Last year a few chess enthusiasts came together at the University to create a chess club. It culminated ten months later with a few of the younger players heading to the East Coast to play at the national level after mopping the floor with nearly every other person in the group. Seriously, it was embarrassing how one-sided the games they played against me were. Do not underestimate fourteen-year-olds, they haven’t developed the empathy to not embarrass a weak-willed fragile adult like me.

I deserved it.

The chess club will be meeting every Saturday starting on September 8th from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the university Harvest Hall. Sometimes it lasts a little longer than that. You can drop in with a small donation to the club, get some practice in and prepare for the planned big tournament at the end of November. There will be lessons for beginning players, training and analyses for players with some games under their belt, and a challenge for those who have an ego about this stuff or want to play at a higher level. Trust me, it won’t last long. You can also just come and play for fun.

The organizer, Rod Riquelme, matches players by ability and makes sure everyone that shows up can play the maximum amount of games. So if you’re awake by 1:00 PM on a Saturday and want another excuse to avoid the course readings, come join the Brandon Knights.