Have you ever wanted to challenge your mind and critical thinking skills in a fun and competitive way? Chess Club is a beginner-friendly club where you can learn the basics of chess and play against opponents that challenge your strategic skills. The Fall Chess Tournament took place with 11th grader Daniel Avetisov as the Champion.
Here is a quick interview with Chess Club Faculty Sponsor Mr. David Guest, followed by an interview with the Tournament winner Daniel.
Mr. Guest: “ The Chess Club has been going on here at Grant High School for the past 7-8 years. Every year we hold a number of tournaments here at school and try to organize at least one match against another school. Last year we played against Birmingham High School, and we defeated them quite soundly because we did amazing. We had one tournament so far this school year, the fall chess tournament, and it was a lot of fun. We had a lot of new players participating. After the first couple of games, we divided the players into two brackets. The silver bracket was more for beginners, and the gold bracket was for players who had more experience. The overall winner was Daniel Avetisov, who was the winner of the gold bracket and won a Starbucks gift card as a reward. Afterward, he played against Gagik Aslanyan, who is one of our more experienced players. He’s been here for years. He’s an outstanding player who's almost too good to be in the tournament, so we made him a boss-level match for the winner of the event. He ended up winning against Daniel, but everyone had a terrific time, and it was a successful tournament.” The competitive nature of these tournaments draws the attention of many players to come in and put their skills to the test to win the title of Chess Club Champion. However, for Daniel, it was not just about the game. Here he shares the reason why he plays:
Daniel: “What got me into chess was from my dad because when he grew up, he played chess a lot, so hearing many stories from him made me develop my interest in playing chess. And so I won the tournament against Armen. Pretty good fight. It was really hard climbing up the ranks. How I won was pretty much luck because a lot of my chances were just blunders. Me winning the tournament made me feel good because I got a gift card and a mug.”
To wrap things up, chess club is not only about the tournaments and rankings, but it is also about dedication and a sense of community. Every day, players come in during lunch to practice against each other, hone their skills, and, most importantly, have fun. This ancient game about strategy holds its popularity to this day and is a valuable skill many strive to attain. Here's a final word from Chess club regular Zoey Mayorga:
Zoey: “I have learned how to play chess all my life, but I have recently gotten into Chess Club about a year ago. I feel that this chess club has really improved my ability to play chess. I find chess as a really good source of knowledge I could have.”
Chess Club is available every day in room 127 and welcomes any newcomers eager to learn more.
Section Editor: Lilit Melkumyan
Editor-in-Chief: Nensi Hayotsyan
