Checkmate

With a few minutes left on the clock, upper Mark Oet makes his move. After several seconds, the assurance and confidence in his opponent’s expression disappears. “Checkmate,” Oet says, and the game finally concludes, adding another victory for the team. This is Exeter’s Chess Club.From the chess E/A to the New Hampshire Scholastic Individuals tournament, the Academy’s chess club frequently participates in interscholastic competitions. It meets every Saturday night from 8 to 11 in the back room of the music building. Led by upper Ellen Xiang, members participate in a relaxed setting of chess between other members. In most meetings, 15 or so regular members play either regular chess, or variants such as “blitz,” where the pace is much faster, or “bughouse,” where two players play on one side instead of one.Aside from the casual play, Xiang has also experimented with setting up a Harkness-style discussion observing a grandmaster game during the meetings, along with inter-club tournaments. She hopes to incorporate more of the learning aspect of chess in order to further develop the club later on. “In the future, we hope to set up regular rated tournaments, as well as to concentrate more on learning chess rather than just playing chess,” Xiang said.Active club members, like Oet, felt that the club is a great way to play the game with some friendly competition, as well as hone your skills.“Chess club has helped me to improve because of the great collaborative and learning dynamic we have,” Oet said. “Everyone wants to get better, but everyone also just wants to have fun.”From the club head’s point of view, Xiang explained that everyday she is fascinated by the enthusiasm and passion for chess that all of the members bring.“We have some wonderfully dedicated members that really love playing and learning about chess. They are eager to volunteer for tournaments, have great ideas on how chess club can grow and improve, and their enthusiasm is contagious,” she said.While weekdays are consisted of practices and friendly games, on weekends, the chess team regularly participates in competitions and tournaments. The team has won the New Hampshire Team Scholastic Championships three years in a row. This year, Exeter managed to get six out of the top ten individual awards, including first and second place.“My prep year, we sent a team to the New England Scholastic High School Championships where we also snagged the first place team,” Xiang said. “In particular, this year, six of the total of ten trophies, as well as both first and second place at the NH Individuals were claimed by Exonians.”The club also participates in Exeter/Andover game fall and winter of every year, playing alongside more traditional school sports, and last year, the club hosted a first ever Exeter Invitational last year, inviting prep school chess teams to compete in the Exeter tournament. “We are in the process of planning a second Exeter Invitational at the moment,” Xiang added.Members of the club feel that competing in the tournaments is an effective way to practice their chess skills against prep school competition.“Participants, including me, generally felt that tournaments are good experiences as they are opportunities to play some serious chess with other students in New Hampshire,” lower Frank Fan said.Oet added that the competitions allow the players to briefly escape out of the stress of daily Exeter life.“My experiences competing with the group have always been great. We bond with people we don't normally see outside chess club, and we enjoy the opportunity to mentally escape from working.”Even outside of the club, Xiang noted the presence of chess all throughout the school, with more dedicated members spending their own time studying advanced techniques.“Some members find the time amidst work to spend time self-studying chess rules and openings, and others you can see around campus playing chess all the time during the week, rather than just at meetings,” she said.Prep Alan Liu also noted that due to the club members’ advanced level in the game, competitions are generally dominated by Exeter. He shared that the news of the team’s victory is always what makes each meeting delightful.“It was on a Saturday night, when only a group of two or three people are at chess club in the music building. About half an hour before check-in, we heard a large group bustle into the entrance, and one by one our team streamed in, more than half of them carrying trophies,” Liu said. “The atmosphere was just great, all of us celebrating. When the news spread that we had some big name qualifiers, jealousy was flying all over. But it was supportive jealousy. The fact that the area had gone from dark and pretty quiet to bustling of people and good news was just awesome.​”Overall, the chess club does not only provide an opportunity for students to learn and play the game, as well as a time for students to both relax and compete.“[The chess club] offers the chance for anyone who is interested in learning how to play the game to learn. It's just a wonderful place for those who may want to play a casual game once in a while to drop by,” Xiang said. “And it offers a place for those who are serious about learning, improving and competing in tournaments.”