Netflix’s recent hit, “The Queen’s Gambit” has gotten many people excited about the classic game of chess. The series premiered in October and quickly became the subject of many social media posts and conversations. Luckily, Shadow Ridge High School has its own Chess Club and anyone is welcome to join.

Mr. Bennett is a U.S. Government and Economics teacher for 12th-grade. He is the only advisor for the Chess Club at Shadow Ridge and although Bennett is not the person who first started the club, he has been the advisor for 2 years. The club meets virtually on Tuesdays at 1:30.

Being a part of a club, whether the person is the advisor or a member, is always a great way to meet new people.
Bennett said, “I wanted to be the advisor because I grew up playing chess and always enjoyed it. I thought it would be a great opportunity to expose the students to the game as well.”

Chess is a very fun game, but it can also be very beneficial to young minds and their development.
“Playing chess has proven to help students enhance their creativity, improve their power of concentration, develop and expand critical thinking skills, boost memory and retention, and achieve superior academic performance,” explained uschesstrust.org.

Playing chess is always a fun way to meet new people and connect with them, but there are also many more reasons to like the game.
Bennett states, “I like the game because it is all about strategizing and thinking ahead. Thinking ahead and planning is an important skill whether in chess or everyday life.”
Having a plan and being one or a few steps ahead is a good skill to have, whether a person is playing a game or just living his/her regular life.

Bennett says, “In Chess Club, our players practice against each other, and during the season we travel and play other schools in the district. This year has been a little different because all of our matches have been online.”

Even though this year has been very different from the last few, because everything is online, the club still tries to make it fun and enjoyable.

Bennett stated that he enjoys being the advisor of the club because it is always a great thing to see the students exceeding and getting better.
Chess club is a safe and fun place for students to enjoy the game with people that have the same interest as them. Chess Club is a good way to build new friendships and have some competition with each other and other schools. Chess Club is a great way to improve student’s minds, help them focus, and help students think about strategy.