His move: a display of chess memorabilia

When it comes to the game of chess, Leon Shmorhun is no pawn. In fact, he’s probably a king.

Shmorhun, a 44-year Baldwin resident, is a retired violinist, but he heart belongs to his passion, the game of chess. To further that passion, he has amassed a collection of chess sets and memorabilia. This month, the Baldwin Public Library is displaying Shmorhun’s chess sets.

He came by his love while still in school. A friend taught him to play his first game while they were in high school near Pittsburgh in 1952.

“The first game, I lost,” recalled Shmorhun, who moved to Baldwin in 1971. “The second, we drew. The third game, I won.”

Not only did he win, he was hooked. Even his second love, the violin, didn’t detract from his love of the game.

Included in his collection is a wooden set, his first, obtained in 1952. Then there’s the Spanish set, with a bull and bullfighter on it. And the Christmas edition set from Coca-Cola.

Over the years, Shmorhun has found many ways to indulge his passion, including belonging to a now-defunct chess club in Baldwin. Since the club’s demise, Shmorhun answers the chess challenge by playing on computer.

But he still recalls some of the highlights from his love of the game. For instance, he got to meet chess great Shelby Lyman when he took a class with chessmaster. He said Lyman occasionally dropped by the Baldwin club and would play each individual in attendance. Lyman would regularly win.

Then there’s the time several years ago when he saw Russian great Boris Spassky at the Freeport library. He recalls the famous chess match between Spassky and American Bobby Fischer fondly. “It was called the match of the century,” he said. “It brought a lot of attention to chess. People started to play.”

Shumerhun was able to cater to his passion during his years on the road with orchestras ranging from Wheeling, W. Va., to Indianapolis. In the service, he performed with the Seventh Army Orchestra. Then he joined the Metropolitan Opera’s national touring company.

Later, Shumerhun moved to Baldwin where he taught violin for 36 years in Freeport and Rockville Centre schools.

Now he’s content to stay at home with his wife Leisa, also a violinist. And he’s taught one of his sons and one of his granddaughters the finer points of the game.