The Sweet 16 narrows down to the Elite 8. The Elite 8 narrows down to the Final Four. The Final Four led to the Championship Game, and a winner was determined by its outcome. No, this isn’t the NCAA March Madness Tournament. This is the first-of-its-kind tournament for “Chess to Impress,” which is the name of Myers Elementary School’s 5th grade chess club.
This tournament, titled, “March Mad-Chess,” was borne from the enthusiasm of over one-third of the fifth-graders who learned about the game’s origins and strategies from Mr. Phillip Dietrich, as part of a unit on Feudalism. From there, the idea of a tournament was a natural fit for their growing talents and blistering excitement.
Twenty-three students competed in all, and at the time of this writing, the final round had yet to be played. Those still in the hunt for the ultimate prize are Carter Ostrander, Serena Sanchez, Eddie Arnold, Blaize Moreau, and Mason Lankford.
Tournaments are necessarily focused on winners and losers, but as Mr. Dietrich emphasized to all competitors, it should not be the only measure by which one judge’s one’s performance. The successes along the way, like lasting longer in the tournament than expected, forcing one’s opponent to a stalemate with only his King remaining, (actually happened!), and many others, are a testament to the dedication of some pretty amazing kids.