On November 5, the Boston Latin School Chess Club held its first tournament of the year, with over 30 skilled and dedicated students coming to participate.
The tournament consisted of five rounds lasting ten minutes each, and each player had control for five minutes. Since there were more players than available boards, however, rounds lasted up to 20 minutes as player traded places.
At the conclusion of the tournament, River Colegrove (VI) took first place, with Daniel Chen (V) and Ryan Murphy (II) winning second and third place, respectively. Staying calm and focused is a big part of winning chess games. Colgrove comments, “I think I just stayed in the chess mindset. I didn’t allow myself to get distracted.”
Many other players also came prepared and ready for the exciting, intense competition. In the days leading up to the event, players began to sharpen their skills in various ways.
Murphy explains, “I didn’t have any specific strategies, but I did prepare openings.”
Planning started weeks ahead of time. Signups were posted through Google Forms a few weeks before the tournament and were open to students of all grades. At the tournament, pairings were organized with the help of a chess software.
This year, participation in the tournament increased from around 15 students to over 30 students. Alex Demaio (I), president of the BLS Chess Club, notes, “There was a lot of turnout from younger students this year. […] I think the sixies specifically seemed more interested.”
The increase in the number of players was unexpected and led to some challenges. As more and more people arrived at the tournament, the organizers realized that there were not enough boards or space for everyone to play at the same time. This led to some changes in the structure of the tournament. Around a dozen players played first, and once they were finished, the second set of players would start their game.
Participants and organizers alike believe that there is hope for further developments and growth next year, since many students who enjoy playing chess are uninvolved in the BLS Chess Club. Demaio has big plans for the future, stating, “I would like to host more events — not only tournaments but [chess] lessons as well.”