Playing since he was just six years old, sophomore John Blomer’s love and talent for the game of chess has led to his many achievements. Blomer is involved in the new chess team at Benilde-St. Margaret’s. In addition, he is a part of an outside school team, the Twin Cities Chess League. Blomer is excited for this year’s Chess season because he is on the top board, showing his talent for the sport.
Blomer and his group are young compared to their competition. Blomer’s team is made up of 4 high school students and a coach. “For my team, we are a youth group, and pretty young because most of the groups we play are adults,” Blomer said.
There are two playing styles for the game of chess: a slow game and a fast game. The longest game that Blomer has ever played was over 4 hours, taking place at the Golden Gopher at the University of Minnesota. Over his entire chess career, playing in the Grand Master was Blomer’s greatest achievement. Additionally, another accomplishment Blomer is very proud of is his best Blitz game (fast game). “I went to the K8 nationals, and I came 13th in the nation for Blitz,” Blomer said.
Blomer is excited about the BSM chess team that recently got approved and made official this school year. “It’s going to be a competitive team and the goal is to make [participants] better at chess. Anyone can come, teachers, staff, students, including [students] in the junior high. Basically, we’re going to just play chess and get better,” Blomer said.
Blomer loves many aspects of the game, which contribute to his passion for the sport. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s very complicated, and it teaches you how to problem solve,” Blomer said.
When training for chess, Blomer believes that practice and repetition are the key components to becoming a better chess player. He uses an app on his phone and plays in person with real opponents to improve his skills as a whole. “I simply just play a lot of games. I also made a new chess account on my phone. I’ve played 10,652 chess games on my online app called Lee Chess,” Blomer said.
Regarding the game of chess, Blomer advises that players who are newer to the game should take it seriously and treat it like a sport. Not giving up when the game gets challenging is also important as dedication to the game will only help players improve. He also recommends that players get a good coach as well as practicing and training frequently. “Don’t just reject chess, try and accept it at first. Try and learn it because the more time you spend on it, the better,” Blomer said.