The Chess Club has had a long history at Bellarmine. With its rise to fame many years ago, Bellarmine became a hosting place for tournaments before eventually fading out when it was left with no one to inherit it. Now the Chess Club’s new president, sophomore Caeli Sickleton, has taken up the mantle in hopes of bringing it back to its former glory.
For students seeking an extracurricular focused on critical thinking and strategy, chess club provides the perfect place for beginners and experienced players alike. Meeting every Wednesday at 2:30-3:00 P.M. in the Weber boarding room or in Ms. Holcombe’s room, participants get to learn how pieces work, explore different strategies, and play against each other in friendly competition.
One of the most intriguing parts of the Chess Club is the diversity of its members. Sickleton shared, “My favorite part about chess club is that you see different people who you might think wouldn’t be into that kind of thing…who are maybe very popular or who like to study. It’s just seeing a bunch of different groups of people getting together to learn how to strategize and play against each other.”
The club’s current goal is to continue growing its membership and is working toward hosting competitions where members can compete against other schools. In addition, Bellarmine is potentially set to host a tournament on April 11, giving students the opportunity to compete on their home campus.
For those interested in competition, tournaments operate using an Elo rating system. Beginners start around a 500 rating. If a player defeats someone with a higher rating, their own rating increases accordingly until it balances out at their skill level.
Tournaments vary depending on the host school. “If Bellarmine is hosting it, we’ll invite kids from K-12. If it’s at elementary school, they’ll do K-8. So it just depends what school is hosting it and how many people they would like to [have],” said Sickleton. Looking ahead, the club hopes to expand its reach to more high school and college-level competition while also welcoming eighth graders interested in learning more about Bellarmine.
As the Chess Club continues to grow, Sickleton encourages anyone interested to attend a meeting and give it a try. With renewed leadership and increasing interest, the club is working to rebuild the strong foundation it once had and establish itself once again as a lasting part of Bellarmine’s extracurricular community.
