By Grace Wang and Omer Sarac
It seems that at East, there has been a recent chess revolution. Chess is a common board game, and students have been found playing in the library, online, commons–everywhere! In the library, students have been using the boards provided to play games. Most games of chess are played with two people, whereas others are played with four people in a chess variant called Bughouse. In Bughouse, four people play; when one captures a piece, they hand the piece to their partner, who can then place that piece on any open square.
Online, students have been found playing on Chess.com. They play all types of chess, including different variants and traditional chess with different times. Some students play all bullet chess, where each player has less than three minutes to move, whereas others play long, dragged-out games. Players are given ratings that sort them into different levels. Players with ratings within a specific range draw and play against each other. Ratings within the East community typically range from 600 – 1000. Chess seems to be a common ground between all East students, as it has brought many students together; everyone wants to enjoy a relaxing game of chess during a stressful school day.
