SLCC’s chess club has attracted 95 members, with an average of 15 showing up on Thursday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. on the second floor of the Markosian Library at Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
Freshman David Ariza, a computer science major and president of the SLCC Chess Club, learned to play chess from his father. He liked that the chess club provided a chance to engage in a social group while enjoying and learning the game.
“The chess club was an opportunity to have community and play chess, and being president offered an opportunity to be in leadership at campus,” said Ariza.
Chess is a two-player game. One player controls the white pieces and the other controls the black pieces. The goal is to checkmate the opponent’s king. Each player takes a turn and each piece moves in its own unique way on the board. These movements craft a strategy to win.
According to the U.S. Chess Federation, ratings progress from 1200 for a Class D player to 2500 and higher for a grand master. A chess rating makes it easy to measure a player’s probable performance against another opponent.
According to Ariza, who holds a rating of 1300, one misunderstanding about chess is that a person must be an expert to play.
“People think that chess players are too good,” Ariza said. “When you are young you think you are not good enough. We are trying to change that here.”
Problem solving and critical thinking
Grant Hudson, the coach of the SLCC Chess Club, highlighted problem-solving as a key skill acquired through playing chess, a sentiment he has emphasized since he founded the club two decades ago.
“Chess is all about problem solving,” Hudson said. “You have a position and try to find the very best move, then you have a new puzzle. Chess is a game of problem solving.”
“If you solve everything right, you don’t lose. So far, the only ones that can do that are computers. And the new computers don’t lose,” Hudson continued.
Ariza explained how critical thinking plays into chess.
“In critical thinking, you learn how to adapt to situations. That is why I really love chess,” said Ariza.
In an article published on Chess in Education, researcher and data scientist Dr. Renate Otterbach wrote: “Chess is an alternative path to the core of critical thinking and is the ideal medium to teach abstract thought in an engaging manner.”
Preparing for a tournament and the opening move
While Ariza’s schedule is demanding, he reviews his strategy for preparation before tournaments and remembers not to let it “get into his head.”
Ariza said: “It is a quick review. If you think too much about it, then it will overwhelm you and you will think ‘oh, I’m the worst player.’ I usually don’t think about it too much.”
When asked about his opening move, Ariza said his dominant hand helps him execute a popular first move.
“Since I’m left-handed, I start with the pawn close to the left side,” Ariza laughed. “The opening is called the English open. I heard it was a good opening, so I use it a lot.”
Hudson, who has a rating of 1850, said the first few moves are most effective and crucial.
“It’s important to learn openings. One thing that can happen is you can have a very strong player that is shaking at openings,” said Hudson. “You can lose to somebody who is a kid — that hasn’t been playing for long, but he knows what he is doing in the first few moves. Especially if he has a coach to help not fall into a trap. Even super strong players run into problems who don’t know the first few moves.”
Other aspects of life
Hudson said sequential logic, a skill not commonly taught in schools, involves considering the consequences of each move and thinking multiple steps ahead. Making hasty decisions without proper consideration can lead to problems in chess and in life.
“Chess is a game of logic. One thing that isn’t taught in school is sequential logic. In other words, If I do this, then what are the consequences?” said Hudson. “In chess, you are forced to think several moves ahead. You don’t just throw out any idea you want. You could run into a lot of problems that way. If you do the wrong move and forget to look at something, you get rolled over.”
Hudson brought up how the game emphasizes the importance of thinking ahead to avoid negative outcomes. This concept is also applied in real-life scenarios, such as the consequences of taking drugs.
“Prisons use this approach to help individuals understand the repercussions of their actions and make better choices to avoid returning,” said Hudson.
Carl Portman, author of Chess behind bars and the English Chess Federation’s manager in prisons, said: “Chess makes a difference because it is a fantastic metaphor for life. We must think before making our move and accept that our decisions have consequences. It also teaches us to learn from our mistakes and to develop a more disciplined approach to problem solving. Chess makes us consider the other persons point of view.”
Expanding life skills through chess
Hudson has seen different types of folks in the two decades coaching chess at SLCC.
“One thing about chess you don’t have to know English well,” Hudson said. “Folks come in from Turkey and outside the U.S. Chess is much more popular worldwide. We tend to get a lot of international students and diversify to other folks. We don’t judge, so people can feel more at home, I hope.”
Chess may be interpreted as a universal language.
“We welcome everybody,” Hudson said. “We have a great player from Haiti, who speaks French and little English, but it’s not a problem for the club.”
Ariza wants to make the chess club more diverse and expand to other campuses in the future.
“Chess is known for being only for intellectual people, and for men. But I want to make it for everyone,” said Ariza. “Everyone can learn chess. Everyone can learn lessons from chess and learn critical thinking.”
Ariza, who hopes to start chess clubs on the other campuses in the future, gave advice to those wanting to learn chess.
“There are always opportunities to grow and you are apt to learn,” said Ariza. “If you want to come to study the game that’s okay, but if you just want to play casual games and learn slower, that’s okay too. Everyone can come.”
Upcoming tournament
The SLCC Chess club will have an Intercollegiate Chess Tournament at 10 a.m. on March 1 in the Oak Room at the Taylorsville Redwood campus. In addition, there will be a free-entry tournament for all non-intercollegiate participants. To join, see the website for more information. Pizza will be provided at lunchtime.
