News

On Dec. 10, just before Christmas break, St. Louis U. High junior Thomas Pitlyk won a chess game against the under-18 highest-rated player in Missouri, Alex Zhang. As SLUH's top chess team played the highly skilled Rams at Ladue High School, Thomas triumphed over Zhang, who is also ranked in the top 20 in the United States.

“On the way home people were talking about it. (We were) very happy because it was a very rare thing,” said Chess Team moderator and Latin teacher Rich Esswein. “I know Tommy has an appreciation for how special that victory was. And I think the other players do, too. It was something we were definitely congratulating Tommy on.”

The SLUH Chess Team originated during the 1960s as the Gateway Chess League also began their operations. Around ten years ago, Esswein began to moderate the Jr. Bills through their peaks and valleys. Gateway Chess League, the organization that the team plays through, hosts weekly matches that SLUH plays in. SLUH’s two teams divide during matches; one home, one away.

Though the club has a competitive season it is not solely dedicated to competitive play. If anyone walks into 221C after school they can see a variety of people: kids locked in moving their pawns quickly, students talking to their friend as the pieces gain dust, and other kids playing Clash Royale while castling. 

“Some guys just like to play chess, but maybe they don't work that hard at it or just like being with the group, and that's fine, too. We're happy with (it being) also just a fun, social outlet for a lot of the guys, and that's an important purpose of the club as well,” said Esswein. “But we do also want to foster serious play and improvement.”

Pitlyk started his chess journey all the way back during first grade. In first grade he played a bit, but once he was in sixth grade his skill began to rise. This came as a result of the age-old philosophy of “practice makes perfect.” 

“I was aware of him and his talent for the last five years. He was the chess champion for the CYC (Catholic Youth Council) League. So I knew coming in he was a strong player. And, you know, even last year, in the last couple years as a freshman and a sophomore, he was our number two,” said Esswein. “So it gives you an idea of the caliber of a player. For a guy to come in as a freshman and be the board two already doesn't happen very often. So he came in as a very strong player.”

On Dec. 10, Pitlyk and the rest of the team loaded into a shuttle as usual and headed to Ladue for their match against the Rams. Though in past years Ladue has been a powerhouse that dominates competitions, so much so that their teams were to face themselves in the championships: team A and team B.

As Pitlyk began his match with Zhang they started with an English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense and Pitlyk played white. During the early game Zhang had a fatal mistake in his game when he moved his knight to an awkward position on the outside area of the board. When Pitlyk caught this he captured Zhang’s other knight, gaining a piece advantage. Though the opponent had the chance to take Pitlyk’s queen, he blundered and took his pawn instead, which eventually led to his resignation. The resignation followed Pitlyk’s capture of both Zhang’s rooks.

“After all of this, he resigned here because he's losing this rook now, and you can't avoid it,” said Pitlyk. “I would say five moves before I realized, ‘Oh shoot, I'm gonna win this rook,’ and I kind of started playing a bit faster because I had seen all of it. I am still processing; an unreal feeling.”