The game is often passed down by older generations in families. Balyan’s father taught him how to play.

Daiber’s late grandfather taught him when he was a child. And he still fondly remembers playing with him.

“When I think back, the only memories I have of him are playing chess. That’s the reason I love it so much. It feels like a way to connect with him,” Daiber said.

UC student Gajanan Jayade’s father taught him the game at age 7.

“It’s not that unusual to learn it that young. There is so much awareness about the game, so many kids learn it,” said Jayade, who is earning a master’s degree in materials science in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science.

But not many kids are as serious about chess as Jayade would become. At age 12, he began taking chess classes. As an adult, he started teaching chess students and launched a chess academy.

Today, he is a professional chess player in the U.S. Chess Federation ranked in the 98th percentile of the world’s ranked players. Top players earn six figures per year in tournament prizes alone. But many, including Jayade, supplement their earnings through coaching.

Jayade said he thinks about chess almost all the time and plays every day.

“Whenever I get a little break, I’ll start a new game on my phone,” he said. “When I get stressed, I play a game of chess and it distracts me from life’s issues.”

Tournaments require a surprising amount of physical endurance, Jayade said. A single game of chess can last five hours and burn more calories than a strenuous hourlong workout.

“I make it a habit to work out to keep myself fit to play better chess,” Jayade said.

“You’re physically exhausted after a tournament,” Daiber said.

Chess enjoyed a moment during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were looking for safe outlets to socialize and began joining online clubs. The renewed interest was driven in part by the blockbuster 2020 miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit,” one of Netflix’s most-viewed shows.

“Everyone was at home and wanted to learn chess. Ironically, COVID helped chess in a big way,” Jayade said.

Some students at UC, too, turned to chess, restarting the university’s chess club that had been dormant for years. Today, nearly two dozen students meet Wednesday evenings at Swift Hall to compete against each other and other colleges.

Daiber said he is the weakest member of UC’s winning team but managed to eke out a draw against a player rated far higher in a match that lasted a grueling five hours.

“I went into the game expecting to get destroyed,” Daiber said. “It was the best game I ever played. And that’s what chess is all about. I didn’t even win and I felt on top of the world.”

Featured image at top: UC's chess team took home the national championship in their division of the Pan-American Collegiate Tournament. Photo/Provided