Every Tuesday and Thursday in room 43 during lunch, the chess club meets to talk and play chess, discuss strategy and interact with fellow members and friends. 

Before every meeting, club president and senior Lawrence Bu sets up the chess boards as the club prepares to help each other learn and improve at chess. The chess club has a total of 15-20 members as of Oct. 11. It consists mostly of intermediate chess players, but it has groups of beginners and those who are more advanced as well. 

Chess is calm and less stressful compared to other competitive sports and activities, according to club members. “It’s a really chill club and if you want to engage with friends and learn a new game, feel free to join,” Bu said.

The goal of the club is to get better at chess while having a space where people with a common interest can have fun and hang out. As for competitions with other schools, the club has yet to have any matches this school year. “Churchill has contacted us about a potential match and we plan to have other competitions in the future,” Bu said.

In terms of how to play chess, each player has one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. The goal is to trap the other team’s king. The king can only move to a square directly next to it, the rook can move in a horizontal or vertical row and the bishop moves diagonally. The queen moves the same ways as the bishop or rook and the pawn can merely move one space ahead. The pawns can only attack diagonally.

Senior Aria Mohebi, a member of the chess club, has learned techniques through playing with members and shares her insights with her peers so that they can improve their chess game as a team. Mohebi suggests joining with a friend with a similar skill level. This way it is less intimidating at first and you can adjust more easily. For those who are wondering how to play chess or how to get started, “Chess is a game of positioning and learning to read your opponent; the more moves you can see in the future, the higher the chance of winning,” Mohebi said.

As for how the board is set up, the pawns go in the second to last row in the back, the rooks go in the corners and the knights go next to the rooks. Additionally, the bishops go next to the knights. The king and queen go in the middle of the board. 

The chess club is a way to have an activity to do during the school year to connect with others. Members of the club are supportive of each other and are a close community. “All 

members of the chess club are friends and we are an open community that wants to help others 

get better while also having fun,” Mohebi said.