Central Middle School chess club holds tournament

The Central Middle School's Chess Club met at Broadway Books and Roasting Company recently for a tournament that would determine who the next champ would be.

Surprising to chess coach Jonathan Budil was that advanced fifth-grade chess players outnumbered the sixth-graders in the club this year.

"Usually a sixth-grader returning to chess club would have more to build on and would do well against younger players," he said. There were eight sixth-graders and 10 fifth-graders.

The difference this year may have been that some fifth-graders practiced more. Chandler Bagley and Aaron Mehner both played games after school with their brothers.

In the first round of the tournament, Mehner and fifth-grader Nick Broughton reduced Bagley's and Derek Nunnery's pieces to lone kings in the middle of the board. A king may not move onto a square controlled by his opponent. If a king is not about to be taken and the player has no legal moves on their turn, the result is a draw.

Nunnery and Bagley each managed a draw. By the second and third rounds, the players traded wins and losses, making an unexpected four-way tie.

In the chess equivalent of overtime, the players were asked to play two elimination rounds and Chandler and Nunnery went on to face each other for the championship. With 10 minutes left on the clock, both players moved their pieces quickly, analyzing moves and responding faster than most of the audience could follow.

Some unorthodox and risky moves for both players left Chandler unable to protect his king, resulting in Nunnery's grand championship.

School librarian and sponsor Vickie Howard and chessmaster Jonathan Budil were pleased with the club's close competition, knowing that players' critical thinking skills will improve and may even result in college scholarships.

Although Central Middle School's Chess Club has completed another official year, tournament hosts Broadway Books and Roasting Co. will continue to give students a place to play and learn more from their coaches. They meet from noon to 4 p.m. the first Saturday each month. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133