Are you interested in playing chess with 20+ other teammates? Well, Barstow’s brand new Chess Club might be the right fit for you. After a very successful Club Fair, students showed up to Mrs. Kramchuster’s room and filled up every single seat and more.
“I am pleased with how much success we’ve had and how many people are interested in the club,” the President of Chess Club, Ava Levin ‘24, told us.
Barstow’s Chess Club is there to help students whether they have played chess for years or are completely new to the game. President Levin ‘24 wanted to start a club for people of all different skill levels that offered plenty of help and opportunities to learn. She started with the intent of a few people joining to play chess here and there; instead over 20 people have joined.
The Chess Club President is extremely pleased with the turnout and hopes people continue to show up. If any students are still interested in joining Chess Club, Ava Levin ‘24 wants to let you know that “no experience is needed, and we would love for you to join!”
Every Wednesday during lunch, high schoolers fill Mrs. Kramchuster’s classroom with their lunch boxes and computers. Students then log onto Lichess, an online chess platform, and challenge each other to rounds. There are varying experience levels from experts to beginners in the club, and everyone is there to help.
Maya Theobald, a sophomore in Chess Club, thinks that “chess club is very fun,” and really loves the digital chess format so she does not have to “bring in a bunch of pieces that I definitely will forget.” Several other students, like Sriram Pattabiraman ‘24, also enjoy the online platform. His favorite part is that it is “free open-sourced software,” allowing basically any person to run the program.
Unfortunately, there just is not enough space and time to set up full-blown chess sets, so students use Lichess. In Lichess, students can choose whether to play a random opponent or a classmate. Most choose to play against classmates unless an odd amount of people are present.
Chess Club is so popular, students have to sit on the floor during lunch. For future meetings, Ava Levin ‘24 hopes to bring in extra chairs to “fit all of the members so no one has to sit on the floor.” She hopes that future meetings bring in more members and improve everyones’ skill levels.
For any students interested in playing, or learning to play, Chess Club is right for you! With varying skill levels, from beginner to very advanced, Chess Club will make room for anyone. Feel free to come meet President Ava Levin ‘24 this next Wednesday to see if Chess Club is right for you!
