Sponsor Jeff Coleman provides venue for chess players of all skill levels.
Chess Club meets every Tuesday at lunch in room 106. photo by Manny Perez
The Chess Club that was started almost ten years ago by teachers Jeff Coleman and Matt Spaminato is being reincarnated.
The club was started in 1997 as a way to share their love of the game of chess with the students here at TJ. When it first started, there were just a few people at the meetings, but its popularity began to grow, and it sustained popularity for a couple seasons. “We did start a little slow, but once word of the club got out there, we started to see more and more people come to the meetings,” said Coleman; however, over the years interest began to wane, and the club went on hiatus.
The Chess Club is often one of the student organizations that is overlooked and can slip through the cracks. However, both teachers have a love for the game that they felt they could pass on to students. Last year, there was a lot of renewed support for the club, and Coleman thought that he could rekindle its success this year.
Coleman decided to head the club this year by himself; he feels sometimes it’s just easier one only one person is in charge. “It’s not a lot of work to maintain the club,” said Coleman. With one person in charge, there would be a better chance of the club always having a regular schedule, Coleman explained.
The club does not have any certain skill level of play and it is often just a place for anybody who has a love for the game to come out and play. “We welcome any players who are interested in playing. We are just at a recreational level right now, so you don’t have to worry about knowing all of the professional rules,” states Coleman. It is often a place to come and just enjoy a nice game of chess without having to worry about being in a serious competition.
The meetings are more of a recreational sort of nature, where friends come to meet and catch up, and play a game of chess. Being more of a contemplative game, Chess gives the players time to converse while still exercising their minds.
One of the regular players at the meetings is senior Michael DeGregori, who Coleman described as one of the more skilled players that he has faced this year. “It’s a fun place with a lot of interesting people. The only thing we would like is to have more people come out to the meetings,” said DeGregori.
The Chess Club meets every Tuesday at lunch in room 106. They welcome anyone who has ever been interested in chess to come out to the meetings and to test or improve their skills.
