Every semester, students from both middle and high school gather in the atrium to compete in the Chess Club’s tournament. Normally, there are two Chess Tournaments per year, one in the spring and one in the fall, with the most recent spring tournament taking place on May 26-29 during office hours.
“For me, chess has been a lifelong hobby and maybe even a competitive activity,” Bernard Chang (10), tournament champion, said. “I have played chess in earnest from around 5th grade, and ever since, I have been eager to put my skills to the test. I think this spring chess tournament was a great way of doing so, and plus they increased the prize pool, which was a nice cherry on top.”
Although more traditional rivals such as Jjangi and Go overshadow chess in popularity, especially among the older generation, there is nonetheless a young, dedicated, and proactive chess community within Korea. This also applies to SIS, with numerous players of all levels and ages attending the school.
The Chess Club created the modern iteration of the Chess Tournament after COVID-19. As coordinating in-person chess tournaments became difficult during the pandemic, the Chess Club was able to rebuild its program when the normal in-person school schedule resumed. The tournament now attracts around 20 participants from both middle and high schools.
Since 2022, the club has been hosting tournaments biannually, usually in November and May. Last year, the Chess Club also made an exciting development as the first official KAIAC chess tournament brought back interschool competition.
The Chess Tournament was structured around a Swiss system, where participants play a set number of rounds, are scored, and then paired with other participants of similar score. This ensures that everyone can continue to play throughout the tournament. For less experienced chess players, this was a valuable opportunity, as more traditional tournaments are skill-locked, with high-skill players often simply eclipsing their chances of play.
The tournament ended with Bernard Chang (10) in first, Scott Kang (9) in second, and Evan Han (9) in third. Each received a prize of ₩50,000, ₩30,000, and ₩20,000, respectively. The prizes were noted to be an increase from last year, with the third place also included in the reward recipient list.
Some of the main challenges in making the event successful included promoting the event and coordinating between members and executives to help with setup and cleanup. The Chess Tournament is a large event that takes place in the atrium, and numerous forms and discussions needed to be held with the administration to ensure that everyone knew what was happening when. Nonetheless, the event was an opportunity for both members and non-members of all skill levels to challenge themselves with chess in a competitive setting.
