The MacArthur Chess Club kicked off its first meeting in room C339 on August 26, and the beginning members all played a few spirited games of chess. Timothy Kitterman, the ASL teacher and chess club sponsor, helped them out and oversaw their progress, but it was the students who added the thrill of competition.
Kitterman has been running the chess club since last year. He dedicates his desire to start a chess club to his seven year old son, who is an avid participant in the sport.
“The exciting part, I think, is the challenge, it’s so unique,” Kitterman said. “Every game is like a new challenge depending on how they play.”
The game has been known to be one of strategy, and it has proven to sharpen the minds of those who play it. Kitterman said that his son has now started to teach him with his skill level in chess. When asked who it is so important for young people to be engaged in a game such as chess, he said this:
“It’s like I tell my son, if you’re playing video games, like he was into Minecraft and I think he still likes it but he’s not absorbed in it,” Kitterman said. “I said, if you’re into something like that, you’re just killing time. When you’re playing chess, you’re learning something. You’re growing.”
Layla Gurgonus, a junior at Mac, was completely new to the game of chess.
“I find it to be really cool and relaxing at points. It can also be stressful,” Gurgonus said.
