This past Saturday, the chess club held their first chess tournament in A300 Mr. Kitterman’s classroom. This tournament included both beginners still learning how to play and more experienced players.
The tournament had seven players, each player would play every other competitor once in a mix of timed and regular matches. The person with the best record at the end would be the winner.
“When I was younger I played chess here and there, but never fully learned,” sophomore Kaylee Cantu said. “I had always wanted to learn and my friend told me about this tournament, so I decided to join her in it. I really like how every single action means a lot and it keeps your mind moving throughout the whole match.”
Starting young seemed to be common with chess players at the tournament.
“Sometime around elementary school my teacher brought out a chessboard on the last day of school, and I was the only kid who knew how to play,” senior Jonathan Thompson said. “I haven’t stopped since then, so with how long I’ve been playing I felt like it was time to test my mettle and compete in a tournament.”
The tournament went on from 10 a.m. to noon as players battled it out while also giving each other pointers on strategies used in their matches and how to improve. After the long battles between player to player, it was a young king who emerged as the winner with an overall record of 6-1 freshman Tyler Briggs.
“It felt nice to come into my first tournament of high school and gain the confidence and the experience under my belt,” freshman Tyler Briggs said.
