EA Southee Public School have flexed their mental muscle, placing third out of 62 teams from across 17 schools in the Riverina One-Day Chess Tournament on Wednesday, August 7.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Jacob Maher, Elijah Holmes and Michael Perry made up one of five teams sent by the school and finished the day on 12.5 points, going on to win a tiebreaker and bring home Cootamundra’s first junior chess trophy.
“It’s the first time in history we’ve won,” says 10-year-old Michael, who won five of his six games. Both boys agreed more people should “definitely” try their hand at chess.
“It works your brain and it’s fun, it’s very competitive,” says Michael.
The boys picked up the game at a young age and over the last few years have been honing their skills in the playground, giving up time at recess and lunch for quick matches.
“I always used to think it was hard when I’d play against my brother because he’s really good at it,” explains team captain Jacob, “but he’d just encourage me to keep going. Now I can beat him.”
The tournament is run by the NSW Junior Chess League and this year was hosted by Sturt Public School in Wagga.
The tournament runs all day and students play six games each, earning their team one point for a win and half a point for a draw. Matches can take anywhere from two minutes to 45, and a computer system is constantly updated throughout the day to ensure the best teams face each other.
John Dorczak is the IT coordinator at EA Southee Public School and has been coaching the chess teams for several years. He says he hopes this victory will encourage more schools and more students in the area to compete.
“Chess teaches logical thinking skills, long-term thinking and the ability to plan ahead,” Mr Dorczak says.
“The skills of chess have a calming effect on children’s personalities and that’s reflected positively in their school work.”
EA Southee Public School run their own chess tournament in Term Four and this year for the first time Cootamundra Public School also sent teams to the Riverina competition.
Mr Dorczak says he hopes all the Cootamundra primary schools can compete against each other and strengthen the region as a whole.
A Sturt Public School team won the tournament and will represent Riverina at the state final in Sydney this November.
