Notre Dame Academy boasts many different types of clubs. Among the more diverse clubs, there is Chess Club.

Chess Club is run by Mr. Gregory Geiser. Alongside Mr. Geiser, his father Mr. Harry Geiser and Mr. Doug Guyette assist with managing the club.

Geiser said, “Last year we had about 20 members,” and continued, “this year we will find out soon.”

The Chess Club will soon be conducting the annual draft. This draft is led by the two team captains, seniors Owen Martzke and AJ Berndt.

They will draft a team that will go on to compete against each other. Martzke said, “The captains are responsible for drafting half of the members of chess club to their team and week-to-week will match up the best players of their team with the best players of the opposing team.”

Not competing with other schools keeps the competition light and more enjoyable.

Geiser said, “We have a lot of fun keeping it more informal and keeping the competition in-house.”

Martzke explains, “Each head-to-head match up is worth a certain number of points and the winner claims the points for their team.” Martzke continues, “The team with the most points wins the week.”

Although keeping track of these points is a challenge for Geiser, he enjoys it because he gets to “mess around with spreadsheets” like he did at an old job.

Chess Club is a rewarding experience for both the moderator and the members. It is a great time to spend with friends and compete in a no-stress environment.

Geiser enjoys the humor in Chess Club. “I’m not sure if liking chess and sarcasm are correlated; but it sure seems like it based on our members…maybe they are just following my lead.”

Martzke said, “In my opinion the best part about Chess Club is being able to compete and have fun with some of my friends.”

Martzke also mentioned enjoying his success in beating his fellow captain, AJ Berndt, sophomore year to become the student champion.

Captain Martzke said, “I think people should join Chess Club because it is a fun opportunity to learn an intellectual game, compete with friends and have a great time.”

Geiser expresses his enthusiasm for the future and hope of future membership.

The lead adviser hopes to keep active membership up, keep the fun energy high and keep the club members improving in chess ability.