The following article is an interview conducted by Tyler Slavin, the 3rd board for the Viking Chess Team in conversation with co-founder and president Daksh Bafna (2026):
Tyler: Daksh, what’s your position in the SB Chess Club?
Daksh: I’m the current president and co-founder of the SBHS Chess Club
Tyler: Can you explain what the responsibilities of a board member are, in particular the duties of the president?
Daksh: Board members are responsible for making sure the club runs smoothly. In our system, we’ve divided the board into key areas, including media, curriculum, events, outreach, and general officer roles. That means our responsibilities include planning meetings, staying in touch with officers, running club activities, and making sure Chess Club continues to be a welcoming environment where anyone can come in, meet new people, and play chess.
Tyler: How long has Chess been a club at SBHS?
Daksh: I think our Chess Club might actually be one of the youngest official clubs in the building. We co-founded it in 2023, so this is now our third year running. The process of founding the club was challenging too, because it really started back in 2022. At the time, I was a freshman, and there was a group of juniors who had the idea to create the club and wanted to make it happen. Around October or November, they were spreading awareness and putting out interest forms, and I reached out to our original founder, Om Janamanchi, to ask if I could help in any way. That’s really how I got involved. There were about six of us working on it every week, making plans, budgets, and proposals. We even went to district-wide board meetings to speak with Mr. Feder, Mr. Varela, and the Board of Education. We also started a club at Brunswick Acres Elementary School to prove that we could successfully run a program, and that ended up going really well. Eventually, at the next district board meeting, we got approval to officially start the club the following year.
Tyler: How many members are in the Chess Club, and what initiatives is the board working on to further grow the club?
Daksh: We have around 100 members annually, which we’re really proud of. What makes that especially meaningful is that our members genuinely come to play chess and be part of the community. We’ve seen steady growth over the years, but we definitely want to keep expanding. One thing we noticed is that some people saw Chess Club as a place only for really strong players, so we’ve been working hard to make it clear that beginners are absolutely welcome. Along with posters and VTN ads, one thing we started doing is creating and printing beginner booklets and keeping them in the library, where there are also multiple chess sets. These are simple “Intro to Chess” guides that teach the basics and hopefully encourage new people to get started and eventually come to the club.
Tyler: What happens during Chess Club? What can people learn and look forward to?
Daksh: A typical Chess Club meeting usually includes some kind of lesson or activity, whether that’s learning about openings, endgames, puzzles, or fun chess variants. After that, we usually let everyone play socially. We like to keep things relaxed and give people options, whether that means joining a station with an officer, playing on our jumbo life-sized chess set, or just playing games with friends. People can also look forward to our bigger events. We have two main ones each year: our winter tournament, which is a more competitive event, and our district-wide Chessathon, which is our biggest event of the year. Chessathon includes all kinds of activities like tournaments, escape rooms, and group challenges, and in past years we’ve even had special guests, including grandmasters, the president of the New Jersey State Chess Federation, and even our superintendent. It’s always a great time, and this year it’s happening on April 25th.
Tyler: Tell us about the team. There have been lots of flyers about the team winning on Instagram and in the Friday newsletters.
Daksh: The team has been doing great. We’re the Viking Chess Team, and we compete against other schools in our state league, the Shore High School Chess League. We have 15 players who make the team through multiple rounds of tryouts. This year, we had an undefeated season with a 7-0-1 record, finished third in the league, and even won one of the tournaments. It’s been amazing to see how much progress we’ve made in just a few years. We’ve already been able to compete with and beat schools in New Jersey that have had established chess programs for decades.
Tyler: And aside from what has been done here at SBHS, there’s a community program that has been going on right?
Daksh: Yeah, like I mentioned before, we also run a program at Brunswick Acres Elementary School, where we go every spring to coach younger students. This is now the fourth year of the program, and it’s been amazing. The kids look forward to it every year, and we enjoy it just as much. It’s a great way to mix chess with fun activities, teach students from the very beginning, and watch them learn and play with their friends.
Tyler: And tell us about how that program benefits the elementary school students and our student volunteers
Daksh: At that age, the students are developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and chess is a great way to help them become stronger thinkers. We’ve even had parents and teachers tell us how positive the program has been for their kids and how much it has helped with focus. For our student volunteers, it’s also really rewarding because the volunteers come from the club as a whole, not just from the board. It’s a great way to get more members involved and give them the chance to teach, lead, and connect with the community.
Tyler: Thanks for your time Daksh.
Daksh: Thank you as well for having me. You’re a great player on the Viking Chess Team, so I’m excited to see how the team performs next year.
Check out this game analysis I published to Viking Vibe last month, and come to Chess Club on Wednesdays if you’re interested in chess!
Inside the Mind of An SBHS Chess Star – The Viking Vibe
