Chess Club Moving Pieces into Place for 2023

Chess match taking place during Chess Club at Fair Grove. (photo provided by FGS News)

The Fair Grove Chess Club has begun meeting up for this season in the middle school commons, with the goal of having as many people involved as possible.

Michael Van Cleave, a high school math teacher at Fair Grove, said that the goal for the chess club is to continue growing the club as much as they can, and also to find a way to keep high school kids involved. Mr. Van Cleave took over the chess club in 2021, in place of Mrs. Wilson, a retired teacher at Fair Grove and the previous head of Chess Club.

The Chess Club meets every Tuesday after school in the commons of the Fair Grove middle school. The chess club sets up and gets to playing right away. Mr. Van Cleave said, “We are just getting started this year, and it looks like a great group of kids.” Mr. Van Cleave said that his goal for the Chess Club this year is to continue to grow in numbers and to get more high schoolers involved. This year the Chess Club currently has twenty six members, all of which are middle school students. Aaron Batson (7) said that the part he likes most about being in Chess Club is the one on one competition.

The Chess Club’s 2023 season starts off with their first tournament on September 28. The event starts at 5:15 PM and will go on until 7:30 PM. Along with that, the Fair Grove Chess Club will be hosting their own chess tournament at the Fair Grove Middle School in the cafeteria on October 26, starting at 5:15 and ending at 7:30. Following that competition, there is another tournament on November 16, hosted by Monett Middle school.

“Chess is a fascinating game and whether you’re a beginner or a master, there is a place for you in our club,” stated Van Cleave. By joining the chess club at Fair Grove, students will have the opportunity to represent Fair Grove in a club that you like. Chess Club is open to anyone in the school who is interested in challenging themselves in the game.