Ethnography: CCNY Chess Club
Achraf Tchatikpi
ENG 21002
Prof. Plochocki
City College of New York
12/13/18

“Chess is everything—art, science, and sport.” Anatoly Karpov, former chess world champion (Fine, 2015).
On numerous demographic measurements, chess holds up well. Visiting the CCNY Chess event, I have found a remarkable number of African Americans, South Asians, East Asians, Hispanics, and eastern European students all enjoying themselves in a common passion. Very often, such vast variety is uncommon in recreational or voluntary exercises.
There is a difference though between the individuals who are proficient about the essential guidelines and the individuals who have a commitment to the game: the individuals who play chess and the individuals who take part in the chess world. Here the numbers decrease. In 2010 the United States Chess Federation (USCF) had an enrollment of roughly eighty thousand- most of whom are dormant and numerous others play chess outside the support of the association (especially in scholastic chess, where some state and city associations run their very own competitions). The CCNY chess club participates in tournaments held in Washington and sometimes Pennsylvania.
The USCF claims that there are roughly ninety thousand dynamic competition players. In the last fifteen years, there has been considerable development in the quantity of youthful (scholastic) chess players.
The Department of Student Life in City College offers club space and support to more than 200 clubs. These associations covers broad ranges of interests including academic clubs, social clubs, religious clubs, and social clubs.
Hypothetically, this is an investigation that applies a mix of various social development, subcultural, and small groups theories and ideas to research and clarifies specific parts of those singularities—and furthermore, to also show the helpfulness of such research.
The information for this work gets from two particular research ventures. The first is a three-day interview conducted with the members of the CCNY chess club and the second is an inductive ethnographic study of subcultures on three principal topics: arrangement and improvement, commercialization, and creative group work.
Subcultures are reliably in some way non-conforming. They are social within their shared traditions, ethics, rituals, etc. yet they can likewise appear ‘engrossed’ or self-centered (Gelder, 2007).
Gelder goes on to state that subcultures are identified by six essential manners by which they have for the most part been understood:
• Their regularly negative connection to work (as ‘inert,’ ‘parasitical,’ decadent, criminal, and so forth.)
• Their negative or ambivalent connection to class
• Their relationship with the territory (the ‘road,’ the ‘hood,’ the club, and so on.) rather than property
• Their development away from home into non- domestic types of belonging
• Their connections to overabundance and embellishment (instead of restriction and balance)
• Their refusal of the platitudes of everyday life and specifically, of “main-stream.”
An analytical and theoretical look at small groups working in particular settings—scenes, offers a chance to interface smaller-scale elements to full-scale factors, at last helping us seeing how social order is made (Fine, 2015). The idea of scene is especially vital for this presentation because it is significant to the investigation of subcultures, little gatherings, and social developments. At the starting points of subcultures is a group of on-screen characters working at a specific area—scene—that through nonstop communication shape “another subcultural arrangement” (Corte, 2012). It is also through smaller groups working in particular scene that creates legends like Maurice Ashley. He was the first African American Chess president at CCNY and then moved on to become the first AA grandmaster, inducted on the U.S National Chess Hall of Fame.
On the first day of the interview, I conducted it in their regular office that sits about eight people. On the second day, it was a Tuesday-training day- we met in a bigger room to account for the number of students. On day three, we met at the Hoffman game room for chess meetings and refreshments. The room felt comfortable, and it was big enough to host a few more indoor games.
Chess is presently treated as an action that gives social capital. My lengthy interaction and observation of the CCNY chess club revealed that some but not all of these characteristics are correct. Keysang, the president of the CCNY chess club proudly remarked that:
“ This club is almost like a huge family; it’s all about bringing different people together from different interest and different majors and races… Honestly, anyone would feel at home and chess is a way to bring people together. And chess classes are expensive, and in here they get free lessons from an instructor”(Tchatikpi A., personal interview, November 2018).
In a school setting- as in any other institutional environment, individuals struggle to fit in and feel accepted. As a human need outlined by Maslow, the need for love and belonging plays a significant role in personal motivation. The setting of the room the club gathers in for the playoffs has a relaxed, welcoming aura such that even the spectators are comfortable to watch a few games. The feeling of camaraderie is promoted within the group, and once you join the club, the difficulty level of leaving is at the expert level. The assistant program director majoring in psychology and anthropology was asked what his take was on the CCNY chess club and he responded:
