Playing chess isn’t a one-on-one game for a chess master like Brad Lundstrom, who takes on a class of 30 chess students twice a quarter, spending at most two minutes to circulate the room.

The Greeley man pretty much figures the aspiring chess players at Resurrection Christian School won’t win any of the games, but he has a medal for the one coming the closest.

“I just love chess and love to promote it,” Lundstrom said Thursday afternoon as he competed against Grant MacAlmon’s Strategy Games spring semester class in an exhibition-style format.

Some of the students paired up, so Lundstrom played 22 games, though his record is 45.

“It’s a good challenge, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Lundstrom, vice-president of the Colorado State Chess Association and a six-time state champion.

Lundstrom set up the ground rules at the beginning of MacAlmon’s class. As he worked his way around the room, he executed one move per game board. The students made their moves, then he made his and the students had the time until he returned to consider their next move.

“You’re not allowed to touch the board,” he said about the waiting period between moves. “You’re allowed two passes.”

Chess is a game involving sport, science and creativity from understanding how things work and using the imagination in figuring out plays, Lundstrom said.

“It’s fun to come up with different strategies and, I guess, it’s just competitive,” said Steve Cooksey, an eighth-grader in MacAlmon’s class. “It’s a little bit more competitive, just because he’s so good. You can learn a lot, too.”

New chess player Kimberly Boland, a seventh-grader, partnered with Sierra Snyder, also a seventh-grader, to take on Lundstrom.

“I think it will give me a unique chance to learn from him,” Kimberly said. “It’s kind of mentally stimulating to learn a game that’s hundreds and hundreds of years old. It’s a simple game that can be a lot of fun.”

Lundstrom likes to play exhibition style, mainly for fundraisers and to promote chess. He also teaches the game at elementary after-school programs and scholastic clubs and in private and online lessons.

“It’s a way to have fun with very young people and very old people,” Lundstrom said.

Last year, Lundstrom, whose daughter, Emily Chamberlain, is associated with the church, visited MacAlmon’s and Ryan Walter’s spring semester strategy-game classes one time each. This year, he visited each class twice.

“He does a great job with the students,” MacAlmon said. “I love the way we works with the kids. He’s not a pushover. He’ll step into the classroom with a proverbial chip on his shoulder all in fun.”

Shelley Widhalm can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 531, or swidhalm@reporter-herald.com.