Under a cloudless blue sky, 5C students faced off over roll-up vinyl chess boards in Pomona College’s Clark I Courtyard for the Claremont Chess Club Tournament. Some players stared at their boards in quiet contemplation while others chatted. Electronic club music (“Rumble” by Skrillex) and familiar hits (“Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon) played in the background.
The tournament, held on Jan. 26, marked the Claremont Chess Club’s first tournament in four years, following the club’s reestablishment in 2022.
Eleonore Viatte PO ’24, one of the organizers of the event, compared the atmosphere to scenes from her hometown.
“I grew up in Paris and this is a very classic summer scene,” Viatte said. “In every municipal garden in Paris, there’s a bunch of people. It’s a very specific mood. They play chess in the sun and I think this kind of emulates that.”
The event was the culmination of a collaboration between the club’s presidents and the Pomona North Campus resident advisors (RAs), co-President Kabir Kothari PO ’24 explained.
“The chess club has been running, I think, for the last two or three years and there haven’t been any official tournaments,” Kothari said. “I think people have tried, but logistically, it’s just never worked out. By working with the RAs, it was a bit easier to manage.”
For the North Campus RAs, the event served as an opportunity to create community for their residents. Sonam Rikha PO ’24, an RA for Clark I, was one of the organizers of the event.
“As RAs, we thought that it would be good to collaborate with the club, because it could increase engagement and turnout as well.” Rikha said. “Because we will get a lot of people from the chess club and then we’ll also get a lot of our own residents.”
In addition to Pomona students, it was important to organizers to open the tournament to 5C players of all chess backgrounds.
“I think a lot of people, when they hear about a chess tournament in college, will be really intimidated,” Kothari said. “I think people in general get very intimidated by chess. So seeing that it’s accessible to all levels, and also splitting it into a beginner intermediate bracket where we’re allowing people to classify themselves, just makes it more accessible.”
Indeed, efforts from both tournament organizers and participants to create a welcoming environment were on full display. As students walked through the courtyard on their way to their dorms or classes, the RAs beckoned them to join. Players were also encouraged to ask each other to clarify game rules or advice.
Many participants, like Carlos Sanchez PO ’24 had learned to play chess when they were young but hadn’t found an opportunity to play in a long time.
“We have a little chessboard at home, but, honestly, we barely touch it,” said Sanchez. “In my first game, I was still trying to remember which pieces move which way, but it’s been fun.”
A running theme among all the players, regardless of their level of experience, was the tournament’s role as a reprieve from school and other stressors.
Arjun Sisoda PO ’27 has been playing for one and a half years and signed up for the tournament to evaluate his progress.
“I find [chess] quite stress-relieving,” Sisoda said. “Sometimes, I just listen to music and play chess and it’s a good way for me to settle down after a long day. I also like that while it’s fun, it also keeps your mind active.”
Ana Yanez PO ’27, who won the beginner bracket, was especially appreciative of the community that the RAs and chess club created around the board.
“There were people from other schools there, too, and people from other years,” Yanez said. “I got to meet people that I never would have met if I hadn’t just played a game of chess with them. Everyone was really friendly.”
Tendai Nyamuronda CM ’26, the winner of the intermediate/advanced bracket, learned chess in primary school in order to play with his friends, and he went on to play at the national level in Zimbabwe. He continues to play chess to connect with new friends.
“It’s a way that I can unwind and just be who I am,” Nyamuronda said. “The thing that is most beautiful about chess … once you sit across the table from someone, whether you win or you lose, you have the opportunity to talk to that person and then you can get to know them better.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Arjun Sisoda and Ana Yanez were in the Pomona class of 2024. It has been updated to reflect the correct year. TSL regrets this error.
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