UW-Eau Claire Chess Club looks to capture more interest by hosting International Master John Bartholomew

Chloe Grant, the club’s president, and Dr. Eric Kasper, the club’s faculty advisor and a professor of political science, emailed Bartholomew in the spring hoping the Twin Cities-based IM would be willing to drive east.

“He usually plays at bigger events, so I’m glad we got him to come to our little school,” Grant says.

“It was an easy decision to agree,” says Bartholomew, who has 210,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel. “It’s phenomenal that college chess clubs work hard to put on a unique event for their club members and community.”

Bartholomew has visited two other campuses in recent years but says college inquiries have been limited during his decades-long career. A trip to the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in 2025 helped him see Eau Claire’s interest in the game. Kasper, one of the numerous UW-Eau Claire-affiliated players sitting at the U-shaped table that February day, has followed Bartholomew for years, drawn to his appealing teaching style.

“He’s a good public face for chess in that he’s friendly about it; he’s encouraging to people to pick up the game and learn new skills,” Kasper says.

Grant, a senior from Bloomer, only began playing in high school and is eager to improve her game by sitting across from an elite player. She also hopes the event’s exposure boosts club numbers.

“Getting more students, especially, to come and play would be awesome. Getting them even to come watch I think is going to be really good,” Grant says.

Kasper says chess provides many lessons and benefits that translate to life skills, including study habits and the importance of weighing decisions. But at the end of the day, the goal is to have fun.

“That’s why people take up this game, I hope,” he says.

“Chess is one of those rare domains where you’ll see people congregating and using their brains for hours on end with minimal distractions and electronic devices — a beautiful thing!” Bartholomew says. “Chess has taught me many lessons in life, and I hope the event’s participants will learn something too.”

If you would like to register for the simultaneous exhibition, which starts at 1 p.m. Oct. 3 in Ojibwe Room C of Davies Center, email Kasper at kasperet@uwec.edu.