Quaker Valley soccer players want to bring public chess to Sewickley
Two soccer-loving friends are kicking around a new fundraiser to provide public chess in Sewickley.
Quaker Valley High School students and lifelong friends Charlie Pyle of Sewickley and Sutton Hoehl of Edgeworth began playing soccer together as preschoolers.
Fast forward to 2025 and both play on the Quaker Valley High School varsity soccer team and share a love of their other favorite game — chess.
“We’re connecting chess, soccer and community,” said sophomore Pyle of the project.
“We just thought it would be good for the community and that there’s no negatives to bringing chess to Sewickley,” Hoehl said.
Fundraising for a public chess area kicked off this fall with an initial $500 grant from Live Like Jordan, an organization that provides scholarships and funding to young athletes and entrepreneurs.
To date, they’ve raised just over $2,000.
Sewickley Council will make the final decision on where the chess table will end up.
Locations under consideration are outside the library, Chadwick Street Park near the Ohio River, across from Safran’s Spermarket in a grassy area with benches or Walnut Square in front of The Lindsay Theater.
Mayor George Shannon has lived in Sewickley for 45 years and was approached by Hoehl with the idea of installing a public chess option.
“I thought it was a great idea,” Shannon said. “These two young men are dedicated to making this happen. They have the energy to make it work.”
Shannon doesn’t play chess but noted that he welcomes the added amenity to the small borough known for its high walkability factor.
“The community will be surprised when they see the public chess, and it’s going to be pretty unique,” Shannon added. “I want to congratulate these two young men because a lot of people come to me with ideas, but then they leave and expect council to do all the legwork, so I think it’s pretty cool that these young men are so devoted to making this happen.”
Borough Manager Donna Kaib and Councilwoman Bridgett Bates are assisting with the project. Bates serves as parks and recreation committee chair.
“They came in prepared and with a good proposal and offered to do this. … It’s one more opportunity for people to spend time in our public spaces,” Bates said. “It’s a good project, and we’re happy with it.”
Hoehl said they plan to meet with borough officials in January to select the exact model of the chess table and decide on the location.
“We’re feeling good and will continue to raise money because we would like to see more than one table in the village and we’d like to bring sets into local schools,” Pyle said.
Each chess table will cost about $2,000 to $2,500.
“Sewickley is a small community, and we appreciate the support we’ve received from it as we’ve grown up. We’d like to give back,” Pyle said.
Borough officials approved the project last year.
The friends have hosted numerous soccer skills camps for youth to raise the majority of the funds.
“Our goal was to get one or two, but we’d like to expand and create an organization, and we hope to have schools from Seneca Valley and North Hills and other areas,” Sutton said.
Pyle and Hoehl noted they see a similarity between chess and soccer because both require a lot of strategy and chess is a game that can bring two people together.
Pyle learned how to play chess from his grandparents and enjoys playing the game at home.
“It’s fun because it’s a strategy game and complex,” Pyle said.
Sutton is the sole chess fan in his family.
“I taught myself when I was little using an app,” Hoehl said.
The chess project is part of an experimental learning project at Quaker Valley High School, a non-graded requirement for graduation.
Experimental learning is an educational process where students develop skills, values and knowledge from direct experiences outside a traditional classroom setting.
Once the table is installed this spring, Sewickley will join Pittsburgh-area communities such as South Park, Schenley and the South Side offering outdoor chess tables.
The friends said they’ve gained real-world knowledge since beginning the project, with bank meetings for handling the funds raised, soliciting help from community members to get the word out on the project and creating fundraiser flyers.
“We’ve also learned about soccer and chess and loved helping others learn games both Sutton and I are passionate about,” Pyle said.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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