“Yeah… so anybody should try it a least for a little bit, but I guarantee you most people stay” (Tchatikpi A., personal interview with D. Rodriguez, November 2018).
In such cases, we can see a move toward reconciling the alleged limits of subculture as a countercultural concept. Instead of seeing subculture as magical solutions and thus inevitably impotent, more recent research has considered the agency of social actors to overcome social divisions such as race, gender, and class. On the dance floor, in particular, youth culture was theorized as breaking free of its class‐binding shackles. The attempted development of “post‐subculture” studies around the Millennium focused on harmful behaviors among certain groups of youths and concluded that consumption rather than opposition had become a hallmark of youth (Patrick Williams, 2014).
The shift in understanding subcultural groups as rooted in ascribed characteristics—being naturally different due to class, ethnicity, age, or to the location to one in which subcultures are intentional articulations created by people, highlights the agency of individuals and groups to develop culture. The break with realist/objectivist notions of culture offers promising opportunities for understanding resistance and opposition more generally (Patrick Williams, 2014).
Playing the game is said to increase a child’s intellectual development.
“It teaches the student to plan ahead, and give them good strategic skills. Chess is also a good way to learn how to resolve complex problems with calm and resolve” (Tchatikpi A., personal interview with D. Rodriguez, November 2018).
Vice president of the CCNY and a political science student said in part:
“Chess breeds strategy and tactics and those are great components for political science” (Tchatikpi A., personal interview with J. Rickett, November 2018).
Some portion of the magnificence of chess is its accomplished quality. It was incredible to watch the ability of individuals to concentrate on a game so keenly that the boundaries of time, outside environment, and self-awareness dissolve. These autotelic experiences are the point at which we are most creative, productive, and accomplished in our work, recreation, and personal lives.
Youth subcultures provide a stable, constructive group of friends to interact with. Jose Rickett recalls:
“I love playing chess, and this has been my passion since very little. I love the diversity, the community and I have made many friends in here” (Tchatikpi A., personal interview, November 2018).
In as much as the CCNY chess club members enjoy themselves when playing, they are also mentored for free every Tuesday evening from three to four o’clock. This mentorship provides the members an opportunity to interact with teachers and individuals outside their age bracket. The tournaments and chess events that the club holds offers them a chance also to form broader networks that extend outside the socio-cultural and economic constructs. The competitions foster a healthy attitude of contending.
Creative subcultures allow like-minded people to come together towards a constructive end goal. This sort of recreational gathering is considered safe for the youth and redirects their attention from the destructive and time-wasting habits of youth.
“ I have realized that people in the inner city are more into Chess than people usually realize. I actually learned to play chess from the hood… yeah, it’s crazy but that is true. I mean this is just something that people don’t expect” (Tchatikpi A., personal interview with Keysang, November 2018).
In my opinion, the existence of subculture is not necessarily negative. Regarding the CCNY chess club, their robust contribution to the institution is positive, and therefore this subculture is enhancing.
However, the members of the chess club may exclude themselves from other students or other school activities seeing as they spend most of their time either doing assignments or playing chess. A student wholly dedicated to a scholastic orientation, or in this way, is mostly worried about external standards and requirements and may have little chance or the tendency for reflection or intellectual orientation (Warren, 1986).
Warren further states that real intellectualism, would not allow autonomy of group standards, rejection of custom and convention, or association in off-campus gatherings to the exclusion of on-campus meetings. However would require some adherence to standards, clearly intellectual ones. On the other hand, independent students would not have firm inclinations in tendencies and would dismiss involvement in thoughts as in different campus exercises.
The club also faces some financial challenges that curb their proliferation. Keysang noted:
“Currently we receive 500$ a year, and this is very little, and we can only do limited things with that much. When I was president of the Chess club in BMCC, we were receiving 8000$, and that helped expand the program. And as for vision, I wish we get more members, and I also hope that we can get private funding and ultimately be able to do more events”(Tchatikpi A., personal interview, November 2018).
Subcultures are delicate to endeavors by the overwhelming or institutional culture to destroy their subsystem.
Institutional leaders’ objective ought to be to encourage a mutual responsibility for supporting a typical arrangement of standards, qualities, and convictions. The College administration should open a dialogue not only with the chess club but also with other student organizations to understand their needs and how they can aid their cause.

