Chess Documentary Airing on PBS

After a whirlwind appearance in select movie theaters and a recent DVD release, Brooklyn Castle is coming to the home theater this week, courtesy of public television and its award-winning POV program.

The documentary depicts the travails of New York's Intermediate School 318 (NY's version of middle school), highlighting the challenges of its chess program through a critical period a few years back.

Public television stations including WTTW in Chicago will air the program at various times and dates through early November, and online viewers can stream the documentary starting October 8 at http://www.pbs.org/pov/brooklyncastle/.

Filmmaker Katie Dellamaggiore's focus is as much about what it takes to sustain a chess program amid the community's high poverty rate as it is about the world of competitive chess.

Instead of focusing merely on the game of chess itself or only the top boards, the film suggests that players of all levels can benefit from participating in such programs. One young lad whose story unfolds throughout the film achieves personal satisfaction that might go unnoticed if the concentration had been merely on championships and awards.

By many measures IS 318 may be the most successful chess program in history but as we see in other cities, financing is often a challenge, particularly when teams are competing at the national level. When hard times befall the NY school budget, there is real drama as to whether this program will be able to carry on. (I won't ruin the ending for you).

Visits to players' homes give a glimpse into the sacrifice parents are making so that the kids can continue to participate fully. Every available nook and cranny in some cramped apartments seem to be filled with chess awards, as the parents hold onto the faith that chess is their child's ticket to better educational opportunities and life success.

My personal highlight was seeing Illinois junior Shayna Provine facing off against one of the film's featured protagonists in the first round of the 2010 All Girls National Championship held in Columbus, Ohio three and a half years ago. Never one to shy from a challenge, Shayna (now 13) played in the Under 18 section. She wound up tying for fourth place with Illinois' Penny Xu and two others.

WTTW (Channel 11) Chicago will premiere Brooklyn Castle at 10 pm this evening, and it will air at additional times throughout the week including 3:30am Wednesday (10/9). Other showings will take place on Nine Network in St. Louis, WILL-TV in Urbana, WTVP in Peoria, WSIU from Carbondale, and WSEC and Network Knowledge HD out of Springfield.

Consult your local listings. For those eschewing standard television, follow the link above to view Brooklyn Castle through the POV website beginning tomorrow.

I also recommend all readers of this article take a 10-question quiz posted at http://www.pbs.org/pov/brooklyncastle/quiz.php . Important ideas regarding after-school programs and the game of chess itself are presented in an entertaining way -- and test-takers don't even have to know the exact answer to rack up points. Give it a try! 

[Still from the movie Brooklyn Castle.]