CLEVELAND -- Steven Kwan and the Guardians had a team off-day on Thursday, on the heels of a stretch of playing 13 games in as many days. However, Progressive Field was buzzing with activity for a great cause.
Kwan hosted the second annual “Check on Your Mate" chess tournament on Thursday, in partnership with Progress With Chess. The event served to promote positive mental health in celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month.
Thursday’s tournament featured chess players of all skill levels from schools in Cleveland, from kindergarten to high school seniors. Kwan was joined by teammates Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi and Travis Bazzana, Guardians mental skills coach Brian Miles and Browns long snapper Rex Sunahara.
Cavaliers guard Max Strus -- fresh off a win over the Pistons in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Detroit on Wednesday -- also came out to show support.
“It's really important to say that everybody needs help,” Kwan said. “It's important to understand that at all times. The earlier you can get that in messaging, I think the better. There's tools to enhance that throughout your life. I truly think that people who have a really good foundation of that succeed in life.”
Kwan has previously been open about dealing with imposter syndrome in his baseball journey, and he uses journaling as a creative outlet to stay sharp on the mental side of the game. And as he noted, it can be difficult for one to admit they’re having a tough time.
In raising mental health awareness, Kwan brought two of his passions together. He and his Guardians teammates have often spent their downtime playing chess inside the clubhouse. The team has a chess club through which players hang out with kids from local schools and bond over a chess match.
Thursday, Kwan and his teammates once again bonded with kids from the community in a hands-on way. They competed against some of the older chess players, which afforded them a chance to get to know the kids and build rapport with them.
“When we can get on a chess board and kind of equalize there, it really lets the guard down for us and the kids,” Kwan said. “We get to see them in their natural habitat. They're talking some smack. We can talk smack back. And through those, you develop some really good relationships. They teach us some things. We kind of teach them about baseball.
“I think it's just a really good way to foster these relationships, and again, just give them great tools to grow up with.”
Kwan sees similarities between baseball and chess. On the diamond, a player may swing at a pitch they regret during an at-bat. On a chess board, a player may make the wrong move. It can be tough to move past either instance. In both cases, it’s important to reset, adjust and push forward.
Kwan was grateful that so many people came out on Thursday, certainly the kids after a long day at school. He relished the chance to interact with the community while shedding light on an important message.
“I think it's a little unpopular at times to seek help, admit that you're having a tough time with things,” Kwan said. “To be able to lower that stigma a little bit, make it a little more normalized, that's all we're trying to accomplish with that.
“Life is hard. Baseball's hard. Chess is hard. All these things are really, really hard. But if you can do it with other people and take a little mini tribe with you along the way, I think it goes a long way.”