Hays High’s Chess Club officially kicked off its season with its annual Hays Halloween Chess Tournament on Oct. 28.

Players were encouraged to dress in tasteful costumes during the tournament.

The tournament had six rounds, with Hays High placing fourth overall out of the teams. Players from Hays High included freshmen Kamden McBride and Ethan Pierce. McBride went 4-2 and placed fifth in the K-12 section, while Pierce did not place.

Chess Club then went on to compete at the Hutchinson K-12 tournament held at St. Theresa Parish Center on Nov. 11, where the team placed fifth overall. McBride went 4-2, taking fourth place, while sophomore Allison Goertzen earned 1.5 points, placing 18th in her first tournament.

“This year has been a little difficult for the Chess Club since we lost some seniors, but we have got a lot of new players starting out, and they are improving quickly,” McBride said “My favorite moment of the season so far was winning a match against a TMP player named Eli at the Hays tournament, as he normally wins when we compete.”

The club has many more events coming up, including the Kansas Scholastic Chess Association online tournament on Dec. 16, the Kansas Grade Level Championships on Jan. 13 and the TMP Invitational on Jan. 27.

For students to compete at state, which is held in March, they must compete in at least two tournaments.