Yeshiva Chess Aficionados Organize Team for Intercollegiate Competitions

In one of the latest manifestations of Yeshiva University's rise to the elite tier of universities, students have organized a chess team at Yeshiva College. Founded by Josh Rosman (YC, '01), and led by Rosman and Yakov Fleischmann (YC, '01), the chess team was launched on Tuesday, November 17 with an inaugural meeting.

The chess team is a subdivision of the chess club. The club is open to all YC students. It will serve as the starting point for all prospective chess team members.

Although the team will not participate in the current intercollegiate chess league, as matches are only played on Saturdays, there are plans to play competitively against chess team members of other schools. Currently, matches are scheduled against various universities in the New York area, including Columbia University, Stern College for Women, and Queens College. The intent is to arrange as many matches as possible. The ultimate goal of YC chess pioneers is to organize an intercollegiate chess league, which would only host matches on Sunday afternoons. Furthermore, this league would be distinguished from its counterparts since matches in the Sunday league would be played in an over-the-table format, as opposed to the current chess league which plays over the Internet.

The YC Chess Team already holds membership status in the United States Chess Federation, the largest and most popular chess organization in the country. This enables it to conduct official tournaments, and allows the team to be included within the nationally recognized ranking system set by the Federation. In preparation for competition, the team has acquired state of the art equipment, including a special computer program, which will be used to hone team members' skills.

Although forming a brand new team is a daunting task, Rosman has some experience in the field. While at the Yeshiva University's high school for boys, MTA, he was involved in the organization of its chess team. As a senior on the team Rosman boasted an impressive 27-11 record, remaining undefeated in his individual matches that year. Rosman, who serves as co-captain of the team, declared that it had been one of his dreams to start a chess team in Yeshiva College ever since he was in 8th grade, when he learned how to play the game. While discussing his new venture, Rosman exclaimed, "I am ecstatic that my dream is now coming to fruition."

Joining Rosman at the co-captain position is Fleischmann, a seasoned chess maven. His experience includes service as the captain of Torah Academy of Bergen County's chess team for two years where he led them to the Yeshiva High School Chess Finals. "Chess circumvents the barriers of communication commonly faced by people from different countries," he explained. "I hope that, in addition to winning, members of the team will form long-lasting friendships, as common ground between them will be found."

For further information on the chess team, Josh suggests that you send an email expressing your interest to: josh89@aol.com.