The Rookery

All ages and skill levels are welcome! Some of us have been playing for a long time, but many have just started and are still learning. Now is a great time to join.

About this club:

I started this club as a way to keep in touch with a group of good friends that I made while working at Niowave, Inc. I had previously played at the Grand Rapids Chess Center, (go check them out online or in person, they're great) and I was interested in bringing all of the people who enjoyed this hobby to the same place. Since starting the club, my kids have gotten into chess, and we play a lot at the local library, where a lot of our newer players are from.

About the name:

Since I started the club, originally named "Current and Former Niowave employees" it had really grown out of its name. I felt that in order to continue growing the club while maintaining it's unique identity that the club needed a new name and a new look.

I didn't want any name that limited who could be in the club based on geography or profession or any other background but I wanted it to be unique enough to preserve the community. I thought maybe some kind of animal might be good because it was very generic but identifiable. So, I started looking for animals that were adept problem solvers and stumbled upon crows... Turns out there is a crow species called a "Rook" that is known for it's problem solving ability and for nesting in large loosely related groups called "rookeries." I thought this was a nice aesthetic for a club that is basically little pockets of people affiliated with one another that have spread out some and are making new connections elsewhere.

So I settled on "The Rookery" and drew a cartoony logo. If you know me, or someone else in the club, please join us!