.Chess Club Building a Bridge for Connection
Board games are not just fun ways to pass the time with friends and family. To play a board game, one must flash their competitive spirit and think strategically while maintaining the balance of friendly fun. The connection between competition, camaraderie, and strategy makes board games a great experience to share with those we hold close. Members of Purdue in Indianapolis’ Chess Club connect by competing in the strategic and familiar board game of chess.
"I came to Purdue playing chess,” reflects Utsav Arora, a first-year student studying computer science. “I noticed that in the state of Indiana, there wasn’t much of a chess scene, so I created our club with a few of my friends.”
As an avid chess player, Arora and his friends started playing chess in each other’s dorm rooms at night before Arora had the idea to convert their friendly games of chess into a club.
“Chess was a big part of my life growing up,” says Arora, who learned chess from his older brother. “When I didn’t see a scene for chess on campus I wanted to provide that experience for others.”
The club hosts monthly meetings for members to socialize and play chess. This provides students with opportunities to meet new people, learn to play chess, and improve their skills.
“We love to play chess,” emphasizes Arora. “At meetings, we do funny events where people play with fewer pieces or at a time disadvantage, it’s all a lot of fun.”
Though only in his first year at Purdue Indianapolis, Arora has learned so much from not just his classes, but from his experience with the chess club.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into managing a college club,” says Arora. “It has taught me how to manage time and be more of a leader. I’ve learned how to delegate work a lot, I have to tell people our needs and strategize for our club’s future. As a student it’s great because I’m meeting a lot of people. I've created an organization that people love.”
Looking ahead, Arora has big plans for the future of the Chess Club. Over winter break, Arora became a registered tournament director to aid in building a future of competitive chess tournaments where teams could compete.
“In college, you usually create a team of five people as your main team,” says Arora. “I want to host tournaments, have a fully developed team and I want to host famous chess players in the future.”
Arora plans to host his first tournament through Chess Club in February. Outside of organizing tournaments, Arora has dreams of expanding the team and growing its member count.
"If you are interested in chess but don’t know how to play, we can teach you,” Arora emphasizes to prospective members. “If you like chess you should join, if you don’t know chess, you can learn a lot and meet a lot of new people. I’m able to network with way more people.”
Whether you’re a seasoned player or are new to the game, visit their BoilerLink and register for the organization to get involved. Opportunities for students to get involved and join student organizations on the Indianapolis campus continue to grow weekly, with over 30 student organizations now having a presence on the campus. BoilerLink is the prime student tool to get involved, make an impact and further connections on campus.