Since the game’s creation in India during the 6th century, chess has been a popular game throughout all ages. Recently, there’s been a resurgence of interest within Fremont sparked by the first chess tournament held in the library. The popularity of the event highlighted the absence of an official chess club where students can gather and hone their skills leaving many wanting more.
Part of the issue is the nuances and the classification of groups vs. clubs. Clubs have to be correlated to the school’s curriculum, whereas a group is often student-led with no funding.
Mr. Watkins, who organized the tournament, commented, “It’s a sticky issue. Mr. Hobbs and I, we definitely have discussions that chess is academically related because of the reasoning skills – the mathematical and the computational thinking that’s involved”.
Alongside the academic benefits, there’s social avantages. It’s important to be involved in highschool and find a community, but not everyone wants to join typical clubs or sports. There’s a demographic that feel a sense of belonging within chess. By creating and fostering this environment allows those who wouldn’t otherwise be interested in the game to have an opportunity to learn from peers and have fun doing so.
Gabriela Archuleta, a senior, went to the tournament because her class was moved to the library by Mr. Watkins, her science teacher, for preparation. “I was just doing my homework and I just see all these people playing chess and it was great! I think we could all do well from playing it.”
Although Gabby is a beginner, if given the opportunity she would join a chess club as she viewed it not only as a thought provoking experience but great fun. By sitting alongside competitors she learned how to move the pieces and use basic strategy showing that there’s a place for everyone at the board.
Chess may seem unapproachable due to the lack of training or knowledge but there’s several resources that encourage interest, such as chess.com and Levy Rozman otherwise known as GothamChess, a chess master and Youtuber.
Korbin Doutre, a senior and the winner of the advanced bracket said that going digital was “The best decision I’ve ever made.”
There’s not as much of a difference as one would think between in- person players and online, it is all about the time you put into it. By watching GothamChess’s Youtube videos, Korbin expanded his knowledge about chess, creating a deeper understanding not only as a game but as an art. “If you look at top level games there’s a lot going on – they think forty moves ahead. It’s absolutely mindblowing!”
Going online gives individuals a great introduction, but with a human opponent, chess becomes a mental game on top of an analytical one.
The winner for the beginner bracket Clayton Atkinson, a senior, added. “I like in person better because it feels more real than online. This sounds weird but, you can totally get into a person’s head, it is more of a mind game and you don’t have that online.”
Taking the time is the first step. The next tournament will be on January 16th after school in Fremont’s library. Unlike the previous event, this tournament will involve several schools in the district with an increased prize for taking first.
With the increase of popularity Mr. Hobbes shared “If you’re interested in making it a sanctioned sport, you should approach administration or the school district and see if that’s something you’d like to start.” Your move, reader.
