The Bob Jones High School Chess Club is a student service organization. Members of the club gain service hours by promoting the chess community. The Chess Club is affiliated with the Madison City Chess League in helping kids to learn how to play chess and develop their skills. Chess Club members decided to host the first annual All Girls Alabama State Chess Championship at Bob Jones on April 28.

Female participation in competition chess nationwide is far less than male participation. According to the United States Chess Federation, only 12% of chess players nationwide are female. Responses to a survey suggest that only 3 out of 24 girls have a good understanding of the rules of chess, which is just over 12%.  Furthermore, the survey showed that only 14 out of 41 people surveyed know a girl that plays or is interested in playing chess.

The city of Madison has made big strides to promote girl chess players with Girls Chess Nights and top female awards in chess tournaments. “Events such as Girls Chess Nights have allowed girl chess players to meet and play each other. When girls are given the opportunity to play chess with other girls, they become more confident in their own playing,” said Grace Billman, female secretary of the Chess Club.

The All Girls Alabama State Chess Championship will continue to promote girls chess because “many girls first getting into chess feel intimidated by the concept of competing at a large tournament, but this tournament will create a more comfortable environment for girls who may be new to chess,” said Michael Guthrie, president of the Chess Club.

Grace Billman said, “The gender difference between boys and girls in chess can be disheartening, as it can lead to girls believing that they are not as capable of being good chess players. Many girls might carry these sentiments beyond chess into their academic lives. When girls are able to play other girls they will see that girls are just as capable of playing as boys are.”

An all-girls state chess tournament will motivate girls to play chess, “encouraging girls to work for an attainable goal,” commented Will Bao, member of the Chess Club. In addition to being named the Alabama K-12 female champion, the winner of the K-12 section will be selected as Alabama’s representative to the National Girls Tournament of Champions (NGTOC).

Any girl in grades K-12 is encouraged to play in the tournament. If you are interested or know someone that is interested in playing, you can go to madisonchess.com to find tournament and registration info.