BUSINESS FEATURE
Jarred Tetzla and David Gaston started the Texas Chess Center. (Photos by Michael Crouchley/Community Impact)
Texas Chess Center oers chess lessons, tournaments, camps and open play nights.
CHESS TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
Texas Chess Center Plano business making big moves with continued growth
Teachers and sta at Texas Chess Center oered ve tips for new players.
• Do not leave pieces unprotected. • King safety and development is of utmost Importance. • Focus on the fundamentals. • There is no shortcut with chess. Players have to put in the time, and will lose a lot of games, but that is OK. • Chess is rst and foremost a game, so above all else, make sure players are having fun.
BRAND BUSINESS your WITH STICKIES • Exclusive front cover placement • Targeted mailbox delivery • Competitive pricing They eventually became business partners, and while Tetzla started as president of the chess club, he said what Texas Chess Center does is on a much bigger scale than chess clubs. “It’s a niche market, and people already think “You have to trailblaze a lot,” Gaston said. “You can draw analogies to certain things, but a lot of things you have to do yourself.” Gaston started teaching chess in 2017 after leaving his job as a chemistry and biology teacher, while Tet- zla got into the profession after serving as president of his college chess club. The pair rst met while playing against each other in a tournament at the chess academy where they both taught. BY MICHAEL CROUCHLEY F or co-founders David Gaston and Jarred in late 2021. Still, the Plano-based business has seen success over the last year, as the founders added a second location in Carrollton and a third in Irving that opened in early March. According to Gaston, a lot of that success has come from forging their own path. Tetzla , there was no guidebook to follow when they set out to start Texas Chess Center
chess clubs are really small,” he said. “But we’re [of a] way di erent caliber.” Texas Chess Center o ers classes, tournaments and camps as well as programs that teach chess in local schools. The recent popularity of chess-related media, such as the television show “The Queen’s Gambit,” and online platforms, such as www.chess.com, have given Texas Chess Center even more reach, according to Gaston. “People are really nding chess through these alternative avenues that are popping up,” Gaston said. “There’s this huge boom of interest in chess, and there’s a whole underground community out there that we’re really trying to reach.” While the demand has been there, nding teachers has been a bigger challenge, according to Gaston. “People think you need to be a master to teach chess,” Gaston added. “Sometimes people assume they’re going to be thrown to the wolves, but we have actual lesson plans.” Despite the unique challenges, Tetzla said there is no plan to stop the business’ growth. “We’ll continue to expand from there as long as we have the labor and the operations and procedures in place to grow the business e ectively,” Tetzla said.
Texas Chess Center 4105 W. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano 469-498-7296 www.texaschesscenter.com
Hours: Mon., Wed.-Thu. 5-8 p.m; Tue. 5-10 p.m; Fri. closed;Sat. 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. noon-5:30 p.m.
LEGACY DR.
SPRING CREEK PKWY.
N
Dining Room and Patio Seating Available
20% Off All Bottled Wine
$5 Off $40 order Valid Monday-Thursday only. Holidays Excluded. Reservations Appreciated. One coupon per visit; must present coupon. Gratuity, beverages and alcohol excluded. Expires 4/18/23
Lorimar Dr.
Valid Monday-Thursday only. Holidays Excluded.
Expires 4/18/23
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4025 Preston Road, Ste 604 | Plano, TX 75093 | Inside Lakeside Market 972-403-0163| mahjongkitchen.com |............................
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PLANO SOUTH EDITION • MARCH 2023
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