After a several year hiatus, Chess Club is starting up again. Senior Parker Bruns is spearheading the effort, serving as the club’s new president. Bruns was inspired to start the club with a group of friends he plays chess with on a regular basis.

“We all love the game,” Bruns said. “We wanted to bring it back so we could have another fun activity for our senior year.”

One of the friends Bruns plays chess with is Joseph Cuneo, another senior who is also a member of the new chess club. Cuneo has taken the role as teacher in the club, meaning he will be advising players, novice and advanced, on their strategies. Cuneo is a perfect fit for this role as he has a long history with the game of chess.

“I started playing chess around third grade, I took lessons, I went to tournaments, and I actually taught kids over at Harvest Ridge how to play,” Cuneo said.

Bruns and his friends have been working to recruit new members for the club, asking those who are interested around FHN to try out the club. Bruns even advertised the club in the morning announcements on Thursday, Nov. 17. Their efforts to reach out to possible new members have been very successful.

“People just started showing up that we’ve never even talked to,” Bruns said. “A lot of people of multiple different grade levels are joining.”

Cuneo hopes that the new chess club will provide an opportunity for students to make friends and, to put it simply, have a good time. He feels like a revival of the chess club is just the thing to get students engaged at North.

“Since the first chess club was disbanded, there’s just been a role that needs to be filled,” Cuneo said. “I think a lot of students are going to find a place at school within this club.”

Bruns has a lot of long-term plans for the future of the chess club, including going to tournaments. He hopes to help keep the chess club alive for good this time, all while sharing his love of chess with other students at FHN.

“I want to be able to see some of the students, who don’t even know how to play yet, succeed and learn to play better,” Bruns said. “I’m really excited for the future.”