Deep in the hallways of Chesterton High School, on a quiet Wednesday afternoon after school, you can find a handful of students holed up in a history classroom, laughing over a chessboard.
Chess Club, which has anywhere from three to six members depending on the week, meets on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Robert DeRuntz, social studies teacher, sponsors the low-stress club. And on its surface, the concept is simple: chess. But the program has a history that few other clubs share.
“In 1997, the state made available Safe Haven grants, which were designed to encourage after-school clubs and activities to get students involved in after-school activities where they could grow and be safe,” DeRuntz said. “I applied for one for CHS Chess, and was awarded a grant to get the program started. The then-Governor O’Bannon even came to CHS to see the program started and get a photo op.”
And Chess Club members don’t just sit around and play game after game of chess, though that’s a big part of it. Sometimes, they unleash a bit of chaos.
“Sometimes we play four-person chess,” said Nicholas Carpentier, senior and first-year club member. “There’s a special board where it’s two chessboards combined. You have one person on each side. It’s the same distance between each side, and you meet in the middle. It’s a free-for-all, essentially. It’s more fun than normal chess.”
Though the club isn’t always big enough to play four-person chess, it’s just one unique way that the Chess Club spends its time. According to Carpentier, the club has also learned some techniques. Or rather, tried to.
“Dane [Cooper] is really good at chess,” he said. “At the beginning of the year, he had lessons for different openings and such. And he’s really good at all that stuff. He tried teaching us but I’m not that good at that, so I usually just play how I know how. But Dane does try to teach us how.”
But the most important part of Chess Club isn’t the lessons or the chaotic games of four-person chess. As DeRuntz puts it, it’s the low-stress atmosphere.
“CHS Chess is pretty low-key. It’s a time and place where students can gather after school to play chess with each other and in some cases learn to play chess from their peers,” he said. “All kinds of students attend. In fact, I think just as important as being able to play chess is the opportunity for companionship for the students…a place to hang out, socialize, laugh and release stress while playing and getting better at chess.”
Chess is a complicated board game with countless openings, moves, and strategies. Chess Club members report having learned a lot about the pastime, mostly from playing against their friends.
“I have [learned a lot]. Dane is a really good opponent, he played chess really seriously for a while…And he actually enjoys teaching you how to play, so I have gotten better than when I first joined, I think most people have…But [my favorite part is] just hanging out with my friends.”
Chess Club laughs and learns simultaneously, creating an atmosphere just as unique as the centuries-old board game they study.
