Introduction
When you think of chess you think of intellects, knights, strategies, and mathematical
formal environments. Now it has taken a turn to the superficial and the trends. Now, as
soon as you walk into the library, you see everyone playing chess.
Why has this phenomenon taken place?
There are many theories as to why this phenomenon has taken place, such as the television
program Queen’s Gambit, which was released and sparked some interest. Some say that it
was just someone who wanted to forget about chess and came back to learning it and the
last theory is that when the year 6s graduated and became year 7s, they brought the phenomenon with them
and now everyone is playing chess.
As many of us know, Mr. Clark is in charge of the Chess Flexi club. He started off as a young
boy who eagerly watched his dad play chess and this is what sparked his interest. As the
years went by, he became better and eventually began playing for the town’s team and
during championships. He says that many people are beginning to become more
interested in chess and this is continuously extending the waitlist for the club. He describes
this phenomenon as “just a trend” and goes on to say that it will eventually “blow over” and
many students who were previously interested in it will quit. Although he believes that a
few core members will continue as it is one of their genuine passions. I agree with him
when he says that one of the reasons that chess has become so popular is because
everyone is playing it online. I know this because when I look up from my work in class, “I
see they play chess” and these are some of their quite insightful answers as to why they
are playing it: “it’s fun,” and, “It’s the only game that is not blocked in school.”
Mr. Clarke also mentions how he would like to make a chess team so that they can
compete, but he doubts that it would be able to happen because there are not enough
players. He says “there are certain requirements that are necessary to make chess
competitive and this makes it difficult this year,” but he is really surprised by the chess
level. There is an “expanding capacity” as there are 24 year-eight students and 18 year-nine
students. The year group that seems the most interested in chess at the moment is the
year eight, as well as the CAS students. Mr. Clarke is thinking of expanding the chess club to
make it accessible to the year sevens as he sees potential in them. He would also like to
thank Mr. Winter for providing the club with “funding for the chess materials.”
Ananya Srinivasan
The Update 