ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
The student-led chess movement at Hillsboro High School recently made its next big move. No longer simply an informal pursuit with occasional school-wide tournaments, the movement that began about two years ago has reached “official activity” status with the formation of the Hillsboro Chess Guild.
As a recognized activity with 24 members-22 boys and two girls-Hillsboro High is now qualified to compete against other schools in tournaments sponsored by the Kansas Scholastic Chess Association.
Little more than a month after forming, the fledgling team has already competed in two tournaments. This past Saturday, the team qualified its first player, Michael Christian, for the state tournament March 10 in Wichita.
Prior to entering its first tournament, the guild elected officers, ordered team T-shirts and worked on criteria that could enable them to earn a letter in chess.
“I’m so proud of these guys and the leadership they’re showing and the interest and their dedication,” said Janet Whisenhunt, a staff member in the Wiebe Media Center who agreed to be the faculty sponsor.
“It’s thrilling.”
Noticing the considerable interest that playing chess had generated in the Wiebe Media Center, Max Heinrichs, HHS activities director, asked Whisenhunt if she thought there was sufficient interest to organize a formal club.
“I asked some of the guys, and they said yes,” Whisenhunt said. “In the past few weeks we’ve gone from just playing in the library on their own to being a full-fledge guild team.”
Heinrichs said the prospect of forming a team interested him because he noticed chess was attracting students who were not participating in other school-sponsored extracurricular activities.
“Our goal basically is to get 100 percent of the kids involved with an adult who we feel is a good role model, and some teammates, to learn some teamwork and collaborative skills and how to pursue goals -the type of things we do get from kids in all our other activities.
“We’re always going to be searching for something we can find to get the rest of the kids we’re not getting,” he added.
Heinrichs said he couldn’t be more pleased with the response students have had toward the chess guild.
“They’ve done an outstanding job,” he said. “They’ve set up a great club. They’ve done nothing but make it first class.”
To get the guild up and running, the administration agreed to put some funding behind it, although Whisenhunt said the goal of the guild is to become financially self-sufficient through its own fund-raising efforts.
But what nobody realized at the start, Heinrichs said, was that launching a chess team would require more funding then simply paying for some T-shirts and tournament transportation.
To participate in a KSCA-sanctioned tournament, players must be versed in the rules and protocol of competition-and that required bringing in some outside expertise.
The district contracted for a series of 10 lessons led by Marck Cobb, a semi-retired attorney from Canton who also serves as president of the Karpov International School of Chess in Lindsborg.
For the past few Thursday evenings, guild members have been meeting for an hour-long training session led by Cobb and a student assistant from Germany.
“The guys have learned the basic opening moves, middle game, end game, use of a chess clock and notation,” Whisenhunt said.
Notation, required in tournament play, means writing down the moves you make during a game, as well as the moves of your opponent. The sheets are turned in at the end of each game and are later evaluated by players and coaches to learn how to play more effectively in the future.
“I think it’s been pretty helpful with teaching strategy and the things we need to know for tournaments,” said Ben Bosworth, a junior who was picked to represent his class as a guild officer.
To get the most bang for the buck, the guild has invited students from the middle school and even the fifth grade to ensure the limit of 24 students is achieved.
“The older guys who are more experienced are helping the younger ones understand strategy,” Whisenhunt said.
The guild’s first tournament was Jan. 20 at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita. The team finished third among 10 schools. Bosworth placed a team-high 15th among 52 competitors.
“I think the talent was already there,” Bosworth said of the guild’s success. “All we needed was lessons and training before we could become a chess team and go to tournaments.”
The team is scheduled to compete in two more tournaments before the March 10 state tournament. Members hope to bring home some hardware and qualifying more members for state.
HHS might even host a tournament next year, Whisenhunt said. The chess season actually begins in fall.
Enthusiasm for the chess guild is running high, she said.
“I can’t get over the overwhelming response by the district to provide such an opportunity for these guys-because it’s huge.
“The parents are very supportive and encouraging, too. All the feedback has been so positive-from the players, the parents, teachers and administration.”
The real payoff, Whisenhunt added, is to observe the dedication of the guild members themselves.
“It’s their niche,” she said. “We could not have asked for anything better for these guys.”
