Today, glance inside Burlingame’s library or classrooms and you will undoubtedly see students playing the game of chess with their friends or practicing on their own. Chess has officially become the Panther game of choice.

The school library has quickly become a hub for chess matches, attracting a variety of players during lunchtime and after school. The vast amount of chess boards makes it easy for students to delve into the mindset of playing chess, where they improve along with their friends.

“[I see people playing chess] basically every time I go into the library,” junior Isaac Van Voorhis said.

But it hasn’t always been that way. According to Van Voorhis, the president of the chess club, the number of students playing has exploded in the past couple of months — a trend he attributes to social media.

“Youtubers and streamers of chess, who are more engaged in making the audience amused as opposed to…just purely reviewing chess games [increased the game’s popularity],” Van Voorhis said.

This increase is also due to new online resources and websites, such as chess.com, which make the game accessible to everyone. Nowadays, people do not need a chess board to play chess; they only need to have a phone and internet connection. The fact that chess is also not very complicated makes it easier for people to pick up, albeit at a beginner level.

“Chess is a very simple game by nature, so even if the websites keep updating, it’s not going to be impacted by that quite the way that many current games might,” Van Voorhis said.

Dylan Kall, a junior and avid player of the game, likes to play chess because it helps him problem-solve and stimulates his mind.

“What I love about chess is how easily I can capitalize on someone’s bad move. It’s you, it’s the opponent, and nobody else,” Kall said. “You are literally judged on your performance and your performance only.”

However, chess has also raised a problem in classroom environments, with some teachers noting that students play the game instead of concentrating on their work. Elizabeth Bellas, who teaches Advanced Placement United States History as well as Economics and Government, is especially concerned about students distracting themselves during class with their computers. To minimize this issue, Bellas has started handing out physical worksheets instead of letting students work on their computers. Not only does this keep students on task, it also encourages them to engage with each other about the curriculum.

“When students have their computers open, they’re way less likely to talk,” Bellas said.

Despite chess being an individual game, Bellas highlights that she often finds her students playing with each other, which she believes is more manageable than students delving into the internet on their own.

“It’s not an easy and mindless game that they are playing or they’re mindlessly scrolling on their phones,” Bellas said. “It’s intellectually challenging and I think that’s interesting.”

Nevertheless, Bellas still believes that chess is a distraction that has to be minimized. It’s practically impossible to pay attention to a lecture while playing chess — and that directly impacts a student’s performance in the classroom.

“Having your brain in two different places does actually do damage to your ability to take part in class, especially when every second you’re doing your work and trying to get back to the other thing,” Bellas said.

Van Voorhis, however, thinks that playing chess in class is no different than concentrating on other distractions. In the end, he does not believe that there is a viable solution to the problem.

“They’re going to find a way, if they really don’t want to pay attention in class, to do something,” Van Voorhis said.

At the moment, chess seems to be retaining its popularity, with more students joining the community and feeling excited to play the game. Kall suspects this might change in the future and wants everyone to enjoy the craze while it lasts.

“Chess is as popular as it’ll ever be at Burlingame High School,” Kall said. “It’ll never get more popular. It’s a trend at the end of the day.”