On Wednesday nights at the Community United Methodist Church, the constant click clack of plastic chess pieces is punctuated by triumphant but restrained declarations of “Check!”  

Nimble fingers maneuver pawns and rooks around the checkered boards with a precision that disguises the fact most of the players haven’t started high school yet.  

These pint-size chess players are members of the Bigfork Knights Chess Club, the first scholastic chess club in the Flathead Valley, founded in August 2025 by James Adkins, a longtime chess coach at elementary schools in Spokane, Washington. When he moved to the Flathead Valley, he was surprised to find himself in something of a chess desert.  

“Chess is not as big in Montana as in the state of Washington, not even close,” said Adkins. “Just for the elementary school chess championships in Washington state, we had over 1,500 kids just for elementary school, and I think for the state of Montana we had 16 kids.” 

A Chess Journal article exploring the game’s footprint in the Treasure State conceded the same point: “Though the overall chess scene is not huge, it is growing. The popularity of the game of chess is on the rise in Montana.” 

There’s only one other chess club in the valley, the Flathead Valley Chess Club, which Adkins said usually draws an older crowd. With his background in youth chess, he wanted to create an opportunity for young players of all abilities and backgrounds.  

The first couple of months were slow for the new club. Just three members showed up for those early meetings in the Ferndale Community Center, but as word spread, the Bigfork Knights rapidly grew, thanks in large part to a connection with the Flathead Homeschool Support Group.  

Now, not even a year after its founding, Adkins says as many as 30 kids show up to each weekly practice. The Community United Methodist Church offered to let the club practice in their building and even bought tables for the chess boards. Adkins said the club is grateful for the support, and for indoor plumbing. Months trekking outside to the Ferndale Community Center outhouse in the dark, cold winter really toughened up the players of an otherwise indoor sport. 

The club has drawn interest from all over the valley. Families commute from Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls to practice their skills against other kids. Adkins said they even had a family from Plains drop in. 

Some kids have never played before, while others are working toward the possibility of a college scholarship. But with coaching and consistent competition, all of the players have improved their skills, and some have seen success at chess tournaments around the state.  

Three Bigfork Knights competed at the Montana Chess Association State Championship in Bozeman in May, where they placed third, sixth and seventh in their divisions. The next week, they travelled to Missoula for the Spring Scholastic Tournament, where they placed second, third and fourth and won the team trophy, which Adkins said was quite the feat for a group of players so new to competitive chess.  

Adkins, who considers chess a sport even if it’s not a physical one, said the game teaches kids valuable skills and life lessons. 

“Probably the biggest thing is focus,” he explained. "In a tournament they have to play four to five games, which could be 45 minutes to an hour per game. So that's four or five hours they sit and focus playing chess. The only time I’ve seen a kid do that is playing video games.” 

Adkins said the learned ability to focus transfers over to their academics, where they’re better equipped to concentrate on their lessons and schoolwork. They also learn strategy and consequences, and about winning and losing. 

“I just love how chess perfectly balances skill and strategy,” said 13-year-old Ronin Hayes. “You need to know your openings and your end games, but you can also look at the position and think of your own plan. You can either go by the tried-and-true methods, or you can invent your own strategy to play.” 

Most of the kids at Bigfork Knights started by playing with their parents or online. Aaron Bauerle, a fifth grader, played with his dad and sister a month before he joined the Bigfork Knights last August as an inaugural member.  

“He’s gotten quite good at it and beats me handily now. Hopefully he doesn’t get too much better or I’m going to be pretty embarrassed,” laughed Aaron’s father, Alex Bauerle. “He enjoys coming in and playing other people, and I would say his confidence has gone up quite a bit when we go to tournaments. He handles it better than I do now.” 

Other parents, sitting at a table in the center of the room, nodded along in agreement. Before finding the Bigfork Knights, they had been their kids’ opponents by default, but now they can barely keep up with the progress they’re making. 

“It really improves their critical thinking,” agreed Dylan Frechette, whose son Jace first experienced organized chess through the Bigfork Knights. “They have to start, in their mind, to think two, three, four moves ahead, and planning, executing, strategizing. He's come a leaps and bounds doing that, they all have." 

They're also making friends with peers who love the game just as much as they do, something none of them had until this year. 

“I just feel like I'm just glad that there's this club,” said Hayes. “I just love this chess club, because there are so many good people that can bring everyone all together in something that we all love.” 

One night, instead of the typical practice spent dueling against other club members, Adkins showed the movie “Searching for Bobby Fischer,” the 1993 film based on the life of prodigy chess player Joshua Waitzkin. As the Bigfork Knights watched 7-year-old Waitzkin intentionally lose a chess match to his father to spare his feelings, they were probably reminded of their own experiences learning to play chess. 

Now, though, they’re able to play against kids their own age, and regardless of ability level, they’re taught the tools to succeed as much as they want in the lifelong game of chess. 

The Bigfork Knights Chess Club meets Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. at the Bigfork Community United Methodist Church. The club, which recently attained its nonprofit status, is also looking for sponsors interested in supporting youth chess. More information can be found on their Facebook page.  

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.