“If you are up to the challenge and want to stretch your intellectual mind/ Join us for chess and have a good time/ we’ve got lots of boards and seats to be filled/ and if you would join us, we’ll all be thrilled.” – Enumclaw Chess Club member
The next move could be life or death for the queen, chess is no joke.
Every Friday from 2:30 p.m. through 6 p.m., on Cole St., next to “The Local Coffee House,” the founder of Enumclaw Chess Club, Lucas Sauve, meets outside with other chess players for an evening of fun. Alongside John Faucet and Dan Shannon, Sauve started the Enumclaw Chess Club about three months ago.
Sauve said the chess club has roughly 10 to 15 attendees every Friday. The game is open to all experience levels, and Sauve said many players don’t mind teaching.
Right now, the club only plays for fun, but Sauve said since they’ve seen the club’s success, they would like to become members of the United States Chess Federation. Once the Enumclaw Chess Club is part of the USCF, Sauve said they can start competing in chess tournaments.
Once they become part of the USCF, Sauve said becoming an Enumclaw Chess Club member will be a more official process, but the club will remain free. Although they are not a nonprofit yet, Sauve said that is something they could be open to, but right now, they’re just working on keeping the club running, advertising, and looking for a place to play in the winter.
“I would like to have a membership process, but at this point, we’re just making sure things are moving along, things are in line and we’re organized,” Sauve said. Eventually, he said they also want to try making Enumclaw Chess Club merchandise, such as T-shirts.
Sauve started playing chess about three years ago. When he’s not playing chess, the 22 year old is working by selling clothes and pressure washing.
His chess career started by happenstance and curiosity.
“I saw a couple of old guys playing chess at the coffee shop,” Sauve said. From there, he said those gentlemen taught him how to play chess. Sauve said he has met many nice people through this club and even made a few friends. He said there are a variety of people who attend, young, old, and people with all kinds of backgrounds.
Sauve said some players come from out of town, and some players have out-of-state backgrounds. One person, he said, is originally from Florida, and another person is originally from Cuba. In parts of Florida and in Cuba, playing chess in the street how their club does is a common sight, and Sauve said that is something he would like to do someday.
