HERMISTON — At recent Hermiston High School’s student-led conferences, sophomore Luke Gray, 16, set up a chess board with a puzzle. The Hermiston resident then asked passersby to solve the game. A player had to sacrifice a valuable piece for a lesser piece to secure a win.

Gray said he likes such puzzles, because they make him think and he enjoys solving problems. This is why, he said, chess is fun; a player gets to reason themselves out of binds.

The common perception of chess players is they are brainiacs, Gray said, also admitting he might fit the description.

“I’ve definitely been called that before,” he said.

He gets good grades in school, he said, and he considers himself a thinker. These days, he has been pursuing business classes. Accounting and marketing are so much his favorite, he is now considering business as a career, he said.

“I like to crunch numbers,” the teen said.

Gray said his interest in chess goes back several years. He said he first learned the game in elementary school but did not start playing seriously until middle school. It was then, he said, when he joined the chess club at Armand Larive Middle School, Hermiston.

Delia Fields, Hermiston secondary schools librarian, and until recently the high school chess advisor, said she became acquainted with Gray in middle school. She knew right away, she said, he was special — a talented chess player and an excellent young man.

Fields said she is one of a few school district staff members who have worked with chess players over the years, and she credited retired social studies teacher Dan Jamison for his work with the club. For them, she said, it is fun to see students, like Gray, mature.

As he has grown as a player, Gray has attended tournaments, where he has won major accomplishments. Three regional titles and one win at a state competition are among his greatest achievements. He said he thinks he could have won more under different circumstances.

Because of the coronavirus epidemic, many competitions last year were canceled. This was disappointing, he said, but necessary. He expressed excitement, though, over the contest season resuming in 2022.

Until he can start major competitions again, he said he has chess-related activities to keep him busy. He enjoys following the play of famous chess masters, he said, such as Hikaru Nakamura. Gray also said he likes to play with friends.

The Hermiston High School chess club, under advisor Ernest Kincaid, meets twice a week. People tend to pop in and out of club gatherings, Gray said, especially these days. Gray said the marching band is capturing the interest of students who might otherwise be participating in the chess club.

Gray, too, has interests outside of chess, he said, as he has made varsity in tennis. Chess is a hobby, he said, he does not ever see himself pursuing the game professionally.

Gray said he has watched top professional players, who spend hours playing and then hours after each game studying their every move. He said he is not willing to dedicate himself so fully to the game. It might be maddening, he expressed.

“It’s probably not going to drive you insane,” he said, “but it could.”