It's been great to see lots of new faces at Chess Club over recent months, with everyone attending keen to learn new tactics and strategies.   Our students have also been busy attending a number of interschool tournaments.

Term 2 - Southern Zone Tournament

61 students from 7 schools took part in the tournament, which was a mixed Primary and Secondary competition. 

Coromandel Valley had 13 students take part - Amelia, Arlo, Az, Dakota, Eddie, Ethan, Harrison, Levi, Lydia, Mason, Max, Olivia and Tyler - and they played extremely well to finish 4th overall but 2nd of the Primary schools, taking home the silver medals.   With over half of the team in only year 2 and 3, it was a fantastic effort, especially given that every one of our players was drawn against a secondary school student for at least one of their 7 games.

Every one of their players either set, equalled or beat their personal best.  A great indicator of how well they are all applying the skills they are learning. Special mention to Amelia, who was our highest-ranked Coro player, finishing in equal 16th place with 4 wins from her 7 games, and to Ethan, Harrison, Mason, Max and Tyler, who were all playing in their first tournament.

All Girls Tournament at Loreto College

In a great initiative, an All Girls tournament was also scheduled in Term 2, with 47 students from 8 schools attending. With some of the best chess schools in Adelaide taking part, it was a hotly contested competition.

Coromandel Valley were represented by Amelia, Az, Dakota, Lydia and Olivia, and finished in 5th place on 20.5 points.   It was an extremely close tournament however, with the top 5 teams separated by just 4.5 points. Nailsworth Primary took out first place with a score of 25 points.

Well done to the whole Coro team, but special mention to Amelia, who was once again our highest scorer with 6 wins from her 7 games.

Term 3 - Southern Zone Tournament

At the end of last term, Coromandel Valley took part in the southern zone tournament.  The southern zone is always very competitive, and with 70 students from 7 schools competing, this term was no exception.  While final team results are separated into Primary and Secondary divisions, the individual pairings are combined, meaning our students were often paired against much older and more experienced students. It can be a daunting challenge for all our students, but particularly our younger students and those competing for the first time. 

Coro had a team of 13 taking part - Az, Arlo, Dakota, Eddie, Harrison, Henry, Imogen, Levi, Lydia, Max, Mason, Olivia and Tyler - and ended up finishing in 4th place, just out of the medals.   A great effort given the strength of the tournament, and that we had a very inexperienced team with 8 of our 13 only in years 2 and 3.   Well done, everyone!

Special mention to Lydia, who was our highest-ranked player finishing in equal 20th place with 4 wins from her 7 games, and to Henry and Imogen, who were both competing in their first tournament.

A huge thanks to Carrie Julian, Ashlyn Cooper, Abbi Gottsche, Sue Allen, Emma Wright, Rochelle Caudle, Janelle Knight and Al Barnes for assisting with transport for the team over the 3 tournaments.   It's greatly appreciated, as the school cannot compete in tournaments without parent help.

I'm extremely proud of the students' great team spirit during all 3 competitions, and it is fantastic to see them developing their skills across the year. In fact, so well that we have been invited to send a team of 5 to the State Titles to be held later this term.

Chess Club is held every Monday lunchtime in classroom 6J, and any student is welcome to attend.

David Shaw