The chess team has returned to competing in the annual high school chess league hosted by Clark County School District (CCSD) after a long departure from the competition.

The league season will run from September to December. Each school is set to play a total of eight games during this time.

“Being on the chess team is really fun because we get to practice with the people on the team and also other students at this school,” fourth-seed, freshman Daksh Rawat said. “From actual the chess matches, you get to meet new people [from different schools] that have the same interests as you, so that’s a huge benefit for getting on the team. Also, Coach Gomez treats us really nicely and isn’t that concerned with the result [of the matches]. Even when we lose, he still makes jokes about it and keeps our spirits high.”

All players are required to attend practice sessions after school to sharpen their skills for upcoming matches.

“Right now, since this is our first time competing in this league, I’ve been very lenient and allowed the players to practice at home,” club adviser Jose Gomez said. “Trying to get everybody on the same day to a training session is hard because everybody’s got other responsibilities. We do meet up and train every Thursday to get ready for matches on Tuesday, but as far as practicing five days a week, it’s not something we’re currently doing.”

For the opening match of the season, SWCTA played an away game against Liberty HS and came out victorious with a 4-1 win.

“It was intimidating at first when we first went in because our opponents were in really good spirits,” third-seed, junior Achilles Landy said. “We tried not to think too highly of ourselves because we expected more from our opponents. I’ve never been to that type of school before, so it was pretty different. Something I could improve on is to take less time on moves because I did take a little bit more time than my opponent.”

However, the team suffered a 1-4 defeat in the following weeks against Clark HS and Coronado HS.

“[The opponents] played very well honestly,” first-seed, junior Kaden Carvalho said. “Our games weren’t bad by any means and we didn’t make many mistakes. They just managed to capitalize on whatever little mistakes we made. For my game, it was very tight and complex. I got a lead early on and managed to put a lot of pressure on him, but he defended extremely well and I ended up making a mistake that cost me the game.”

Despite the tough losses, Gomez continues to encourage his players and hopes to bounce back as the season progresses. 

“I think it’s a learning experience for everyone involved including me,” Gomez said. “But, as a team, we can’t sit there and dwell on our last match because there’s always going to be good players everywhere you go. It’s not going into a place and wondering: ‘Are we good enough?’ It’s having that confidence and knowing that we are good. That’s the mentality we need to have going into the rest of the season.”