Student brings Chess Consortium back to life

Since last spring, IU has been without a chess organization. The lack of faculty support, sufficient finances and student involvement all contributed to the group's fallout. But with a graduate student's efforts, the organization has taken form again.\nGraduate student Ryan Lauer, an accomplished chess player, initiated a petition to the IU Club Sports Federation. Lauer was backed by support from a handful of interested students, and the Chess Consortium was reinstated. \n"I felt there was a need to bring chess back into the University under a formal banner and hopefully entice the myriad informal groups currently found around campus to get involved as well," Lauer said.\nLauer, the creator, was also named president of the Chess Consortium and has since gained the support of over 25 students who are interested in playing chess. Freshman Sam Hobson, vice president of the student group, is hopeful that the consortium will continue to grow and gain even more support from various groups around campus. \n"We encourage anyone to join," Hobson said. "I myself joined to become more involved in campus activities. This club is a good way to meet new people and become affiliated with what IU has to offer."\nThe Chess Consortium is advised by Gary Wiggins, the director of the Chemical Informatics Program. Wiggins said he is proud of the intuitiveness that has been made by the lead officer and founder of the club. \n"He (Lauer) took the sole initiative to create the organization," Wiggins said. \nThe consortium is comprised of many accomplished chess players, as well as students who just want to play for fun. Lauer has played in the United States Chess Federation Games, but the consortium is not exclusive to chess buffs. In fact, students with any or no experience are encouraged to join. \n"Chess is an art that can be fulfilling at any level of play or expertise. Though we do have some very strong players as part of our group, we also like interacting with those who simply enjoy playing and wish to improve their game," Lauer said. \nThe consortium currently meets at 2 p.m. every Saturday in the Indiana Memorial Union. The club discusses issues of leadership within the group, chess and even current events as they gather around to enjoy a game of chess. \n"It is generally easy to spot us with our chess boards, clocks and spry conversations," Lauer said. "We have a great time getting to know one another."\nThe meetings begin with a discussion of chess strategies and critiques of one another's games. This critique allows for constructive criticism that enables the players to feed off of each other and improve their chess strategies. The meetings are then concluded with various informal chess match-ups. \n"The strategy here," Lauer said, "is to improve your game by jumping in and playing often." \nThe IU Chess Consortium has officially become an active club sport, part of Recreational Sports. With this will come formal meetings and matches that will allow for more support from the IU community. Lauer said he wishes to bring more people together through chess and to broaden the interest of the chess community on campus. \n"The Chess Consortium has formed to bring people together and help one another in unlocking the mystery of this ancient game. The experience can be both rewarding and challenging," Lauer said. \nFor more information about the Chess Consortium, please call 855-2371 or visit its Web site at www.recsports.indiana.edu.\n-- Contact staff writer Kourtney Schepman at kschepma@indiana.edu.