As students from all over Maryland set out to conquer the Maryland High School Chess Championships March 28–29 in Baltimore, members of the chess club performed admirably despite facing an uphill battle from the start of the tournament.

Competing with a team of three instead of the allotted four, Whitman finished fourth as they challenged the top chess players in the state.

“The problem with our team was they take top four performers, but we only had three people,” chess club president Jonathan Chen said. “We were a man down.”

Despite this disadvantage, individual members of the club performed well. Out of the 37 total participants, Chen and fellow senior Henning Kjoita both broke the top ten, coming in 4th and 3rd place respectively. Senior Matthew Weinstein also participated in the competition.

Though the club will not be attending nationals in Ohio due to the time and financial commitments it would take, its members were happy to culminate the year with the state championships.

Although there will be no more competitions, Weinstein also urged members to continue to come to meetings to build the club’s legacy and enjoy the friendly competition.

“Chess really gives your brain a workout,” he said. “It’s fun.”

With key members graduating next year, Chen hopes that the club will continue to succeed in the future with the changes in leadership.

“It’s kind of the end of an era,” he said.