The Wayne State College Chess Club invites chess players of all skill levels to join them in improving their game while creating a fun and welcoming environment.
“We meet every week, Wednesday, 7 p.m., the humanities second-floor student lounge,” Mary Helms, the president and co-founder of Chess Club, said. “Anytime between 7 and 9 just swing by when you can, play however many games you want. There are different levels of competition too. You’ll get some people who are really into the game, super focused, and you’ll get people who treat it as a social hour, which I also love. So, we meet every week, but they’re not formal meetings.”
“Sometimes I think joining a club can feel like you were immediately bogged down and there’s so much going on at the club, so many expectations,” Brody Wood, a member of Chess Club, said. “This is just show up, have fun.”
Helms said she loves how the weekly gatherings bring people together.
“People that you probably would’ve not ever interacted with, suddenly you know really well from playing chess against them every week,” Helms said. “That’s what I was looking for when I started Chess Club. It brings people together like you would not believe. It’s incredible.”
“Anybody new gets immediately invited in and just welcomed,” Wood said. “You have people who have no idea how to play just welcomed in and eagerly taught by those who are really, really good. If I had to use one word, I’d use pure. It’s just a pure environment.”
“It’s a way for people to get connected, to get to know new people on campus,” Helms said. “I always recommend that people join clubs. It makes campus feel smaller when you know more people, so whether that’s chess club or any other club, I think it’s a good idea. Chess club offers that if you’re interested in chess, even if you’re just starting to hear about it like I was just starting to learn about it freshman year. You can find people who are going to support you in that.”
The club also hosts tournament events each semester.
“We have our tournament on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 1 p.m.,” Helms said. “It’s in the Elkhorn Room of the student center, and we welcome all skill levels. There is no entry fee, just come hang out and play chess. This one is something that you want to be there right when it starts, though, so you can get on the bracket, whereas our meetings are just come in whenever.”
Wood said the atmosphere at Chess Club is just fun, something he thought could be reflected in other places on campus.
“Just being able to relax and play chess, there’s no pressure,” Wood said. “There’s nothing but just play chess and have fun. You look at a random person, you point at them, go ‘Want to play chess?’, and they say sure.”
“I know people all the time are like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to come to chess club because I’m not very good at chess.’ but that’s what chess club is for,” Helms said. “So come to chess club, come hang out.”
