Every Tuesday, the St. Charles High School Chess Club meets in room C-207. Patrick Gebhard, the chess club sponsor and social studies teacher, rolls out the chess board mats and the members set up their pieces on the boards. 

“During the fall it’s just open to anyone who wants to come and play whether they’re a beginner or an expert. I bring snacks to encourage kids to come and play some games,” Gebhard said. 

The Chess Club is open to every level of chess player whether they are a complete beginner or an experienced member. During meetings students not only compete against each other, but talk about different openings and strategies and do puzzles. 

Our school’s chess team is in the western division of the Gateway Chess League. Their competition season recently started and they have already played against many other schools. 

“We’ve played Vianney  and CBC, and Parkway West. Coming up we have Westminster and Ladue – they’re the best in the area by quite a bit,” Gebhard said. 

The team ended up tying in a match with Vianney, but unfortunately losing to both Parkway West and CBC. 

On Jan.14, the team was victorious in a match against Westminster scoring 20-10. 

“The competitions are okay. We got beat a few times by some people we’ve beaten before, but we’ve been doing good,” Chess Club President Myra Soles said. “Like new people have been competing and it’s just been a new experience for everyone.”

Soles shared hat her favorite thing about participating in chess is the meetings and the snacks. She says that it is a great place to have a break and just play chess. 

Gebhard encourages students to come check out the club if they want to learn more about chess.