After 20 years, Somerset freeholder returns to the chess circuit

After a 20-year hiatus, Somerset County Freeholder Brian Levine is returning to the chess board to compete for the United States Team Championship title.

Levine will be playing tournament chess on the team of International Master Dean Ippolito under the team name “Dean of Chess – Makatenas.”  

The tournament, which is the United States Chess Team Tournament Championship, is being conducted at the Parsippany Hilton over the President’s Day weekend.

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Levine, who was the champion of John P. Stevens High School in Edison, and the top player in its conference, according to a news release, has received numerous chess trophies and awards through the years.  

“Chess is great for kids,” Levine said. “It allows them to slow down and concentrate. Thinking, being creative, and focusing on a task are some of the skills instilled by playing chess. I hope to be a role model for our youth.”

Levine said that the last time he played chess in a tournament was 1997.

“I guess it is time to return to the circuit,” said Levine, who formerly served as mayor of Franklin Township and is in his second term as freeholder. 

He has been known to play in the libraries, taking on a dozen young players at a time in chess games.

The team's captain, International Master Dean Ippolito, owns and runs Dean of Chess Academy, a school and club for chess players located in Branchburg. 

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Ippolito was a child prodigy in chess, according to the release. In 2006, the New Jersey Chess Federation named Ippolito as Chess Teacher of the Year. Additionally, in 2011, the United States Chess Federation awarded him the Frank J. Marshall Ambassador of Chess Award for his contributions to the chess world.

The team is named after Albert Makatenas, a former N.J. Senior Champion. 

Makatenas, a World War II vet, passed away last year at the age of 94. He was a benefactor and supporter of chess for over seven decades.

Teams are made of four individuals. Six rounds, or games, are played by each team. The top team, which “Dean of Chess – Makatenas” hopes to be, will be the US Chess Team Champion.

Levine, a life-long New Jersey resident, has been playing chess since he was 7 and saw his father playing chess with his cousin.

Levine asked his father to touch him to play.

“For years, my father would always win when we played,” Levine said. “I spent time studying my one chess book and I studied the chess board, and by the time I was in fifth or sixth grade, I was finally the victor. It certainly was with mixed feelings that I beat my father.”

He continued to study, play others and join chess clubs, which eventually led to him winning the “Top 12th Grader in New Jersey” title in the New Jersey High School Championship as a senior at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison.

Staff Writer Nick Muscavage: 908-243-6615; ngmuscavage@gannettnj.com