Whether it’s during passing periods or in class, it is not uncommon to see a few people playing chess on chess.com or lichess.org, a popular website to play the board game online. In recent months, chess has grown in popularity.
Pop culture is a significant factor in the last few months of chess’ rise in fame. Shows like the Queen’s Gambit or popular streamers streaming chess games in online tournaments like PogChamps helped stimulate chess’ rise in fame. Social media platforms like Tiktok additionally spread chess among teenagers.
“TikTokers and streamers that posted their clips on TikTok got a lot of fame almost overnight,” said junior William Langley.
While some may have gotten into chess through social media, others may have heard about it from friends and family.
“Over winter break [my sister] made me make a Chess.com account and chess started becoming fun after I actually won a couple of games against people,” said junior Urjaswee Debnath. “Now I play with my sister.”
With chess becoming more popular, more teenagers have started incorporating chess into their daily lives.
“I’ve gotten more people to play [against] me and I played against other people,” Langley said. “I play about three games a day.”
Since chess requires two people to play, players can connect with their opponents and forge new friendships by meeting people they might never have interacted with.
“When [Ms. Escoto’s husband] was substituting for [Ms. Escoto] on maternity leave, I walked by his desk and saw that he was playing chess on his phone,” said junior Roman Carlson. “[So,] I was like, ‘Hey, I play chess too,’” [and] … now he’s my friend on Chess.com.”
“I’ve gotten more people to play [against] me and I played against other people”
Some chess-lovers play during break, and even during class. This trend can cause students to become distracted or more prone to procrastination when doing school work.
“Chess takes a lot of [concentration],” Debnath said “When I see that the teachers are talking a lot and I’m still playing a game, I usually abort the game. Most people that I’ve seen play chess usually play after the teacher’s done talking.”
From the 15th century to today, chess has been a simple-yet-complex strategy game to play. While its popularity hasn’t been as significant for years, social media has recently increased its popularity. While it is a fun game that allows players to develop their strategic thinking skills, students need to be careful to keep chess separate from schoolwork.
