Every Monday night a group of chess enthusiasts gather at Aurora High School for some serious play and camaraderie.
Up to 60 chess boards are set up in the cafeteria, pitting each of the 120 Aurora Chess Club members against another player with similar ability in games that are rated through Chess Canada.
Among those who make a point of playing chess every Monday is Ashley Qian, a 12-year-old, Grade 6 student at Newmarket’s Rogers Public School who got into the game when her older brother started playing.
“I’ve been at a lot of competitions, both in tournaments and more casual ones,” says Ashley, who was the 2024 Ontario Chess Challenge Grade 5 champion, placing second in the national challenge.
She takes it seriously, carving time out of every day to study chess moves, strategies and openings while analyzing games and preparing for her next game or tournament by reviewing her opponents’ style.
She further develops her game through chess coaching and likes the idea of teaching chess when she’s older.
“In order to be successful at anything, you have to work hard,” she reasons.
She also does math out of school, by doing practices and puzzles online for 30 minutes a day, an hour if she has extra time.
She also plays rep basketball. With two practices every week and tournaments on the weekends, her team remained undefeated through February and has a chance in advancing its status in the Ontario Basketball League.
The chess club, she says, is integral to her game play. You need to practise the game, she says, in between all the studying.
Ashley appreciates the supportive environment of the chess club, which helps her improve.
“It’s really well organized so there’s not really any delays and the people are really friendly … it’s just a really nice atmosphere to play in,” she says.
The non-profit volunteer club was launched in 2012 by chess enthusiasts looking to share their love of the game in the community.
“Although it is a very friendly and supportive environment, it is competitive” allowing the players to be rated by chess Canada, explains co-ordinator Chris Tapping.
The club, he adds, is a tournament club, not a teaching club, attracting players from across the region. And it’s for all ages, with many of its members being youths under 20. There are currently about 120 members – space constraints restrict the membership to a maximum of 130.
When members gather on Monday evenings, players are divided into one of three groups: one is for the younger children and features fast games, another is for more seasoned youths playing two one-hour games and the third is adults playing longer games.
They are each paired with someone rated with a similar ability.
Chess saw something of a resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic that may have been partially inspired by the hit television drama, The Queen's Gambit. Chess.com saw an explosion of users, with 102 million more people signing up between 2020 and 2023, for a 238-per-cent increase.
That increase was reflected when the Aurora Chess Club resumed in-person gatherings following the pandemic. Last year, the club, where Chase also plays, had to cut off registrations when it reached 130 members.
The Aurora Chess Club operates year-round – although things are scaled back for more casual games that are not rated in the summer.
As she works hard on her game, Ashley looks forward to once again taking on her brother, who is spending more time on his studies since starting high school.
“Maybe now I can beat him because he’s getting rusty,” says Ashley.