Pictured above: Chevaughn Bashford is an international student who was born and raised in Jamaica.
Courtesy of Molly Ryan | The Crow’s Nest
By Molly Ryan
One day, in the heat of a chess match, a question occurred to Chevaughn Bashford: How come there’s no chess club at USFSP?
Bashford, a junior international student, has taken it upon himself to change that.
“I’m definitely a go getter,” Bashford said. “I see what I want, and I go after it, and I’ve had to learn to kind of be that way. Especially being in a different country.”
When he’s not studying environmental science and policy, you can typically find Bashford playing chess.
Born and raised in Jamaica, Bashford first came to the United States in December 2019 – taking his ambition and love for chess with him.
“I started playing chess in high school,” Bashford said. “I wasn’t too interested in chess when I was younger, but then I had a summer job at a library back home and I just decided, ‘Oh, this is something to do.’ Eventually, I just kept getting better and better.”
Before transferring to USF this fall, Bashford attended Hillsborough Community College (HCC).
“I always intended to transfer ever since I decided to go to HCC,” Bashford said. “But I chose the St. Pete campus because I really like the smaller campus and the location.”
Quickly becoming acquainted as an on-campus resident, Bashford began playing chess matches against Student Government Adviser and Assistant Director of Student Life and Engagement, Robert Herron.
“During one of our games, the idea of creating a chess club arose in our conversation and [Bashford] immediately ran with the idea,” Herron said. “Being a new player to the game, I was excited to offer myself as adviser to the club.”
Despite still being in the works, Bashford and Herron garnered about 13 members for the club.
“We want people to turn out and be a part of the club,” Bashford said. “And if you’re interested in learning, don’t be scared. You don’t have to be good at it or know anything about chess to join the club and learn to play the game.”
Bashford said many students could benefit from playing chess.
“[Chess is] something that I use to relax, it really helps calm me down,” Bashford said. “It still keeps your mind going, but you’re relaxed at the same time.”
For future announcements, visit the chess club’s BullsConnect page and keep an eye out for the coming Instagram account.
