On Oct. 8 the New Trier Chess team participated in the North Suburban Chess League Opener at Niles North, returning home with their first ever win.

Head coach Dan Hart stated, “This was our best performance at the NSCL opener ever. We have never had a player win, this year we had one win the top section and Nathan placed in 3rd.”

An “open” tournament is one in which students compete individually. All other competitions New Trier participates in are either league play or state tournaments, where 8 boards are playing at once.

“League matches are similar to tennis or golf, where your top 8 play another school’s top 8,” assistant coach Matt Mersch said.

This tournament consisted of three different levels, A being the top and C being the bottom.

Chess in Illinois is very competitive. “It’s an intensely competitive environment, but not an aggressive one. A chess tournament is incredible, you have a room full of 200+ high school students and outside of the sounds of the pieces moving and occasional question it is silent,” Hart said.

Successful chess players begin early and spend a significant amount of time practicing and studying the game.

It is not uncommon for players to begin playing at a young age. Nathan Yamaguchi, a junior and active member of the chess team said,“ I first learned how to play chess from my friend in preschool and I was really fascinated by the game.”

Junior Abe Sun won 5-0 at the opener, placing first in Section A. This is the first time in New trier history for a student to win. Just like Yamaguchi, Sun began his chess career very early. “I’ve been playing chess for 8 years, my mom first got me involved,” Sun said.

However to truly excel, natural talent plays a role.  There are essential skills and status required.

“If you think very logically and analytically, understanding the game becomes easier.  However, like most things in life, practicing is the real reason you can become a good chess player,” Yamaguchi said.

From a coach’s standpoint important skills include “pattern recognition, a good memory and patience [because] games last between 1 and 6 hours,” Hart said.

“Many of our players can remember entire games they played weeks, months, even years ago.”

“Many chess players are good at math. It requires some very quick thinking. Most importantly the players have to have a passion for chess,” Mersch added.

Coaching is vital to improving a chess player’s game. New Trier has experienced coaches. Head coach Dan Hart has contributed to the success of the chess team.

He himself has experience in the world of chess.

“I played chess for 4 years in high school at ETHS and I have played competitively off and on ever since.” He is also the current president of the North Suburban Chess League (NSCL).

The student passion for the game is evident in this year’s team.

“Anyone can learn to play chess, and with enough hard work play it at a high level,” Hart said.

With vigorous training and dedication, the New Trier chess team is thriving. After 42 years of loss, a victory would place New Trier back at the top.

New Trier has an exciting season ahead of them. “New Trier is extremely competitive within the state. This year we have one of the top few teams in the state and hope to win our first state championship since 1975, not quite as long of a drought as the Cubs, but one we’d like to end. After that we’ll set our sights on Nationals where we should do very well,” Hart said.