Buffalo Grove chess players welcome Siberian teens for a game or two

About 20 teens silently slid chess pieces around a board after school on Tuesday.

Half were Buffalo Grove High School students. The other half were Siberian teens visiting the Chicago area for a couple weeks.

"Chess is a hard sport, and they're good," said George Karavaev, a Buffalo Grove senior. "It's stressful and takes a lot of concentration."

He was one of the few Buffalo Grove students to beat one of the Siberian students. After his victory, Karavaev threw back his chair and shook his opponent's hand.

The Russian students competed in an international chess tournament in Glenview last weekend. This week, they're touring several local high schools before heading back to Russia on Monday.

Buffalo Grove history teacher and chess coach Mike McCabe asked to host the Russian students because many of his chess players speak fluent Russian -- a major bonus since most of the Russian students didn't speak English.

Karavaev is one of those students.

The Russian students were amazed at the size of Buffalo Grove High and that American students change classes so often during the day, Karavaev said.

Yuriy Nartov is another Buffalo Grove senior who speaks fluent Russian.

"The Russian students take chess more seriously," Nartov said. "Here, it is a game. Chess is more a part of the culture in Russia."

Despite the cultural differences, it was tough to tell the two groups of students apart Tuesday. Both wore blue jeans and sweatshirts and avoided eye contact during matches.

They all dug into a bowl of Doritos and threw back plastic cups of Mountain Dew. After the matches, they chatted in Russian.

Willowbrook resident Mikhail Korenman is the director of the International School of Chess, based in Orland Park. He helped the Russian students when they arrived in the U.S. and was able to translate for them.

Tatyana Stefanishina, 16, is one of the few girls on the Russian team. She said about 30 percent of teenage chess players in Russia are female, but it's rare to see a female player in the U.S.

Stefanishina won both of her matches Tuesday.

"This school is so much bigger," said Stefanishina in Russian while Korenman translated. "But I like my school better."

The Russian students will take on Stevenson High School chess players today.