Globe and Mail Feature on the Hart House Chess Club

The following page was written by Cecil Rosner, one of the only chess columnists currently still writing articles as of 2023. Rosner’s pieces are published weekly on The Globe and Mail here.

I was featured by Rosner in a piece titled “Canada’s biggest college chess club still going strong after 127 years “ on Janruary 8, 2023. I did the interview with Bowen Zhang, at that time the Fundraising Director for the Hart House Chess Club. My role was the Director of Communications.

The article content can be found below. Many thanks to Cecil for reaching out!

When he moved from Vancouver to Toronto last year to attend university, Victor Zheng immediately joined the venerable Hart House Chess Club.

“I found a community there,” the computer science student said. Now in its 127th year, Hart House on the University of Toronto campus is Canada’s biggest college club.

Zheng is part of a club executive that organizes weekly casual meetings each Friday that draw up to 150 players. The events are free for students and anyone else in the community who wants to attend.

Over the years, some of the Hart House alumni have played in the upper echelons of Canadian chess. They include international masters Frank Anderson, Zvonko Vranesic, Bruce Amos, Byron Nickoloff and many others.

Grad student Bowen Zhang, who also serves on the club executive, said he is hoping to tap into the many alumni for future special events and demonstrations. The club holds major tournaments in December and during reading week in February.

Both students say the club is as diverse as the university and the city itself, with players from every background.