By Ernst Stumbo

This week, The Berea Torch is spotlighting the Chess Club. In the interest of full disclosure, I feel like I should tell all of the readers that I am a Chess Club member myself. So you can consider this Spotlight a thinly veiled advertisement for the Chess Club.

Unlike the archaic game of chess and its rich history, the establishment of the Chess Club was actually quite recent. Current President and Founder Zach Neill founded the club his freshman year, just under three years ago. There was no active chess club at Berea College before this.

The reason that the Chess Club came to be in the first place is plainly laid out in its constitution. The Chess Club was created “To play chess and introduce new players to the game” and “To form discussions covering topics including but not limited to chess theory, tactics, and strategy.” Meetings at the Chess Club consist mainly of playing games with other Chess Club members and if inspiration strikes, discussing general chess strategies.

The Chess Club took a turn for the worse when Covid-19 hit. They did not meet in person for a long time, and membership dropped. You can play chess online, but it is not the same. It would have also been tough to arrange a Zoom meeting since no one pays attention during them, and they would have had to relay the moves through algebraic notation, which not everyone who plays chess even knows about.

However, with the pandemic seeming to be in the rearview mirror, they are meeting again at a new venue. The Chess Club meets in the library basement in Room 104 every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

There is fun, chess, and, most importantly, banter at every Chess Club meeting. Things seem to be looking up for the Chess Club, so why don’t the readers join in on the fun? I implore readers to come to the Chess Club. We welcome people of all levels, from absolute beginners who do not know the game’s rules to the best of the best!