Make your move

November 3, 2008 by Cecelia Gomez 

The Chess Club is holding a three week tournament

To students who enjoy a challenging game of chess and to those who would like to understand why the queen piece can do what she wants and the little horse can only go so far; read on. The chance is here. UNLV’s chess club is now accepting challengers and beginners alike.

The Chess Club began, like any club or event on campus, as an idea. Stephen Rosenbaum, former honors college dean, had the idea about two years ago. Since then supporters have “been trying to get his idea embedded,” said the current faculty adviser of the club Dr. William Belk.

According to Belk, the most difficult part about getting students interested in the club and in turn getting those students to actively participate is “getting information out.” Chess Club had a successful tournament last spring. Club officer and graduate student Mehmet Bayburt is in charge of the club’s tournaments. He said there were a total of 16 players at their previous spring tournament and that they are expecting approximately 20 players this semester. It was a decent turnout, but it could have been better if the club had “some real publicity,” Belk said.

Belk explained the other difficulty for the club has been “the nature of UNLV.” He said, “people come and go.”

Most of the officers, like Bayburt, are very new to the club, not to mention to Las Vegas. When asked how long he had been a part of the club, Bayburt responded, “less than a month. I have just arrived.”

The club is hosting the UNLV Chess Club Open starting Nov. 7, putting campus players’ skills to the ultimate challenge. According to Bayburt, the tournament goes by Swiss system rules. In this format players aren’t pitted against each other randomly. Instead, opponents will be paired as the games progress according to point totals.

The tournament begins Nov. 7 in Student Union Room 222, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and continues for a total of three weeks, with three tournament sessions taking place during regular Chess Club meeting days.

Registration is easy and free, but space is limited. Contact Alex Choi at chess@unlv.nevada.edu to register. The Chess Club has regular meetings Thursday and Friday afternoons. The Chess Club is for everyone, from experienced players to “those who aren’t tournament qualified,” Belk said. Chess lessons are also available with membership to the club. All meetings are open to beginners and as Bayburt jokingly admitted, “we take walk-ins.”

ON THE WEB:

UNLV Chess Club: www.unlvchess.org