To many students’ satisfaction, the Chess Club has begun its 2021-22 competitive ladder. 

The club has been around longer than NDA itself as it was originally moderated at Premontre High School by Mr. Harry Geiser, a former math teacher at NDA. 

Once integrated into Notre Dame Academy, it was moderated by Mr. Steve Havilchek until 2012.

Mr. Greg Geiser, following in his father’s footsteps, began moderating the club in 2014. 

“I love the analytical quality of the game, and I love playing with and being around people that play,” the moderator explained. “I’m not a great player, but I’ve learned a lot just by being a moderator.”

Geiser enjoys having the opportunity to teach new players the game. 

“I always say people can go from not knowing how to play to slightly below average with a few simple concepts pretty quickly,” stated Geiser. 

In the club, students participate in competitive or friendly chess matches with their peers and hopefully improve their abilities within the game.

Senior Andrew Nguyen has been in the club since his freshman year and has been one of the champions of the competition for two years in a row. 

“The best part of Chess Club is the community,” claimed Nguyen. “Even though we have a variety of players from beginners to advanced, we all have fun and take a break from school work.” 

He joined the club because he wanted to share his interest in chess. “I felt that it would be a community that I could belong to and have fun in.” 

Karenna Kuske, a sophomore, joined the club in her freshman year. 

“Last year may not have been a normal year, but it is a year to surely remember, especially chess club-wise,” said Kuske. 

While members aren’t all talented at chess, most still take the game seriously.

“I honestly love seeing how serious people get about chess,” said the sophomore member. “Either you will walk into Mr. Geiser’s room and it sounds like a party, or it will sound like a super serious chess tournament.“ 

Students interested in joining Chess Club are encouraged to simply go to one of the meetings held every Tuesday after school.