There are many elements of chess that appeal to Grammar boys. The game is strategic, open-ended, competitive, and underpinned by logic.
Year after year, boys at St Ives Preparatory are drawn to this game. During our Chess Club mornings, boys can be seen playing friendly matches and engaging in formal lessons where famous games or strategies are considered. Many boys also partake in competitive interschool chess matches.
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This year, we had 6 teams representing St Ives at the NSW Junior Chess League (NSWJCL) Primary Schools competition. Our A team performed well here and finished atop its division. The season looked to have drawn to a close with lockdown but our return to school coincided with the resumption of the NSWJCL competition.
A series of tightly contested playoffs was conducted, and our A Team was crowned NSW State Champions for 2021!
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Our team went on to represent NSW at the Australian Schools Teams Championships (ASTC) in December.
This was a tremendous honour for Louis Van (6), Isaac Huang (6), Lucas Lin (6), Nathan Arav (5) and Paul Wang (5). Our team rose to the occasion at the ASTC and, over the course of five rounds, finished in an outstanding second place!
Congratulations to the boys and their coach, Mr Kevin Harrison, for this fine result.
James Palethorpe
Chess Coordinator
