40 students recently took part in the school's Chess Championships.  With a growing number of younger children getting involved with chess at the school, two separate competitions were run - an Open competition for the more experienced kids, and a Novice "Take the King" tournament for the younger children just starting out.                                 

The Open competition was held over 6 rounds, and it was a very close finish, with just 1 win separating the top nine students, and three students tying for first place on 5 wins. After a countback of results, Maggie L. was crowned Coro Chess Champion for 2019, with the 2018 champion Daniel H. in 2nd, and Ewan C. in 3rd.                                   

                Open Champion               - Maggie L

                Best Upper Primary         - Maggie L

                Best Middle Primary       - Daniel H

                Best Junior Primary         - Finn F                      

In the Novice division, 16 children played in their first ever chess tournament, again playing 6 games, with the aim of just taking their opponents King.   It was another close tournament, with four competitors just 1 point apart with 1 game to play.   Hamish B. kept his cool in the last round, winning his match to record a perfect 6 wins from 6 games. Cassian A. finished on 5 wins in 2nd place, with Nathan H. and Beau S. in equal 3rd on 4 wins.                                                  

Congratulations to all the players who took part, particularly those playing in their first chess competitions.  A special thankyou to Sebastian M. for assisting me with the tournament setup.    I look forward to seeing you all at Chess Club next year, to further develop your chess skills.

David Shaw