OSU recognizes first chess club
By Zachary Stiefel
PAR Reporter
Published: Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Updated: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 22:03
The newly approved chess club on OSU’s campus is the first chess club recognized as a student organization in school history.
Jeff Roderick, vice president, said other people have tried but didn’t go all the way through the appeal process.
“It took about two months before they would let us get in front of the board,” Roderick said. “We just had more drive and determination than any of the previous chess players.”
Roderick and Patrick Robinson, club president, said they started the club because they wanted a new outlet to play.
“We would only play each other or tag team an online match,” Roderick said. “We started the club because we love chess and wanted to give other people the opportunity to play.”
Robinson said the first half of the meetings are about teaching strategy and the second half are for playing.
Anybody is welcome to come play, whether he or she has ever played chess.
“We have about 15 members so far,” Robinson said. “Only eight of them actually know how to play chess.”
The more experienced players walk through basic moves and strategies with the beginners.
Bridgett Hogarth, a therapeutic recreation junior, said the club is helping her learn how to play.
“They will sit and watch us play, and after every move they will explain the different moves we could have made,” Hogarth said. “They are trying to actually teach us not to play.”
Roderick said the club just got new boards, so it can accommodate more people.
The club has met twice so far. It meets twice a month at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house.
Robinson said if people have any interest in chess at all, he or she should come to the club and see if they enjoy it.
Source: http://www.ocolly.com
Congrats.