     A study five years ago, on young people and pop music culture, was conducted that found that youngsters are presently using the Internet as an approach to source music, using a plethora of sites such as iTunes and YouTube. The prevalence of picking music along these lines is positively a change in frame of mind from purchasing CDs from music shops. In this same way, The Internet has multiple gaming platforms that people virtually meet and challenge one another.
The evolution of technology significantly impacted the world of chess players. Now it is not necessary to meet opponents to challenge them. Online sites such as Lichess and ChessCube have made it possible for players from around the world to converge and interact virtually hence proliferating the gamers subculture.

  Working with just a small group of students from one institution has a few confinements as my research can only address from that subculture. I don’t want to make broad claims through such a little report, anyway I do see esteem in understanding the inward operations of one specific network and how chess influences their practices in the school environment.
Most research on subcultures; small group studies, for the most part, deemphasize the specific situations of activity. Frequently such examinations will reject the setting from investigation through and through by utilizing exploratory systems which by definition go for lessening logical impacts viably to zero (Corte, 2012).
A similar future study may look at a similar phenomenon from another point of view by exploring different questions for instance, how do members find out about the “chess club” etc.

     There are various manners by which this exploration could be extended. The paper contended that by including the logical elements recognized in a refined hypothesis of cooperative circles, we could determine speculations about the factors that add to the organization and supported the advancement of subcultures. This recommendation suggests that by choosing contextual or specific investigations that differ in logical assets, we may better comprehend the conditions under which subcultures are shaped and evolves. In the CCNY Chess club, for instance, the club is primarily fueled by the sense of community and a common desire to learn and master or simply to enjoy the game; despite the lack of support from the administration.

References

Corte, U. (2012). Subcultures and Small Groups: A Social Movement Theory Approach (Ph.D.). Uppsala University.
The study applies the fundamentals of social movement theory to analyze the development of social subcultures and small groups in the society. The author examines the application of extensive theory analysis in the adoption of the theory for different purposes. Additionally, the research applies the Resource Mobilization theory to explore the emergence and impact of White power music among different groups. Also, the author explains the emergence of BMX subcultures and its effect on the local and international subcultures. Consequently, the author combines the concepts of the BMX and RM theories to analyze various commercialization in sporting activities.

Fine, G. A. (2015). Players and Pawns: How Chess Builds Community and Culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
The author aims to explore the history, rules, and practices involved in the game of chess. Accordingly, the author makes strong assertions that chess is widely a social game and a pure intellect game. Furthermore, Fine asserts that the game is mostly both a body and mental game while describing the importance of emotional attachment for the chess players. Additionally, the author explains the essence of time in the management of the chess game at different levels. The piece is largely a construction for the sociology players of the chess game rather than academic literature for the intellectual application.

Gelder, K. (2007). Subcultures: Cultural History and Social Practice. London, New York: Routledge.
The author of the book has an extensive knowledge in the subject owing to numerous scholarly works he has done before. Ken presents a historical background of different cultures and their differences across various groups with an elaborate study into the subculture logics and practices. Ken argues that the concept of subcultures is more social and non-dissenting. Also, the author explains that the idea of culture is primarily a narration in efforts to establish cultural identity. The presentation in this book is a narration and the experiences ar4e both imaginable and experienced by the author.

