Neal Harris: Inspiring Local Students in Western North Carolina
By Beth Beasley
Hendersonville Times-News, April 2007

Though he says it's not really about whether you win or lose, Neal Harris is all about success when it comes to chess.

A longtime top player in North Carolina, Harris has been inspiring area school students, some as young as four, since 1992.

"The first thing I teach my students is how to beat Mom and Dad," Harris says with a mischievous smile.

A natural talent for working with children, a tireless sense of humor and a gift for playing chess has helped Harris lead more than 20 local scholastic players to state champion status.

Harris, a Western North Carolina native who lives in the Bat Cave area, taught himself how to play chess after a sports injury he suffered at age 16. Ten years later he was playing chess professionally.

During the 1980's Harris shifted from tournament play to coaching, finding that the influx of European players was making professional chess competition increasingly difficult.

Despite this, Harris, 51, is one of only six people honored in the North Carolina Chess Hall of Fame. He's also a National Life Master, bestowed upon him by the US Chess Federation.

Life Master status is granted by maintaining a personal rating of a minimum scoring level through at least 300 tournaments. Only about 1 percent of the nation's players achieve the point level required for this honor, according to Harris.

"Being in the Hall of Fame usually means you're old or about to die," Harris quips. "That might not be a good thing for me."

Harris sports a healthy head of hair, which is graying but doesn't add years to his appearance. Eyeglasses add to the intensity of Harris' presence, which is bounce off-the-wall energetic but in no way intimidating.

After-school chess programs at a number of area schools can boast that Harris is their teacher: Hendersonville Elementary School, Hendersonville Middle School, Immaculata Catholic School, Avery's Creek Elementary, New Leaf Academy, Stone Mountain School and Trinity Homeschool Group. At Veritas Christian Academy, Harris teaches chess as part of the school's regular curriculum.

"Immaculata is considered my dynasty school," Harris says. "But Hendersonville Elementary has done very well the last few years."

Players from Hendersonville Middle School came in second at a state tournament last year.

"Neal gives of himself beyond expectation," says Charlie Snead, principal at Hendersonville Elementary School. "In several cases he has made a difference in children's lives."

Clearly passionate about the game of chess, Harris is eager to talk about individual students he has worked with who have struggled with chess at first, then gone on to win tournaments.

"Some kids don't get it at first, then it just 'clicks,'' he says. "It happens all the time."

In the classroom setting, Harris adopts a lecture style of teaching using a large hanging chessboard to demonstrate moves. Students mimic these moves on individual chess boards at each desk.

"I go over strategy, psychology and tactics," says Harris. "The students have a chess notebook, just like history class."

However, at most of the schools, indulging in a game is strictly reserved for home or Chess Club. The lack of play in the classroom eliminates kids from being discouraged by playing peers with greater skill levels, he says.

"I have parents coming to me and saying 'My kid isn't challenged,' or 'My kid has Attention Deficit Disorder,'" Harris says. "I tell them, 'Well, chess is good for that.' One of two things happens: Either chess makes you smart or smart kids play chess -- I'm not sure which."

It seems as far as scholastic chess competition is concerned, Hendersonville is full of big fish from a relatively small pond.

"It's really amusing - here we are, small, little Hendersonville, yet we compete head to head with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg mass of humanity," Harris says. Area students also regularly take on students at Durham Academy, a private school known for its well-funded chess program.

Local Champion

The top scholastic player in the area currently is Matt Horwitz, one of three chess playing sons of Dr. James and Deanna Horwitz. Matt Horwitz, now a freshman at Christ School.

"Neal has really helped him accelerate his knowledge," says Deanna Horwitz. "You can only get to a certain level without a coach."

Matt Horwitz, who has played chess since the second grade, competes regularly in tournaments, including the Chess World Open last year. He won state champion status when he was in sixth grade.

It's amazing what an incredible memory Harris has of individual games, says Deanna Horwitz.

"He can remember every move in any one game," she says. "That way they can discuss past games and compare them to now."

It's not surprising that Harris has been named Chess Coach of the Year 10 times by the North Carolina Chess Association, the top record for the amount of times this award has been given to one individual.

Girl Power

An unusually high percentage of area girls play on Hendersonville teams, Harris says. In Charlotte, out of about 5,000 scholastic players, a mere 5 percent are girls. By comparison, about a third of Hendersonville's 300 some players are girls.

"We have more girls than any other North Carolina program," Harris says.

Good sportsmanship is paramount to playing, which includes shaking hands with an opponent before and after each game, Harris stresses.

"It's easy to teach chess. The toughest thing about chess is teaching that it's not about winning or losing," Harris says. "I lost my first 19 games in tournament play. I could have given up."

What's more, Harris says, chess is not for quitters. "People say you have to be smart to play chess - that has nothing to do with it. If you're willing to work really hard you can do anything you wish in chess."