About Nashville Chess Center

 

 

Man of Vision

 

 

Dr. Martin Katahn, Founder of the Nashville Chess Center

 

You see things; and you say: “Why?”

But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?”

— George Bernard Shaw

 

Known as "Dick" among friends, Dr. Martin Katahn was a slender, quick-witted man with bright, youthful eyes.  A jack of all trades, he was an author, a Juilliard-trained session violinist and, until his retirement in 1991, a Professor of Psychology at Vanderbilt University. 

In the 1980s, Dr. Katahn gained national acclaim when his book, The Rotation Diet, became a New York Times #1 best-seller.  Coined, "the diet that ate Nashville", Dr. Katahn's weight loss plan grew in popularity to the point of being inescapable.  Restaurants served special "Rotation Diet" entrees and grocery stores promoted various foods from his regimen.  The smiling face of the "weight loss wizard” was featured on television commercials, restaurant menus, and roadside billboards, as well as every bookstore and magazine stand.

 

Despite the millions of copies sold of his 14 best-selling diet manuals, Dr. Katahn was extremely modest about his publications.  When pressed to comment on their success, however, he stated that his books made him "a very wealthy man so that I can give away money to things that I think are worth funding."  Post-retirement, he became involved in "a number of things, like helping to promote chess for children in our public schools."

 

CHESS?

 

Although he learned the rules as a young man, Dr. Katahn's interest in chess blossomed later in life, when he began reading chess books and, subsequently, subscribed to Chess Life magazine.  At this point, Katahn was unaware of any organized chess players in Nashville, or the existence of a Tennessee Chess Association.
During a business trip to New York to meet with his publisher, Katahn started taking face-to-face chess lessons from Grandmaster (GM) Lev Alburt, following up with telephone lessons upon his return to Nashville.  He credits Alburt for awakening his appreciation of the game.

 

"Being as old as I was," Katahn recalled, "I was thinking about the problems I had learning the game, and I realized that it's a wonderful and fun way to teach kids how to think."

 

The more Dr. Katahn learned about chess, the greater his enthusiasm for it grew.  As a psychologist, he understood the positive effect of chess on problem-solving ability and visuospatial intelligence.  As an educator, he observed that playing chess increases academic performance.  As a philanthropist, he began to seek out ways to bring the benefits of chess to as many children as possible.

 

Coincidentally, at the same time Dr. Katahn’s interest in chess grew, Tennessee experienced tremendous growth in scholastic chess at all levels.  Unprecedented numbers of children from all parts of the state were joining chess clubs and entering scholastic chess tournaments. The Tennessee Scholastic Championship tournament grew so large that the state association adopted regional qualifying events for both individuals and teams.  Tennessee's surge in the number of scholastic chess players during this period reflected a similar trend nationwide.

GOOD FORTUNE

  

Dr. Katahn and the Tennessee Chess Association might never have crossed paths except by chance.  Looking for ways to attract new members in 1993, TCA President Ed Porter obtained a list of all Chess Life subscribers in Tennessee.  Noting that the majority of subscribers were not TCA members, he judiciously decided to mail each subscriber a copy of Tennessee Chess News.  As a result, TCA picked up quite a few new members, including Dr. Katahn.

 

Katahn's subsequent contact with local and state chess players set off a chain reaction that led to the creation of the Nashville Chess Center. During his trips to New York, Katahn was inspired by the historic Marshall Chess Club and impressed by its role as a point of convergence for the New York chess community. If it can work in New York, he asked, why not in Nashville?

 

DARE TO DREAM

 

It takes a special sort of person to turn a dream into reality, but that is exactly what Dr. Katahn did.  In the Spring and Summer of 1995, a few chess enthusiasts, led by Dr. Katahn, envisioned a well-furbished, centralized location for children and adults to learn and play chess. The amount of planning and energy required to bring this idea to fruition was enormous.

Newly qualified as a Section 501 (c) (3) charitable organization, the Nashville Chess Center started as a "supporting organization" of the Tennessee Chess Association. Volunteers from the TCA were enlisted to serve on the NCC’s original Board of Directors, and more workers were recruited to organize and publicize the unique concept.

