A Year in the Life of an International Chess Club Member
The international chess club member does not merely think. He analyses. He calculates. How many steps does it take for him to reach his proper place in the parade square for morning assembly from his chosen nap-place in the canteen? One hundred forty-seven. Does the pointed use of the masculine pronoun in every sentence of this paragraph thus far hint at some sexist bias inherent in his CCA? Probably not. (It does, however, demonstrate a certain unfortunate trend with regards to the gender of majority of its members. One YOU can change or further contribute to!)
The international chess club member does not merely scour for a mate, as others do. He plots. He prowls. The plebeian playbooks of the common man are cast aside in favour of tactic books and puzzle books which he and his club-mates fervently peruse- the casual conversations abandoned in favour of stony silence as pairs battle for dominance repeatedly in sparring match after sparring match. All in feverish pursuit of that mental victory and the psychological satisfaction it brings.
(There is a lot of psychological satisfaction to be gained from this CCA. It is in fact commonly said that membership in this CCA near guarantees that psychological satisfaction will probably the only kind of satisfaction one will be gaining for a long time. What were you thinking?)
Requirements for New Recruits
The good news: there are no official requirements for joining our highly exclusive, extremely sought-after (really) CCA! You heard us right: no trials! What are you waiting for?
On a more serious note though, here are some of the criteria you should probably meet, if you don’t want to spend two years skulking about miserably in the classroom that doubles as our base of operations:
- A Passion for Seeking a Mate. Strictly over the board only, please.
- Free Friday afternoons (3-6pm) to study the art of strategising. All in the name of that elusive mate. Ahem. Checkmate.
- Partly-free March and September holidays, where our major competitions usually occupy 1-2 days.
- Spectacles not mandatory, but probably inevitable.
