MORE THAN JUST A BOARD GAME

Every Monday after school, kings, queens and knights clash against each other. Their armies, however, don’t fight on battle grounds. They fight on boards beneath chess club members. The members play against each other, each move made with layers of planning and thought.

Chess club sponsor and math teacher Jared Bryan has strived to create an environment where students can come together, strategize and concentrate on something they all love. Bryan wants to share his love of chess with other people. He also wants to be able to teach students how to play chess and improve their skills.

“I started the chess club because I know there are a lot of kids here who play chess and I wanted to provide them a place where they could just get together and hangout, play the game because it is a really fun game and it’s a lot of good strategy,” Bryan said.

Chess is a complicated game and comes with a lot of challenges. Every piece has its own rules for moving across the board. Thinking ahead on where to move these pieces is the key challenge of chess. Students have many unique strengths and weaknesses in the way they go about playing the game.

Many chess club members join for the thrill of playing such a challenging game. There are many choices that can be made, all to capture the opponent’s king with 64 squares and a possibility of 4084 legal moves.

“The most challenging part of chess is just seeing it to the very end and waiting until the very end because there could be a lot of things that happen,” Bryan said. “You could be up and have an advantage, but some players can come up with some tricks and trap you right back.”

Students have favorite parts of the game regardless of the challenges and frustrations that could come with playing. Chess is intriguing because there are so many possibilities and outcomes that could come from one single move.

“I like that chess is complex,” senior Cody Slifer said. “I feel like no game is 100% fair except for chess and I’ve always argued that, so I like that the game is 100% fair and if I lose it’s my fault.”

The way the game progresses can get very intense and serious. Every possible move bounces around the heads of players throughout every second of the match. While playing chess you have to be able to stay concentrated and keep your head in the game.

“I like the level of intensity that it can have, I have had games where I’ve just been sweating at the palms trying to figure out the next move I need to make,” senior Christian Pogue said.

With this kind of atmostphere, the challenges of chess can seem hard to learn. With some practice, however, anyone can start playing it.

“It just takes a lot of practice and actually being able to look at the whole board and not just specific pieces,” sophomore Juliet Gowing said.

Getting into the game may still seem troublesome to some. The rules of chess often confuse new players just starting out. In order to help, chess club members also have their own ways to introduce others to the game.

“I would just tell people how the pieces move,” Slifer said. “The most complex piece is the pawn. I would pretty much just tell them how the pawn works and then the rest is just memorization.”

Chess club is not only about chess. It is a friendly place for everybody to have fun and relax after school. Meeting every Monday, the club has become a community where everyone can stop by and participate.

“I like having to do something after school on Mondays because normally I go places on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, but I don’t have anything Monday, so it’s nice to fit in,” Slifer said.

The social aspects of the club really help bring people together. Unlike the tense aspects the game portrays, the games in chess club offer a more casual experience. Students love to engage with their opponents while they play.

“I just love playing with others,” Gowing said. “We just have conversations, we just talk about life.”

Chess is a war game. Each team has an army that you’re using of different kinds of pieces. And your goal is to checkmate the opponent’s king, and the way that you do that is by getting them to a place where you are attacking their king and their king has nowhere else to go. - Jared Bryan

Other students agree that chess is a safe place to make friends.

“I enjoy meeting the people,” Pogue said. “Everybody here is very nice, everybody is very competitive. It’s just a really fun time.”

While many enjoy the club for the camaraderie, the competitive aspect is also a draw.

“Chess is a war game,” Bryan said. “Each team has an army that you’re using of different kinds of pieces. And your goal is to checkmate the opponent’s king, and the way that you do that is by getting them to a place where you are attacking their king and their king has nowhere else to go.”

Chess is not just a simple board game. It is a game that tests players with all different sorts of pieces and attack methods, but one overall goal in mind. It can be a balancing act to remember how all the pieces work together and where to go next.

While all the challenges in chess may make it seem intimidating, the game can be enjoyable for anyone.

“It’s a whole process to learn how the pieces work, especially if you are new,” Pogue said. “But overall once you learn it’s a lot of fun.”

Competition? CHECK!

The chess club competed at Washburn Rural Oct. 15 in their first big tournament. A total of six rounds were played, with games lasting as long as an hour each.

JOSEPH PARK (10)

Placed third overall, winning five out of six rounds.

AIDAN

MACNAUGHTON (12)

Placed in top half, winning three out of six rounds.

LUCAS PARKER (12)

Won two out of six rounds.