Jonathan Guymen, young chess champ, rises to the top

BONNERS FERRY — At the age of 14, and having never been coached, Jonathan Guymen is making a name for himself in the competitive scene of chess. He started competing in chess tournaments about three years ago.

In the 25th Dave Collyer Memorial — the Spokane area’s premiere chess tournament, sponsored by the Spokane Chess Club and the Gary Younker Foundation — Jonathan took first place in the class C division with a score of 3.0.

He went on to compete in the State Scholastic Championships in Boise on March 11, where he again took first place, making him the 2016 Eighth Grade Idaho State Champion.

The pinnacle came when Jonathan entered the Lou Domanski 26th Annual Chess Festival on April 8, in Sandpoint.

Jonathan’s mother, Luann Guymen said, “The person who had ran that tournament had seen him play in Spokane at the Collyer tournament and as soon as they walked in the door, he said, ‘Hey Jonathan, would you mind doing me a favor?’”

Jonathan assumed that he was going to be asked to help set up the boards, but that was not the favor the gentleman was looking for. Instead, he asked Jonathan if he would play in the open division, telling him that he had seen him play at the Collyer and he didn’t think he would have as much fun in his age division, competing against the middle and high schoolers.

He told Jonathan: “You won’t win … but you’ll have more fun.”

Jonathan accepted the challenge. Not only did he have more fun, he also won, taking home the trophy.

“He even beat the tournament director in one of the games,” said Luann Guymen.

Despite the victories, Jonathan remains quite modest. One of his fans, Phil Lindemann, an avid chess player for more than 60 years, said, “Jonathan doesn’t toot his own horn, so I’m going to toot it for him. What he has achieved is amazing.”

Jonathan is home schooled and he learns and plays without a coach.

“My older brother taught me when I was younger, like two or three,” he said. “A few years ago I started playing chess again.”

When not playing chess, Jonathan loves to garden and to play Ultimate Frisbee. He also enjoys chemistry. “I like collecting the elements,” he said.

“He really does collect elements,” said his mother, “He wants every one on the periodic table, but we’re drawing the line at radioactive and toxic ones!”

Jonathan’s parents say chess helps the young mind learn and grow, often improving scores in school.

“We’ve seen that with him. His ability to think through steps, to problem solve, is really advanced because he has learned how to think ahead,” said Luann Guymen.

Inspired by the qualities that chess brings out in its players, Jonathan’s father, Dr. Troy Guymen has arranged for a Chess Camp and an unrated tournament to come to Bonners Ferry on June 10-11. Both events are free to attend, sponsored by Dr. Guymen at Bonners Ferry Family Medicine.

“We just want to get an interest because it is a good thing,” Troy Guymen said, “It really helps kids with learning, helps kids with strategy, and with their minds. There is a lot of nice things that chess brings out.”

The camp will feature a chess instructor from Boise, Julie Nahlen, who has been teaching chess around the country since 1996. Classes are open to ages five and up, and all levels are welcome.

It is the hope of Troy and Luann Guymen that they can bring some of the great aspects of playing chess, which they have seen reflected in Jonathan, to the youth of Bonners Ferry.