After its founding in August, the Rollins Chess Society has seen an increase in both the number of members and the engagement of faculty.
As a child, club president Jiya Manchada (‘25) played chess with her father. She said that her connection to those memories inspired her to bring her passion to life at Rollins and share it with the campus community. As a philosophy major, Manchanda said that chess is an amazing exercise related to decision making.
The club currently boasts over 50 members who train every Tuesday at 7 p.m. with faculty advisers. The group reenacts classic and past games, studies live games, and practices openings, closings, and other moves. As for the safety measures regarding COVID-19, Manchanda said that the club does not host virtual events. Instead, the team meets in person, following mask and capacity requirements for indoor events.
Manchanda said she expects to bring even more activities to the club, including students versus faculty tournaments, a chapter of women in chess in collaboration with the Center for Inclusion and Campus Involvement (CICI), sessions with the art department, discussions about chess strategies and their real-life applications, visits from Rollins alumni, and screenings of films that celebrate the sport.
Manchanda said that, this semester, the club will focus on student training and preparation for competitions.
“As of now, I will say that we do not anticipate any challenges, except for managing a group of 50 people that have signed up,” said Manchanda.
Community members at every level of chess ability are welcome to participate. To stay up to date on upcoming activities and information, you can follow the club on Instagram @rollinschess.
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