While Northwestern College is home to a variety of clubs, activities and organizations, a new club started this year was The Chess Club. Started by resident of Hospers Tyson Braunschweig, chess club has been a fun addition to the slew of clubs already offered at NW. Meeting every Friday at 7 P.M. in the fireside room, the club welcomes everyone, whether beginner or expert chess player, to come check it out.
“Throughout my time at NW, I have noticed a continuously growing interest in the game of chess around campus.” Braunschweig said “In tandem with a lot of people, my interest in the game has also grown. I saw a really cool opportunity to bring a lot of people together who normally may never talk, so I created the NW Chess Club”
Without a doubt, this has been Braunschweig’s passion project and he has been supremely dedicated to making sure the chess club got off the ground and that it continued to thrive even past the initial wave of excitement.
The chess club welcomes a variety of people and skill levels to the club. “People gather to play games at whatever intensity they see fit, whether it’s over casual conversation and tea or a more silent, brooding, sharp match.” said Braunschweig.
One member, James Ulstad, said “Although I am not very good at chess, it is always a blast to go hang out and play some games with friends who also enjoy chess.”
“I enjoy the community aspect of drinking tea around the chess board, which has aura, since I’m not the biggest fan of chess on its own.” Vice President of the Chess Club, Benjamin Lunblad said.
Agreeing with his fellow club members, Secretary Mackenna Thurman said “I help run chess club, and I decided to do it because chess is not only fun, but it helps me to stay sharp. I do it for the love of outsmarting your opponent and finding new creative ways to do that while finding ways of doing things on the board you’ve never thought of before. It’s quite satisfying.”
There are many more members who all have their own unique views on chess, but its the club atmosphere that brings them together.
“ Chess is a game that has an extremely diverse fanbase, and as a result, our club has become equally diverse, with members hailing from all sorts of backgrounds, places they call home, and walks of life.” Braunschweig said “With so many different perspectives, we do our best as a club to make sure everyone is seen and heard.”
Braunschweig is particularly proud of the environment that he has built in the club, and has really focused on making Chess club a welcoming community.
“Oftentimes, uproarious laughter can be heard from the Fireside Room as someone makes an egregious blunder or brilliant sacrifice; we try not to take ourselves too seriously.” Braunschweig said. “To me, the NW Chess Club reflects our ability as humans to take a game that can be incredibly competitive and stressful and turn it into something that builds friendships and bridges gaps across culture.”
Overall, Chess Club is a wonderful addition to NW, and a place where fellow chess enthusiasts, or complete novices to the game of chess, can get together to hang out and play a game or two. There’s no doubt that students who join the chess club will have a fun time.
“If you would like to join us, we meet on Fridays from 7-8 pm in the Fireside Room.” Braunschweig said “Boards, refreshments, and often baked goods courtesy of many of our lively members are provided free of charge. We would love to see you there.”
