They placed 10-15 at IHSA state championship straight over the last 10 years and sixth place twice over the last four years with 128 teams at the tournament. “Is this another athletic team?” you may ask. No, it is actually the Neuqua Valley  chess club. Chess club accepts all interested members.Their intent is to have fun and let it be casual but provide a more intense environment for those who seek it. Interested members can join the competitive team that is built into this underrated club.

Sponsor Frank Gambino says the club is very flexible when it comes to attendance, but they usually “extract [the] competitive team” from within the club. According to Gambino, there are usually about 35 to 40 members in the club — in contrast to the 20 to 30 members typical clubs have. But chess club is a “fun” way to “ meet new people and friends,” and they offer a “low-stress environment.”. Although there is a “big competitive nature”, Junior Younis Nooraldeen explains about the club, it’s all in good intention because you can see that people want to do better and improve. Although last year, Nooraldeen states many were a little skeptical about losing some of their games because many of their teammates graduated,  even with small awards they treated it as a big deal, this showing the optimism of the club.

Students interested in strategic games should test out their skills with the members of chess club. The club accepts all who are willing to join. “You don’t have to be good at all to join”, Younis Nooraldeen encourages to students who wants to join. He states that a person shouldn’t be intimidated to join because “a lot of the people are encouraging…especially those who try to help out the newer guys”.   No experience, no problem — just try not to be a “stale”-mate.