Calling all pawns, rooks, and bishops: Chess Club needs new pieces on the board. On Tuesday, September 10, Fossil Ridge chess club had its first lunch meeting of the 2019 school year. Recovering from a tremendous blow to their numbers after the class of 2019 graduated, the chess club needs new recruits and experienced chess players alike to fill their ranks.

Sponsored by Caroline Fries and running for six years, the chess club has proven itself to be a tradition at Fossil, a tradition which has been strengthened by the highly skilled chessmaster Zack Bekkedahl, who currently teaches lessons to the club and oversees it. Zach Bekkedahl is a professional chess player and founder of Chessmates, a Fort Collins based company which teaches school sponsored chess clubs. He is more than happy to give lessons and provide advice while you play the game.

If chess club members garner enough skill, they may even earn the opportunity to compete in the Denver Scholastic Chess Series, a yearly tournament held on February 1 which pits the very best against each other. Once students become an official member of the club and attend 75 percent of meetings, they will letter.