On Tuesday November 15, the Chess Team represented MCHS at Huntley High School for their first tournament of the year. Members of the McHenry Chess Warriors competed in two intense matches against Huntley and Marian Central.

Chess Team Advisor Mr. John Leon goes into depth about the format of a typical chess match. “At a chess tournament we have two sections, the team section and the open section. Every school that attends takes a team of 8 players, and each of those 8 players gets a ranking based on their skill level. And if they score more points, the better ranking you are and less points as you move down the lineup. The second part of the tournament is the open section which is all the extra members who are not on the main team,” explained Mr. Leon. 

Going into this year after a successful season last year, the team and Mr. Leon had high expectations and optimism for their first conference match, and the season as a whole. “Since I’ve started as the coach we’ve made state every year, and each year we keep doing better. Last year, we won over half of our games. This year, I think we will perform really well,” explained Mr. Leon

Junior Colin Chojonowski explains his excitement for the chess season and the support he and the players give each other, no matter a win or loss. “Having the season back is great because I get to hang out with my friends. Most of my friends are actually on the chess team and it’s great to just talk with them and have fun even if we win or lose it’s still a victory in my opinion.” He explained. Senior Brandon Rivera who has been a part of the McHenry Chess Warriors for four consecutive years explains his inspiration to join and why he decided to stick around. “I’ve been here for four years and I’ve stayed that long because my eighth grade teacher Mr. Roholic said I should probably join so I did, and I really liked my first year and I just stayed,” he explained.

The McHenry Chess Warriors continue to persevere through anything thrown their way, and they are always there to support each other through thick and thin. We wish them luck throughout their upcoming season.