Sterling High School’s Chess Team has had a fun season so far this year. Coached by head coach Joel Penne and assistant coaches Mike Gottemoller and Tyler Hansen, the team has recorded 15 wins and 10 losses and looks to improve as they finish up the season. 

 The club is made up of 17 members, ranging from grades ninth to twelfth. Team captains are seniors Martin Fisher and Aiden Forth, and juniors Chris Peterson and Jacob Marruffo. 

  “Being team captain is an important job and is needed to keep the other players motivated,” shared Forth. 

 With so many members, the club is split into both JV and varsity teams when deciding who and where they are going to compete against. 

  “In competitive chess, varsity teams square off eight vs. eight. Anyone who is not on my top eight is considered JV, and we pair them up as individuals,” said Penne. 

 The chess club meets three times a week to improve their strategy and skill. 

  “Most practices are themed, where we learn about different parts of the game. We solve puzzles, teach players openings, learn how to play certain positions, and even go over our own saved games to review them,” said Penne. 

  The club also participates in a multitude of tournaments, where they undergo a couple of intense matches that take up most of the day. 

  “I don’t think most people know how much mental endurance is needed to be successful at the game we play. A tournament is usually four matches with the longest games lasting up to two hours,” said Penne. 

 Sterling’s Chess Team belongs to the Northern Illinois Chess League, which contains 14 teams. In November and December, they competed in these conference matches, where teams faced off against each other in an attempt to take first place. 

  “We finished third this season. Just two seasons ago, we finished a streak where we had won the conference for six seasons in a row,” mentioned Penne. 

 Chess as a program has many values and goals to keep members committed throughout the season. 

  “We play for the team, not ourselves,” says Forth. 

  The club reminds themselves of this value through the slogan “Sacrifice, Hard work, Success, consequently standing for SHS,” mentioned Gottemoller. 

 Chess will come to the near end of their season on February 1st, where they will look to compete in the sectional to keep their season going and qualify for state. 

  “A team goal of ours is to make it to state and compete while there,” said Forth. 

  “We play seven matches over two days and if we can win four of the matches we should finish in the top 40 or 50 teams in the State,” mentioned Penne.