Weak high school club and, at the then-new college UMBC, I started a Chess and Go Club. We knew nothing of USCF, etc. - we just played recreational games.
Later, a true competitive chess club was established at UMBC and today it's one of the top college clubs in the country, having won national championships and scoring high in international events - mostly thanks to Eastern European students - their current team features GM Tanguy Ringoir and WIM Ewa Harazinska.
I'm only in 8th grade £middle school) but my school has a "chess club" where only like two people actually know how to play chess and their rating would be something like 500 (I'm feeling generous) if they played in a tournament. The high school I'm entering next year doesn't have a club. 😢
There was no chess club at my high school, but I didn't play at that point anyway. At college, I got inspired to learn the game and in my first year spent way too much time in my dorm room studying Tarrasch and Reshevsky. I played in a couple of tournaments over the summer, scoring +5-5=0 and eager to play as much as possible.
The university chess club was fantastic. The faculty advisor was a very strong player who had been the junior champion of Yugoslavia, drew a match with Bent Larsen, and tied with 2 GMs for first place in the 1969 US Open. Three members were USCF masters (one of them later became an IM), and there were several experts and class A players.
Wow, that's cool. I wish I had contact with master level players while I was working hard, improving.
We had one in high school and only because some teachers were gracious enough to invest their time into it. They stayed after class so we could practice and they drove us around town to play in matches. It was fun. It was a new team and there were only a few of us with varying skill levels then but I hear it's gotten bigger these days.
We had a club in Jr High and High School. Went to some tourneys but our strongest players were probably 1500 strength at the highest, though think I was the only one that had played any rated games (2).
Took a break from chess and school and don't know if there was a club in college or not when I went 7 years later. Didn't start playing again until 3 years after graduating college.
I'd have loved to play against some 1500s when I was in high school. I could only do so when I traveled to tournaments though.
We had one at my high school and we had some pretty respectable players for that level. We were competitive at the state level. The faculty support was a disgrace. We had an advisor assigned but he never went to meetings, matches or tournaments. The first varsity player to finish his game spoke for the team at tournaments.
University club was strictly recreational. Not one match in the four years that I went. The club welcomed non student members of the community.
I believe so, but I never joined. I never really thought I'd be decent chess player so I did other things during HS. My dad taught me the basics and he's a decent player and until now I'm picking more on it. I wish I had tried joining back then. Also, it was only boys.
I'm just in grade 2 and my school has a chess club
My university has one of the best clubs in Sydney. Lot of strong club players.
We actually had good chess players at our school back in high school, though I am better than all of them now. So I guess they were not really all that great! But they all knew more than I back then, so I should have asked them questions to see if I can gain some chess knowledge from them, but little ole me didn't care about chess back then. Chess club back then was just something to do with my friends.
My high school did, but it was a very weak club. It basically consisted of two players who I could beat playing blindfolded simultaneously, because they'd hang their pieces left and right, and wouldn't take my queen if I put it right en prise to their pawn or something.
That's right, I had to "get good" all by myself. No one around me to support my chess.
What was your chess experience like in school?
2Q1C's "school" experience post. It's not a troll post.