Pitt Johnstown’s Chess Club held an event featuring a tournament last Fall. Players of all backgrounds and skillsets arrived and participated or simply played for fun.
The event was led by the President of the chess club, Rhodes. The club prides itself on providing playing opportunities for students and faculty while learning and understanding the game of chess. Twice a month, the club gathers in the Biddle Hall building, usually met by some other organization having taken over the room they rented and needing to find another place to play in. This occurred on the day they held their in-house tournament.
When they discovered they would need a new room, the group of regular and new attendees gathered their backpacks and boards off the ground and ended up in an empty, dimly lit room in Biddle. The staff advisor, a Journalism Professor, does not traditionally attend the events planned by the club and was open about “…only slightly knowing how the pieces move.”
Before the event began, students brought out their boards and played quick games of chess paired against anyone who wanted to play. At this time, no funding had come in for their organization, so anyone with a board would play, and anyone without would hope for a fast game while they watched. Younger and newer players were fascinated by those who were older and had more chess knowledge. It was not only about playing longer but how their minds worked. They could see multiple moves ahead and place what style and strategy their opponent was using.
The game requires information on the genius players’ styles of the past, but also the ability to think intuitively when players are matched in traditional skill. The people who attended the club on this day were from many different fields and had combating levels. Some players were freshmen who had never been to a tournament before and wanted to learn, others were sophomores who knew basic strategies, and yet others were people who had high rankings and had played their whole lives.
Many of the experienced players were quiet people who were content with simply playing the game. Those who were loud and lively tended to fall somewhere in the intermediate category, still itching for surprising victories. The game appeared to grant people happiness at both a win and a loss so long as the opportunity for success came along again.
At the point where more students had arrived, the President announced, “There will be a tournament, and anyone who wants to participate needs to give me their name and play to place on the leader board.” Because no one was aware of anyone else’s ranking, unless they had played them before, the frenzy began. Those who did not play watched as people laughed, felt defeat, settled on stoicism, referenced The Queen’s Gambit, mentored others, and beamed at victory. One by one, students were laying down their kings and shaking their opponents’ hands, leaving one person from their pairing left on the board.
By the end of the competition, only the President and one other student remained. Their match was long, and it was apparent that they were of similarly high skill levels. Throughout the game, both of their faces remained calm as they made their swift, match-altering moves. Students stood circling them, taking deep breaths anytime whoever they were rooting for seemed stuck. In the end, the President placed down his king, smiled, shook his opponent’s hand, and his opponent said, “Amazing.”