Check, check, check, and check-mate! Over the March 1st weekend, Jesuit’s varsity chess team took the state championship for the fourth year in a row. Over three days of lengthy games, Jesuit faced “a competitive field” of players from all over the state of Oregon, says team leader Roshen Nair.
“Our team felt pretty strong going into the tournament…however, we also knew that other schools…had improved their teams tremendously since last year”, he said, making for a tense tournament and dangerously close margins on closing games.
According to Nair, the two most pivotal matches were against Westview and Lincoln High-school, both of whom hold distinguished chess ratings in the 1200-1400 range (Chess Ratings NorthWest). However, by the end of the tournament, Jesuit pulled ahead of both Lincoln and Westview in overall points, safely securing their fourth consecutive state championship.
This year is a unique turning-point for Jesuit Chess, as both their club-leader and founder, Roshen Nair, and coach, Mr. Kato, are departing from Jesuit. Despite these significant losses and some necessary restructuring, Jesuit’s trajectory continues to look brighter and brighter.
“I’m incredibly proud to say that Jesuit has become a favorite high school in the chess world,” Nair said.
It’s no mystery why. Since 2020 when the club was founded, the team’s rating has skyrocketed by over 400 points, from unranked to 1476.4 points all the way to an outstanding 1912.6 as of 2024, making them the highest ranked team in the state and a stand-out in high-school chess as a whole. Reflecting on his record-setting time playing Jesuit Chess, Nair thinks hopefully of the future of the team.
“Despite having to face increasingly challenging competition, our chess team was able to pull off such a huge victory thanks to the dedication and commitment of each of our team members,” he said.
2025 will represent a massive shift for Jesuit Chess as the team enters its fifth year with a restructured team, and even tougher competition at the tournament level.
Though he’ll be off at university, Nair “eagerly anticipate[s] witnessing Jesuit’s continued growth and success in the years ahead.”
For more information on Jesuit chess, email Roshen Nair at [email protected], and keep an eye out for more record-setting accomplishments in the coming year.
