three chess sets himself and plans to bring them to next week’s first club night at TTCS, he would appreciate anyone with a set and board to bring those along.

“We have quite a few kids interested, so part of our first night might involve some one-on-one teaching at the start. This will be a learning experience, we can talk about how best to move forward from there,” he said.

Those seeking additional information are asked to visit the Tama-Toledo Chess Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BpcF4Yth8/.

The board has been set. Make your move.