Chess tourney draws seven schools

Students got into the competitive spirit as they tested their chess skills last week during the second annual Inter-Secondary Division Chess Tournament.

Seven high schools across the territory — both public and private — competed in the Multipurpose Sports Complex last Thursday and Friday.

Four boards were set up for each team competition, and two students from each team played white and the other two played black. Among those who watched the students battle it out were family members, friends, teachers and judges.

“In a sense, this is the preparation for that international stage. As we see, this is regional, as in within the territory — just playing different people or peers for the most part,” said Jordan Hinds, who competed in the senior division. “That in itself, it challenges you to want to do better than probably somebody from another school or even your own teammates.”

Seven schools

The participating schools were Elmore Stoutt High School, St. George’s Secondary School, the Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies, and Cedar International School on Tortola; Bregado Flax Educational Centre and Ciboney Centre for Excellence on Virgin Gorda; and Claudia Creque Educational Centre on Anegada.

In the senior division for ages 15 and up, ESHS took first place, St. George’s second and Cedar third, according to a press release. The other schools in the division were VISTS, Ciboney and CCEC.

In the junior division, ESHS won first, BFEC took second and St. George’s took third. Cedar, CCEC and Ciboney also competed in the division.

Education Officer Renee Weston-Caines, the tournament coordinator, said more girls competed in the junior division while the senior division was predominantly boys. This was not the case last year, Ms. Weston-Caines noted.

She added that it is important to give all schools the opportunity to compete.

“We all [are] holding each other’s hand, and we’re working together to accomplish the same goal,” she said. “So we could say our territory is driven by chess, not just one school. And for me, that’s important.”

Primary open

The tournament also included an open primary division with competitors from Enis Adams Primary School, the Imagination Academy, and the BVI Chess Federation.

While the competition was designed primarily for the high school students, Ms. Weston-Caines said it was important to give younger children the chance to “compete in the background.”

“I don’t want [their interest in chess] to die,” she said. “I want them to still be acknowledged.”

Competing until the end

Noting that the students were “very competitive,” Ms. Weston-Caines described a game she had just watched.

“That was incredible. They did not give up toward the end,” she said. “Even though he lost all his major pieces, he still tried to still beat the guy. And that’s amazing. He didn’t draw; he didn’t give up. He went to the end.”

She said such an attitude goes beyond chess.

“That touches my heartstrings because it can be applied to life,” she said, adding, “It might look like you’re out, but you can still try to the end.”

The tournament is primarily funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, and Ms. Weston-Caines said she plans to hold it every year if the funding continues.

Individual winners

In addition to the team rankings, the tournament also awarded the individuals who won the most games overall.

Simon Potter, who was a judge for the event, said he found that arrangement “a little strange.”

“Usually you put your best players on board one, your next best on board two, board three, board four. … So the best players will be up against the best players from the other school,” Mr. Potter said. “But it doesn’t matter. Board four could win the most games, and he’ll be the individual winner.”

The individual winners for the junior division were Dimitri Fungfook of ESHS in first place, Royson Adams of ESHS in second and Shane-Ann Chin of BFEC in third.

ESHS students also dominated the senior division individual ranking, with Shamoy Joseph in first and Mr. Hinds in second. Rayante Edwards of St. George’s took third.

Competing abroad

Mr. Hinds, 17, and Mr. Joseph, 16, were among the VI students who competed in the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary earlier this year.

Both agreed that younger students may be inspired to play chess after seeing them compete internationally.

“A lot of younger kids might see us as an inspiration: ‘Oh, they get to travel overseas and stuff.’ But you have to work for it,” Mr. Hinds said. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, you show up and this,’ you know. You have to work for it. You have to play against other people.”

Competitions like last week’s tournament, he added, can help players improve their skills.

“Something like this [tournament] helps us to gauge our levels of performance, what we can improve on — and see how other people play,” he said. “They might play a different play style.”

Mr. Hinds said a friend who had previously competed in Chess Olympiad helped get him interested in the game.

“The overall experience sounded wonderful, and I just strived to get there myself, and [I] got there,” he said.

For Mr. Joseph, it was a teacher who got him interested in chess.

“Every morning we used to play like 10 games at least, and I used to lose a lot,” Mr. Joseph said. “So I learned from that experience.”