CHESS GOLD!!

“Chess holds its master in its own bonds, shaking the mind and brain so that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer.” (Albert Einstein)

On Tuesday 2 August, a team of 21 players travelled to Avoca State School to represent Shalom in the Term 3 Inter-School Chess Competition. This particular competition had the added incentive of being the Regional Championships, where the winning team qualifying for the State Championships. Despite having some impressive second and third place results, Shalom has not won a competition for a couple of years.

This run was broken this year by the Shalom Black team, who won the Premier Division on the day taking the gold medal – an outstanding achievement! The team of Callum M, Waylen H, JJ W and Seth G played some excellent chess on the day to take out the division by 1.5 points. Special mention must go to Callum M and JJ W, who both won 6 of their 7 games. JJ W won the medal for the best player in his position from all the schools while Waylen H and Callum M won a merit ribbon, showing the depth and teamwork by these talented players. These players will now play in the State Championships in Term 4 – good luck boys!!

Their success was helped by the Premier Division Shalom Blue team of Luke R, Kahn A, Alex M and Lachlan B, who played some good chess, and importantly, defeated some of the better player from other schools, allowing our Shalom Black team to consolidate their win. Great teamwork boys!

Shalom displayed its considerable depth in chess with some quality players in the Open Division. All three Shalom teams were in medal contention, however, the team of Shalom Yellow featuring young guns Tyler P, Max L, Zach G and Will M took out the bronze medal on the day. This result is particularly pleasing as the oldest in the team is in Year 8, which is promising for Shalom chess in future years. Max L and Zach G also were awarded merit ribbons for their impressive performances.

The Shalom Red team of Jonathon E, Harry L, Max C and Luca H and well as the Shalom White team of Jacob B, Nicota F, Jack M and Robert G were very close to taking out a medal as well. Cameron Z also played some fantastic chess on the day winning 4 of his games. Merit ribbons were awarded to Harry L, Jabob B and Nicota F, a just reward for some good performances.

To see the results in their entirety, including both team and individual results, follow the link: https://gardinerchess.com.au/event-results/inter-school-competition-results/?_region=wide-bay-north&_term=3 . If you wish to keep in touch with all things Shalom Chess, then follow our Sia Chess Group page (https://schoolbox.shalomcollege.com/homepage/6024).

If you are interested in playing or learning chess, then you are more than welcome to join us at chess club on Tuesdays from 11.25am-12.00pm in Beerarlem. We would love to see you there.

Mr Brendan Maher
Chess Coordinator
maherb@shalomcollege.com