Chess is an amazing game. High school chess is an amazing experience. Having just finished competing in my fourth state high school championship for chess, it is easy to reflect upon the great times I have had as a part of a chess team. Though for most of a chess player’s career, chess is an individual sport (with just a competitor and his/her opponent), high school chess is a team competition in which the game of chess takes on a totally new significance. As a part of a chess team, each game played is worth a designated number of points. With a win, the team gains a said amount of points; with a loss the other team gains these points. Every team is comprised of eight members, and each match involves sixteen chess players playing eight games simultaneously until a final result is reached.

As a part of the Stevenson High School chess team, I have competed the past four years on boards one and two. Being an accomplished youth player (2 state championships, multiple top-5 national finishes, etc.), I was very well aware of what the world of competitive chess was like. What I did not know, however, is how much of a team sport chess could be. Every kid growing up wants to be a part of a championship team, whether it be baseball, soccer, or the number of other sports a child might compete in. As a dedicated chess player, I found myself competing for myriad individual championships, but never had the experience of relying on the help of others to accomplish my goals.

High school chess gave me that chance, as well as many others that my non chess playing friends did not have. In high school, chess becomes a sport that requires as much dedication as any other, with our team holding two practices a week for many hours at a time, as well as competing in many regional tournaments. These were all to get us ready for the culmination of the chess year—the state championship. Held in Peoria, IL, the state championship plays host to over 150 teams from across the state, each with no fewer than 8 players. With over 1200 kids playing chess at once, it’s hard not to get excited about a game that pits two minds, each with the single goal of intellectually besting the other. Chess is non-discriminatory; once the game starts it isn’t important if your opponent is of a different ethnicity, of a different gender, or in a different grade, the winner will always be that player who can use their ingenuity to find a winning combination.

The Stevenson team entered the tournament as the seventh seed and ultimately wound up placing second overall with a six and one team record. On board two, I won all seven of my games and finished in a tie for first place on my board. It was the fourth time in my four years that our team placed within the top 6 overall, and the second time I went undefeated on my board. While these results are both proud accomplishments, this high school tournament marks the last youth tournament I will ever have the opportunity to compete in, which left me with a bittersweet feeling on the bus ride home. What I will ultimately take away from the high school chess experience isn’t going to be the medals, trophies, or other awards, what I will remember are the times I spent with my teammates, working towards our goal. Despite chess’ reputation as being a quiet and serious game, our practices were filled with jokes and laughter, and our competitions, though at times very intense, were always full of fun, because after all, chess is a great game and a true joy to play.