Checkmate: The STC Chess Craze

It would have been nearly impossible to forecast the most recent trend to sweep St. Christopher’s School. Students of all grade levels eagerly jump at the chance to play during breaks. With the quick rise and fall of many social media and digital fads, it is this fifteen-hundred-year-old pastime that has become a fixture of campus life since the pandemic: chess. Regardless of ability, players gather on a daily basis around boards almost anywhere, hoping for a spot at the tables in the Luck Leadership Center and Memorial Library, which are usually occupied throughout the day. But physical space has become almost obsolete with chess, which has swept the online landscape.

This new “chess craze” can in part be (ironically) attributed to the digital explosion of “chess.com,” a virtual platform that allows players to compete online or against an artificial intelligence avatar. This user-friendly application has taught countless people the game in a more approachable manner, allowing them to practice by themselves before taking their skills to the hardwood. Additionally, virtual chess has been accepted as an allowed online “game” in the Middle School, giving it legitimate exposure and an increase in popularity with these younger students that both gets them interested and inspires them to pursue the hobby in the next division. On a broader scale, the confines of the COVID-19 pandemic and interest gained from pop culture outlets like the television series The Queen’s Gambit have fueled this surge in a nationally significant manner, undeniably having a role in our community’s enjoyment of the game.

Another correlation to the resurgence of chess comes with the exponential growth of the STC Chess Club. The organization has garnered dozens of members from the increase in the game’s popularity, and even sells (popular) merchandise with chess symbols and the club logo on them. Additionally, the group, led by senior Grady White ‘24, competes throughout the year in self-schedule matches for organized chess tournaments with prize money, the most recent of which being won by Alex Gertner ‘25. Gertner, as a prospective head for next year’s squad, believes that chess “will never be as popular as contemporary video games,” but will try his best to keep enthusiasm high with more rewarding tournaments. This current popularity, along with the firm structure of the Chess Club make it unlikely that this trend will die out any time soon.