Some pairs are obvious.
Beer and baseball. Wine and cheese.
Chess & rock ’n’ roll?
Absolutely, says Matt Thomas, whose brainchild Blundercheck’s Rock N Roll Chess Riot returns for the third year Jan. 5. The six-hour, family-friendly event will be held at Smartmouth Brewing Company in Norfolk for the first time, and celebrates the game of chess with chess-themed music and entertainment.
“Despite the need for it, there’s sometimes a lack of fun that comes along with chess,” said Thomas, a Hampton High graduate who grew up playing the game with the goal of checkmate. “I wanted to do something a little bit different and offer a different environment.”
That’s certainly Chess Riot, which includes beginner and advanced tournaments featuring 10-, 15- and 25-minute games, two double rounds of Blitz (five-minute games) and musical chess (similar to musical chairs) for cash prizes. As for the music, Thomas released an entire album of nothing but chess songs with Sam McDonald. The duo make up the band Uglyography; Thomas plays bass and keyboard and McDonald, guitar.
Their side project and alter ego, Benjamin Blundercheck (Thomas) and the Poisoned Pawn (McDonald), led to their debut chess album with tracks such as “Dance the Knight Away,” “Rooks Stole the Ambulance” and “Bishop Pair.”
Thomas taught chess online to youth for the Hampton Roads Chess Association (HRCA) during the pandemic. In trying to illustrate concepts about tactics, he turned to his guitar. He wrote his first chess song called “Tactics are Everything,” which, no pun intended, “struck a chord with the kids,” he said.
It was so well received, Thomas wrote another, “Blundercheck,” which reminds the novice chess player to think through the consequences before any move.
“So before every move, you better Blundercheck! Blundercheck!” Thomas belts out playfully.
“The kids liked that even better and wouldn’t stop singing the hook,” said Thomas, whose day job is in IT for Newport News Public Schools.
That inspired the album and the inaugural Chess Riot, held at the Hampton History Museum in 2022. After repeating the event at a Hampton brewery last year, Thomas is breaking out something new for the upcoming one – Chess 960. The pieces on each back row will be randomized as in freestyle chess, a unique challenge.
“There’s 960 ways that can happen,” he said. “The idea is you pick a number and look it up and play with that position. All your opening preparation goes out the window. You’re playing straight chess.”
Since its inception, the event that includes lights and animation has drawn a big crowd of all ages. Thomas bills it a seamless entertainment experience.
“Eventually I’d like to take this thing on the road and do it for other chess clubs,” he said.
Thomas calls chess “the perfect game. There’s so much to be learned from it as far as decision-making, diligence, taking your time to think things through. If you start to apply some of these concepts to your life, you’ll see a huge difference.”
Add to that, “There is no luck in chess. It’s 100% skill because there’s no roll of the dice, no draw of the card. You can get lucky in chess, but only if your opponent messes up.”
Chess Riot is Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, noon-6 p.m. at Smartmouth Brewing Company in Norfolk. Pre-registration is recommended for those participating in the Chess Riot tournament, which is capped at 60. Walk-ups will be added if the cap is not met. There is no charge for spectators.
