Checkmate with the Gambit: Sharing the Spirit of Chess

At Hwa Chong, Sabbatical Week gives students opportunities not only to explore new interests, but also to take the lead in sharing their passions with others. Through student-led programmes, students learn to plan, teach, adapt and work as a team while creating meaningful experiences for their peers. In this reflection, Yih Jieh shares how he and his fellow International Chess Club members, Liew Tze Hsien (4i1), Yeap Jun Wei Ethan (3O3) and Joash Chan Jing Fong (3O3), organised the Checkmate with the Gambit sabbatical to introduce more students to the world of international chess. 

Written by: Lee Yih Jieh (3A3, 2026)

From 18 to 22 June, my friends and I organised the sabbatical Checkmate with the Gambit. As members of the International Chess Club, Tze Hsien, Ethan, Joash and I organised this activity to promote international chess among High School students, and to strengthen their ability to think critically, calculate, and solve complex problems.

Throughout the sabbatical, we worked hard to prepare materials and activities for the students, such as creating slides to train them in various aspects of chess and planning tournaments for them to take part in. We saw students go from having little to no interest in chess to becoming active participants throughout the programme, with some even becoming inspired to improve their chess skills. We also saw students who already had a foundation in chess strengthen their abilities further.

However, there were also occasions when students lost interest, especially during parts of the programme that were less engaging. During these moments, we tried to encourage them and held small competitions to make the sessions more lively and interactive.

Throughout the activity, we learnt how to communicate with students so that the sessions could run more smoothly. We also learnt the importance of communication and teamwork among ourselves, as this helped us minimise mistakes and ensure that the sabbatical was as meaningful and enjoyable as possible. Organising this programme also made us more aware of how to lead and guide others.

Overall, we were delighted to organise this activity and glad that it ran smoothly. As members of the International Chess Club, we hope to pass down the spirit of this sabbatical to our juniors, so that they too can grow and learn from organising such a programme in the future.