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| CANADA'S SOURCE FOR CHESS HUMOUR, PARODY, AND SATIRE
ST. PAUL, MN-- Minnesota residents are thrilled about their new chess superstore, Rook's. The megachain one-stop chess outlet opened its doors in January giving people another source for their chess shopping needs.
Rook's opened its first store in New Jersey in 1996, and now has 17 locations across America. A further three locations plan to open in Canada this year, and seven more are scheduled for Europe in 2003. "We are happy to now be able to give the people of Minnesota the best possible selection of chess materials and supplies," said Bert Knight, CEO of Rook's. "Our chess representatives are trained to know what you want, and will always be thinking two or three moves ahead of the customers--so that they can provide the best possible service." With four aisles dedicated to traditional chess sets, a chess library, an on-duty chess clocksmith, a customized board manufacturing section, Rook's looks like it's ready to take on the competition. "We also have a major coffee chain co-located inside our stores, complete with those cute little coffee tables with the chessboards built-in," added Knight. "And I must mention our fabulous outdoor chess centre, where one can purchase complete patio chess sets, and a full range of decorative chess furniture." Other chess stores in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, including The Pawn Shop, The Treasure Chess, and of course, the original Chess Warehouse, are worried that the new store will bully them out of business, or bring them to a stalemate. Philip Patterson, owner of The Pawn Shop, is concerned. "These big-box retailers take all the character out of shopping. Sure, Rook's will have great deals, and always have everything in stock, but what about the customer? What about the community? I know everyone in the local chess clubs, but there's no way I can compete with someone who can buy 5,000 Chinese chess sets. If that's all people care about, I may as well tip my king over right now." The chess giant plays down the suggestion that they are a corporate juggernaut only interested in profit. "We're here to service the community for all their chess needs," said Knight. "I'm a chess player myself, so I know what the people want. We're not going to treat our customers like pawns. Each and every person who comes through our store will be treated like a king...or a queen." So far, chess consumers are pleased with the new store. "There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition," said Martin Penderghast, an avid chess shopper. "I am looking forward to checking out the prices in their computer chess department. I've been wanting to upgrade my old Sargon II software for years." Rook's store
has almost 120,000 sq. ft. of retail space, and there are over 140 employees,
including seven chesspiece carvers. At the opening in January, former
Soviet chessmaster Yuri Smegarov made the ceremonial first move, E2-E4,
to the delight of the hundreds who attended.
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