BOARDMAN — The Chess Club at Boardman Glenwood Junior High is all about making moves this year.

Interest in the age-old game seems to be growing among the seventh- and eighth-graders, as the number of students involved in the club is nearly double the typical year, according to the school. Sixty-three students are staying after school regularly on Thursdays to practice and play.

“For years, we’ve been teaching the game of chess as part of the

seventh-grade curriculum as the students learn about ancient civilizations,” history teacher Carlo Cordon said. “The kids really seem to like it, and this year especially, it’s caught on.”

Cordon, along with history teachers Ian Head and Mark Brooks, take turns giving advice and playing rounds with students.

Recent movies such as Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit” and the just-released “Critical Thinking,” a true story about a high school group that wins the ultimate chess championship, may be fueling some of the interest.

Whatever the reason for the surge, for the first time in the eight years the club has met at Glenwood, it had to move practice from a classroom into the cafeteria.

“We needed the extra space, so we made a move so the kids could make their moves,” said Cordon. “Some students bring their own chess boards, and several even got timers for Christmas. It’s definitely catching steam.”

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