Chess is a game that requires calculation, strategy and the ability to visualize several moves in the future. It's also a game with lessons that can be applied beyond the board.

"I love chess because it's a complex game that provides me with creative and strategic thinking that I can use in other parts of my life such as work and sports," said Caleb Fuge, who will be a junior at Elizabethtown Area High School (EAHS) in the fall.

Caleb co-founded the school's chess team this past year, and he currently serves as the club's vice president. He's excited to see the team grow, noting that it only formed halfway through this past year.

The son of Jonathan and Shelly Fuge of Elizabethtown, Caleb said chess has a special place in his heart because it's something he shares with his great-grandfather John Haynes.

"I was taught by my great-grandfather, Pop, with a chess set that I currently have now," he stated, noting that he's been playing chess for 10 years. Over the years, he's enjoyed competing with his great-grandfather and bonding over the board.

When his great-grandfather turned 100 in May, Caleb and his family celebrated with a party at Pop's nursing home in Indiana. "We played chess at his party," Caleb shared of the celebration that was held in April. "I won."

Caleb hopes other students will join the EAHS chess team this coming year, and the team will continue to grow and compete. He invites any interested students to sign up, but he cautions that chess takes patience to master.

"The thing that I find challenging about the game of chess is the amount of time it takes to get good," he remarked. "A big part of the game is the time that you take succeeding, failing, losing and studying, and that's why most people quit. The realization is that chess takes a lot of trial and error and playing lots of games and studying."