Recently, there has been a stark resurgence of chess in the halls of PV. Due to the reboot of PV Chess Club, students are playing during the passing period, at lunch and in class.
Most students play chess on their phones using Chess.com. Students can play a variety of chess games, ranging from one-minute to one-hour games. They compete against each other, often comparing their ELO to see their skills.
ELO is a system that ranks players based on their skill level. It’s also used for matchmaking; for example, a player with an ELO of 850 will play someone with a similar ELO of 850.
Chess beginner Ammar Bazarra sighted PV’s chess club as the reason for the recent surge in interest. “While chess isn’t as popular as it was 2-3 years ago, I think that the Chess Club has contributed quite a bit to its recent growth, as it hosted a tournament recently which caused players to play in a more competitive setting,” he said.
But the thrill of playing online wasn’t enough for some students, leading PV students to go out and look for competition in local tournaments. These tournaments are verified and rated by the US Chess Federation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting chess in the United States with over 110,000 members.
PV students Thomas Bacon and Grayer Pruitt went to the New Year’s 2026 7-Round Rapid Chess Tournament at Western Illinois University on Jan 24, 2026.
The tournament hosted a fair share of competition, with notable names being John Fernandez, US Chess Federation Vice President, and Kaiden Gomez, who qualified for the US Chess Nationals at age 17.
After playing against elite players, Bacon talked about the intensity of the tournament. “The tournament was a really mentally exhausting event, going against tough opponents, but it was also one of the most thrilling moments in my life playing a national champion and the vice president of US chess, and experiencing it with friends was surreal”, said Bacon.
After a couple of days, Bacon and Pruitt both received an official USCF rating, with Bacon earning a rating of 1242 and Pruitt a rating of 1118.
The Chess Club plans to attend more tournaments, specifically a four-round rapid tournament on Feb. 17, and hopefully host an official tournament of their own.
Senior Ammar Bazzara shares his excitement for upcoming events. “I’m excited for the tournament and look forward to getting a USCF rating,” he said. “With the increasing interest, it is safe to say the future of PV Chess is bright.”
