Barry Cushner, former director of the Square One Chess Club and 15-time club champion, is now hosting chess instructions for experienced players at the Senior Center.

“Hopefully I can be of assistance to people who have played the game but want to be better,” Cushner told the Swampscott Tides.  

Cushner will offer free Thursday chess instruction for intermediate and advanced players. Sessions run weekly from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The program started on November 13.

Cushner is deeply familiar with the game. He ran clubs in Swampscott, Lynn, Saugus and Revere, with a program at the Senior Center in the past “a couple of times.”

He has taught a wide range of students—both beginners and seasoned players. Cushner was most excited to share a story from the mid-1970s when a 6-year-old named Nelson came to the Revere chess club with his father. 

After two years of instruction from Cushner, Nelson reached the semifinals of the Massachusetts Scholastic Chess Tournament. He went on to win two consecutive titles.The now-40-year-old has taken his skills to MIT, Cushner said. 

“He was a terrific student,” Cushner said. “Even at that age he got it.”

Now, Cushner is focusing his expertise on more advanced players at the Senior Center. The group will study all three phases of chess: openings, middlegames, and endgames. Cushner said it’s more “straight instruction.”

“It’s really for someone who is intermediate, who has the game but might not have the tools to do better,” Cushner said.