Illinois Elementary School Association Recognizes Betsy Zacate for Lifetime Achievement and Jim Aman for Distinguished Service for Chess

Illinois Elementary School Association Recognizes Betsy Zacate for Lifetime Achievement and Jim Aman for Distinguished Service for Chess

 

The Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) has long championed extracurricular enrichment across the state, offering students opportunities to grow beyond the classroom through both athletic and academic opportunities to elementary aged students. In 2011, chess officially joined that roster: a quiet but powerful addition that has since nurtured critical thinking, sportsmanship, and community among thousands of young minds. The tournament-style program is unique: individual play, team scoring, and a deliberate emphasis on accessibility. What started as a pilot program has grown into a statewide tradition thanks to a handful of devoted visionaries who saw not just a game, but a chance to shape lives.

 

His story began, fittingly enough, in a library. As a child growing up in Fort Worth during the height of the Bobby Fischer craze, Jim Aman spotted a Chess Life magazine at the public library while accompanying his mother. Though he didn’t yet know how to play, he was instantly hooked on the mystique of the game. Chess had captured his imagination before it ever captured his mind.

 

He finally learned to play at 16, taught by a friend at the time. That casual encounter set in motion a journey that would span decades and state lines: from reviving a local club in Texas to becoming a driving force behind Illinois’s growing scholastic chess scene.

 

In Fort Worth, he restarted the Greater Fort Worth Chess Club and became a tournament director to help it thrive. For a time, he even played competitively. But life moved on: he married, had children, and set the game aside. It wasn’t until his youngest son, then in second grade, wanted to start a school chess team that his passion reignited. Sitting through tournaments as a parent, he realized he could help by directing events again. That decision quickly snowballed into nearly full-time weekend work.

 

One of his most important early collaborations came through a friendship with fellow Director Grant Perks. Together, they organized major events, including one at the Cincinnati Bengals stadium with around 500 players – a logistical feat that would pave the way for the future. Through Grant, he was introduced to Mike Zacate, a chess pioneer in Illinois involved in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) chess tournament. That connection led to his first invitation to work with IHSA, preparing for a lifetime of involvement in Illinois chess.

 

But it was in the middle school scene under the IESA where the next chapter would unfold. That initiative had its roots in a family legacy.

 

For Betsy Zacate, chess wasn’t just a hobby; it was a heritage. Her father had helped found the IHSA chess tournament, and she grew up trailing him at events, absorbing the facets of chess. Taught to play at five, she competed sporadically but gravitated more naturally to directing. Organization came easily, and so did empathy – two key traits emphasized by Betsy for anyone running a tournament where chaos is inevitable.

 

Eventually, Betsy and Mike began pitching the idea of a middle school state tournament to the IESA. It wasn’t easy. IESA was a small organization with limited resources, and chess didn’t yet have a foothold at that level. “The challenge wasn’t convincing them chess was worthwhile,” Betsy said. “It was proving enough schools would show up.”

 

They built the foundation through persistence, not pressure. The first events were pilot programs with no entry fees, designed to remove barriers. One year, the venue fell through at the last minute and the tournament had to be relocated to a hockey rink. “It was chaos,” Betsy laughed. “But the kids were excited. Everyone was. That day, we knew we’d started something that mattered.”

 

The amazing IESA administrators, such as Nicole Schaefbauer helped turn this vision into reality. She has been the IESA Executive Director since 2021 previously the Associate Executive Director from 2001-2021 and before that an Assistant Executive Director 1999-2001. She organized logistics and formed a core committee that included Betsy, Mike, and Jim to help in other facets such as adapting the IHSA rulebook for younger players. They ran the first tournament in 2011, and as the opening round began, there was a spark. “We knew we had started something that was going to continue for a long time,” Jim recalled.

Inaugural IESA Chess Championship

Over the years, IESA chess has grown slowly but deliberately, particularly in rural areas and towns south of Chicago. Unlike the faster pace of major urban leagues, this model of steady expansion builds sustainability. One school might send two students one year, then return with a full team the next. The program has become a feeder for high school chess, seeding long-term interest and keeping the game accessible to kids from every background for extended periods of time.

 

The human element has always been the most rewarding aspect of being involved in chess. “So many friendships have developed through IESA and IHSA events,” Jim said. “And I love seeing the look on the kids’ faces—watching them grow not just as players, but as people.” Chess, for him, is more than a game. It’s a tradition, a tool for life. “It teaches patience, self-control, critical thinking, and respect for rules,” he reflects. “It keeps the mind active. And it connects kids to something timeless.”

 

Betsy echoes the sentiment. “In basketball, you can always pass blame. In chess, it’s just you and one other person. You learn to be accountable. To slow down. To think.” She’s proudest not of any specific rulebook or milestone, but of the community they’ve built: coworkers, scorekeepers, parents, and kids who come back year after year, a little older, a little more confident.

 

Even after stepping back from frequent directing, Betsy remains a fixture. Her background in writing and photography helped document the journey, from event coverage in Chess Life to candid tournament photos. When she received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work, she called it “a delightful surprise.” But the real reward, she says, is knowing that IESA chess will outlive her. “It’s something kids can carry forever.” Likewise for Jim, the achievement of his Distinguished Service Award pales in comparison to the gift IESA has given to every kid involved in the chess program.

Betsy and Jim receiving their awards from IESA

Today, both Betsy and Jim remain committed to the mission: to grow the game, make it inclusive, and nurture the next generation of players, directors, and mentors. Regional tournaments are on the horizon. Looking to the future, more schools might be integrating chess into classrooms: not just as a game but as a developmental tool.

 

If there’s one lesson they would pass on to others, it’s this: show up. Volunteers, coaches, organizers – every adult who gets involved makes it possible for another kid to benefit. Not everyone will be Bobby Fischer or be the best tournament director, but not everybody needs to; that is the beauty of chess. Everyone can show up with their own skills and interests and make a distinct contribution to the overall chess community, which contributes to the continued success of IESA chess. And if Jim could give his younger self advice? “Be ready for the friendships. That’s what matters most.”

 

Whether through scholastic chess or other facets of the community, they’ve built a life around community. A life around tradition. A life around the quiet, powerful game of chess. And IESA is working towards bringing this community to kids all throughout the state so they too can become members of this instrumental community.