By Lori Bredemeyer, Staff Writer

The president of ACU’s Chess Club recently traveled to Denton to compete against the University of North Texas’ chess club, winning the tournament.

Chase Watters, freshman biology major from Clovis, N.M., said other members of the club were busy that weekend, March 28-29. So Waters drove to Denton by himself and competed against the 13 members of UNT’s chess club, and he said he was surprised to win.

“When I look at someone I kind of judge them on how good a chess player they’re going to be,” Watters said, “and I looked at them, and I thought, ‘Wow, these guys are going to rip me to pieces.’ But I was spared.”

When Watters came to ACU last fall, he realized that the chess team was inactive and decided to start it up again. He said the club already has some good players.

“If we could’ve taken some more people to that UNT tournament, I truly believe that we could’ve swept the tournament,” he said. “There’s a conglomeration of good players in our club.”

Team member Wesley Anderson, freshman history major from Corpus Christi, said he is not surprised Watters won the tournament.

“I enjoy playing chess, but Chase is almost an overload; he’s very enthusiastic,” Anderson said. “He plays every chance he gets and is one of the stronger players. He deserved to win.”

The Chess Club will be competing in a tournament this weekend at the First United Methodist Church sponsored by the Abilene Chess Club. Watters and Anderson are planning to compete in the tournament. Watters said the competition will be stiffer because it is open only to members of the United States Chess Federation, an organization that oversees chess tournaments and ranks players.

The club will also be putting on tournament at the university April 26. The chess club will compete against the faculty in the Campus Center Living Room. Ten students 10 faculty members will be participating in the event.