Shippensburg University’s chess club recently returned from competing in Budapest, Hungary over winter break.

Four students, Anthony Ciarlante of Shippensburg, Lula Eichenlaub of Neelyton, Jacob Painter of Three Springs and Nick McGarrell of Carlisle, along with alumnus Clay Henninger of Shippensburg competed in the Perenyi Memorial Open tournament from Jan. 6-15.

Associate professor Dave Kennedy, the club’s adviser, said the Hungarian players were very strong. “If we got a draw, we considered it a win. If we won, it was a celebration.”

The team members spent most of the tournament near the bottom of the scoreboard.

The tournament played one game a day, so the club spent the majority of the trip sightseeing.

“Hungary was really amazing. It exceeded all expectations,” Kennedy said.

The group visited Buda Castle, the Budapest Zoo, St. Stephen’s Basilica, the famous “lover’s locks” Chain Bridge, and the Szechenyi Bath hot springs.

“Thought about touring parliament, but the guards looked ominous,” Eichenlaub said. “A testament to how important chess is in Hungary, at the hot springs people were bringing chessboards into the water to play on floating platforms,” she said.

The group also visited “The World’s Fanciest McDonald’s.” It is housed in the Western Railway Station, which was built in 1877 by the same company that built the Eiffel Tower.

On Sunday, Jan. 10, the group took a three-hour train ride to Vienna, Austria.

“You couldn’t believe,” Kennedy said, “It was one beautiful building, then another beautiful building and then another. We just walk through the center of it.”

Kennedy believes SU’s chess club was discovered by the Perenyi tournament’s organizers through the club’s website. It won the Pennsylvania State Collegiate Chess Championship in 2012 and has competed in many tournaments from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C. It will also be competing in this year’s state tournament in Lancaster in March.

“I’m looking forward to this year’s tournament,” Kennedy said, “We have a good team this year.”

Kennedy returned to chess 15 years ago after playing it as a child. He became the club’s adviser after he accidently walked past the room the chess club was meeting in and stopped to talk to the students.

Ciarlante and Henninger were taught to play by Ciarlante’s father at the ages of 11 and 12. Ciarlante won his first tournament at 13. He would also play with SU’s chess club in high school before joining the university.

Painter remembers his grandfather teaching him how to play at 5 years old. “It was his favorite board game. We played every time we visited,” he said.

Eichenlaub cannot remember a time where chess was not a part of her life.

“I’ve been playing chess as long as I can remember,” she said. “When I was little I was really interested in chess. But my father didn’t know how to play, so he bought a ‘Chess for Dummies’ book and taught himself how to play. I still won.”

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