Patrick Williams, E. Hannerz (2014). Articulating the “Counter” in Subculture Studies. Media Culture Journal, 17 (6).
The study presents positions held by previous scholars in the field of Sociology and their arguments on subculture studies. The authors present various studies to explain why the past authors of cultural studies were misled to take up the positions they had. Accordingly, the scholars refute the claims in the association between counterculture and subculture. Also, the study explores the categorization of countercultures and cultural studies. Finally, the study examines different ways of incorporating countercultures into subculture studies.

Warren, J. R. (1986). Student Perceptions of College Subcultures. American Educational Research Journal, 5 (2), 213-232.
The author applied a multidimensional approach to conducting the rating among a sample of 18 hypothetical college students. Accordingly, the researcher established that different groups of students showcased similarity in the ratings of the five student groups with five bipolar cultural dimensions. Consequently, the author established that the students illustrated a Clark and Tow academic, vocational and collegiate subcultures among of the five aspects. The study differentiates between the intellectual orientation with the academic orientation. Thus, the scattering of the nonconformist subculture over other orientations proves that the students had different perceptions on the concept of identifiable cultures.

Appendix

INTERVIEWS
Keysang ( President of the CCNY Club-majoring in Films and Journalism)
As the president of the CCNY Chess club you must inspire your club members, who inspire you?
“ I hope I do… but I don’t necessarily try to be inspirational, but as of who inspire me? I am inspired by Morris Ashley. He went to CCNY and was part of the CCNY club early in the 90’s and was one of the best players of chess. And he was the first black chess master”.
Morris Ashley: first and only chess master black ( graduated and played chess in CCNY, 1990s)
Chess championship in saint louis , chess capital in the U.S
What is so special about the CCNY Chess club and why should anyone join?
“ this club is almost like a huge family, its all about bringing different people together from different interest and different majors and races… Honestly anyone would feel at home and chess is way to bring people together. And chess classes are expensive, and in here they get free lessons from an instructor”.
What is something unexpected, you have discovered as the President of the CCNY Chess club?
“ I have realized that people in the inner city are more into Chess than people usually realized. I actually learned playing chess from the hood… yeah, its crazy but that is true. I mean this is just something that people don’t expect”
Are you currently happy with your funding, and what is your vision for the club?
“ to be successful in Chess you need time, material and force. I don’t mean force like violence, but as drive. Currently we receive 500$ a year and this is very little and we can only do limited things with that much. When I was president for the Chess club in BMCC, we were receiving 8000$ and that helped expand the program. And as for vision, I wish we get more members and I also hope that we can get private funding and ultimately be able to do more events”

Jose Rickett ( Vice-President of the CCNY Chess Club- majoring in Political Science)
What is exciting right now about CCNY Chess Club?
“ Well first of all, I just got the vice president position 4 weeks ago, and there is a competition coming up on Dec 14 so this is exciting time”
Why did you join the Club?
“I love playing chess, and this has been my passion since very little. I love the diversity, the community and I have made many friends in here”
Does your decision to join the CCNY Chess club correlated with your major?
“ it’s funny I never thought of that, but now that you are saying this, I can see where you come from. Yeah I think so because, Chess breeds strategy and tactics and those are great components for political science”.
What is your take on the budget of the club, ?
• The budget is too low,
• Needs Financial support.
What are the main pros of the CCNY Chess Club?
“We have chess teachers, that comes from3-4 to give free lessons every Tuesday and participating in the club looks good on your resume”

Flavio ( Club Member- majoring in political science)
When did you join the club, and what do you think about it?
“ I joined 2 years ago, and I love it. I have always been really passionate about chess, I started playing since I was 10. So when I heard about the club . I signed up right away”
What’s your favorite thing about the CCNY Chess Club?
“ the people… yeah they make the environment fun and energetic. There are a lot of great people here and we are all cool. And that’s the best part.”

Denzil Rodriguez (Program Assistant Director- majored Psychology, anthropology)
What do you think about the CCNY Chess Club?
“It teaches student to plan ahead, and give them good strategic skills. Chess is also a good way to learn how to resolve complex problems with calm and resolve. Yeah… so anybody should try it a least for a little bit, but I guarantee you most people stay.”