They also hope to invest in a new computer engine that can analyze games.

According to Miller, the team has thought about asking Marc R. Esserman ’05, an international master ranked 40th among active chess players in the nation by the United States Chess Federation, to coach the team.

In his freshman year at the college, Esserman helped Harvard Chess place fourth at the Pan-American tournament.

Given the number of schools that recruit for chess, finishing in the top five at the Pan-American tournament would be beyond the reach of Harvard Chess for the foreseeable future, according to Blum.

But Blum called Harvard “one of the more competitive Ivies” and said that the team had a reasonable chance of winning the Ivy Championship in February.

“The team is moving from being based on casual enjoyment of the game to being a serious competitor on the national scene,” Miller said.

“The most enjoyment can come from playing against other schools, and we’re trying to make a transition towards that.”

—Staff writer Sonali Y. Salgado can be reached at ssalgado@college.harvard.edu.