After a decisive victory in double overtime on Saturday, the
chess team from Meadowthorpe Elementary School earned the state chess title in the K-5 division on Saturday. After a decisive victory in double overtime on Saturday, the chess team from Meadowthorpe Elementary School earned the state chess title in the K-5 division on Saturday.
The students are coached by Meadowthorpe curriculum coach Michael Price. “What makes this group special is their hard work and dedication, their commitment outside of the classroom and the way they came together to work and support each other as a team,” Price said. “Even thought the competition is made up of individual games, it’s still a team concept.”
Nearly 100 students at Meadowthorpe Elementary participate in the school chess club. Students compete to earn a spot on the state competition team.
“Chess allows our children to become analytic and reflective thinkers, which prepares them to be problem solvers in the many different situations they come across,” Price said. “They get to utilize their competitive spirit in an academic setting that still requires teamwork and training and practice for success. Just as an athlete would train and lift weights, these kids train by studying drills and boards – it’s training your brain.”
Tates Creek High School’s win marks the first state chess title in school history. The team also became the first Fayette County high school to win the competition since 1999. Lexington Traditional Magnet School placed third in the competition – improving from last year’s sixth place finish.
The young chess players were the first such champions in Arizona. But a team of homeschool students from the southeast Valley, called the Chevalier Noir (Black Knight) Academy, was shut out last weekend from competing, not allowed to defend its title in the Arizona Scholastic Chess Championship held in Tucson.
