Leo Grace holds his hand above the chess pieces, pauses, glances at the board, then picks up a knight. In a quick motion, he jumps it over a bishop and thunks it down on a new square. 

His opponent carefully surveys the scene before answering. 

Leo responds swiftly. No hesitation. Decisive. 

The battle wages. Analytical action versus gut reaction. 

A few moves later, though, the 7-year-old is defeated. 

He smiles.  

“Good game,” Leo says. 

His much older opponent felt fortunate to win. 

“He knows how to calculate and he knows how to set up things,” the man said. “He has great natural instinct.” 

Theirs was one of several games Monday night at McDonald’s at Riverstone, where members of the CDA Chess Club meet in combat.  

Leo Grace, currently ranked 67th nationwide in chess among 7-year-olds, will be competing this Saturday in the Barn Burner Chess Tournament at New Leaf Nursery. 

Both novice and experienced players will battle from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the tourney put by the CDA Chess Club. Anyone is welcome. 

The goal is to bring the chess community together for a day of camaraderie, intellectual sport and, yes, perhaps discover the next Bobby Fischer. 

Leo isn’t the only Grace who will be orchestrating pawns, rooks, knights, bishops, kings and queens around the board. 

His sisters, Serena, 11, and Sophia, 9, are also very good players, as is dad Travis. 

Who's the best? 

Serena and Sophia look at their little brother. 

“Him,” they say in unison. 

Still, they enjoy the game.  

Serena says it helps her with math and problem solving, while Sophia says she finds it “interesting in many ways.” 

“My favorite piece has always been the rook. But the board looks cool, too,” she said. 

Even Max, the youngest member of the Grace family at 4, has picked up chess.

“He just checkmated dad,” Leo said, adding, “but he hasn’t mastered the tactics yet.” 

The Grace kids are well-rounded. They swim, play piano, sing and are involved in soccer. 

“They’re remarkable,” said Steve Dahlstrom, tournament director.

Mom Ava Grace said chess teaches them to analyze, be patient and display grace.  

“It’s OK to lose,” she said. “You have to be OK to lose because that’s going to happen.” 

And you have to own your mistakes, Ava Grace said.

“If you learn that from playing chess, you’ve a good citizen,” she said. 

Leo doesn’t mind losing as long as he puts up a good fight. 

“I like battling,” he said. “This is a good game for wars.” 

Leo showed potential early, beating older players when he was just 5 years old. He has a coach, reads chess books and plays in tournaments around the country. He placed third in the elementary school level in the 46th State Scholastic Championship in Alabama earlier this year.

“My goal is to become a national master before I’m 12,” he said. 

He admits his style of play can be impulsive, almost reckless, but there is reason to this, as his opponents are often caught off guard. 

“He likes to move fast and not think about it sometimes,” Sophia said. 

Ava Grace said Leo “sees the game.

“It’s almost like he sees the puzzle,” she said, adding, “I can’t see it.” 

Dahlstrom said Leo plays fearlessly. 

“He’ll play anybody. You want to play, he'll play you, no problem,” Dahlstrom said. “He looks for the weaknesses in your position and he’ll find it."

The last time the two played, Dahlstrom said he was one move from checkmating Leo. Unfortunately, Leo was also one move from checkmate, and it was his turn. 

“He got me,” Dahlstrom said, laughing.

Chess is coming to the region on a bigger scale.  

The National K-12 Grand Chess Championship is scheduled Dec. 12 to 14 at the Spokane Convention Center, while the 80th Idaho State Championship expected to draw more than 1,000 players is coming to Post Falls on March 27. 

“Good players will be here,” Dahlstrom said. 

We have to ask: Is Leo the next Bobby Fischer, the reclusive American chess champion who won the world title in 1972? The man whose life the 1993 movie “Searching for Bobby Fischer” brought back to the spotlight?

Dahlstorm smiles as he watches Leo playing another game at McDonald’s. 

“I just want him to be a well-rounded kid,” he said. “Whatever he puts his mind to, he’s going to be good at.” 

Registration for the Barn Burner Chess Tournament is $20 at the door. New Leaf Nursery is at 12655 N. Government Way. Check in is 9:15 to 9:45. Prizes will be awarded. While some chess sets and clocks will be available, players are encouraged to bring their own equipment. Info: cdachess.com 

    Leo Grace plays Rick Haering during a Monday night chess match at McDonald's in Riverstone.
  

    Chess players ponder moves at McDonald's during Monday night matches.
  

    Sophia Grace considers a move in a game of chess at McDonald's on Monday.