At great personal expense, Dr. Katahn purchased and refurbished a beautiful three-story building on Belmont Boulevard to serve as the chess center’s home.  Going a step further, he contacted Ukrainian Grandmaster Semion Palatnik, one of Europe’s chess superstars and “Honoured Coach” of the powerful Ukrainian Olympiad team. Bringing GM Palatnik to Tennessee as “Grandmaster in Residence” at the Nashville Chess Center was the icing on the cake of Dr. Katahn’s vision.

 

GRAND OPENING

 

Extensively remodeled for optimal learning and play conditions, the Nashville Chess Center opened its doors to the public on September 8, 1995.  The NCC is furnished with wooden playing tables and chairs and is well-lit by both natural and artificial light.  All essential chess equipment is available, including an ample supply of chess sets, chess boards and chess clocks, large demonstration boards for lessons, WIFI, computers capable of global play and a large library of chess books, videos and computer databases suitable for all experience levels.  Free fliers and information about upcoming chess-related events are frequently posted for anyone interested.

 

THE FOUNDATION FOR TENNESSEE CHESS

 

The first six years were a period of growth and evolution for the Nashville Chess Center.  When Grandmaster Palatnik moved to Memphis in 2000, the NCC expanded its focus.  In 2001, the corporation legally changed its name to Foundation for Tennessee Chess.  Simultaneously, the Tennessee Chess Association formally adopted the Nashville location as its official residence and permanent home.  The corporation retained the name “Nashville Chess Center” for its programs and building in Nashville, but expanded its plans to include the entire state.

 

FOUNDER AND PATRON

 

By the summer of 2001, Dr. Katahn’s vision for the Nashville Chess Center had metamorphosed into something remarkable.  With a large, active membership base, a core of dedicated teachers and workers, increasing school and community partnerships, and a full calendar of tournaments and activities, the Nashville Chess Center was an obvious success!

 

His vision having reached fruition, in July 2001, Dr. Katahn completed the final part of his original plan for the NCC by paying the remaining mortgage and donating the building and property to the Foundation for Tennessee Chess. Until that time, Dr. Katahn had been paying the mortgage, allowing the NCC to occupy it rent-free.  The value of the building and property donated by Dr. Katahn to the Foundation for Tennessee Chess was estimated at the time at $490,000!

 

ENDOWMENT FUND

 

Ownership of the Nashville Chess Center requires great responsibility.  By accepting this gift, the Foundation for Tennessee Chess obligated itself for expenses well over $20,000 per year to keep the center open. With this in mind, Dr. Katahn took further steps to ensure the viability of the Chess Center by creating an Endowment Fund with an initial donation valued at $200,000. Only the interest from this fund can be used, thus providing a perpetual income to help offset the cost of maintaining the Chess Center.

 

When the value of this gift is added to the funding he provided to support various programs and activities at the Chess Center since its opening in 1995, Dr. Katahn’s monetary contributions to Tennessee Chess calculate to well over a MILLION DOLLARS.  No one in the history of Tennessee chess has made a greater impact or done more to help our chess community!

 

How You Can Help

 

You might get the impression from this article that thanks to Dr. Katahn’s generosity, the Foundation for Tennessee Chess does not need your support. Nothing could be further from the truth!  Property maintenance is expensive, and interest received from the endowment fund cannot pay for everything.  Financial support for all Chess Center programs, including the Chess for Children Scholastic Chess Clubs, comes from tax-deductible charitable contributions.

That being said, each and every donation, no matter how big or small, is GREATLY appreciated and helps the Nashville Chess Center to carry on the extraordinary mission set forth by the late Dr. Martin Katahn.  To all who have continued to tirelessly support our endeavors: THANK YOU!

AMENDED NCC CHARTER - 01.16.2020

NCC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President - Sherri Gough  

NCC Administration

NCC ADMINISTRATION

Interim Executive Director - Aaron Caveny  director@nashvillechess.org

Assistant Director - Aaron Caveny  assistantdirector@nashvillechess.org

Director of Outreach - Epiphany Peters directorofoutreach@nashvillechess.org

NCC Office Director - Rory Wasiolek office@nashvillechess.org