The Saint Ignatius Chess club

The Saint Ignatius Chess club is back up and running for 2025.

The club meets each Monday lunch in the library for a formal catch up and practice session. Participants range from year 7 to year 12 and some students have been dedicated members for the last three years. The library staff lead by Ms Rachel Snowden and her very capable staff have been amazing in supporting the chess club by acquiring competition chess sets and timing clocks and providing a designated area for practice. This chess equipment provides an opportunity for players to know what competition chess feels and looks like.

Chess is an excellent game for adolescence because it offers numerous cognitive, emotional and social benefits. It enhances problem-solving, strategic thinking, and memory, while also fostering patience, resilience, and emotional regulation. Chess provides a sense of intellectual stimulation and can even contribute to improved academic performance.

The Chess Club is presently preparing for a regional chess tournament in May. This involves chess members who have accepted an invitation to participate in trials in the library with the aim of improving their chess strategies and techniques.

We are expecting to take a group of well prepared and confident students to experience the amazing phenomena that is a ‘Regional Chess Tournament’.

Paul Howard (Saint Ignatius Chess Coordinator)