On Friday, May 16, each Westerville middle school sent its building chess club representative to compete in the annual Middle School Chess Tournament, which was held at the Early Learning Center. Family, friends, and staff eagerly watched the round-robin matches, which resulted in a first place victory for seventh grade student Gabrielle McCrea of Walnut Springs. Second place was earned by Ben Clark (grade 8) of Genoa. Brian Courts (grade 7) of Heritage and Anthony Vilardo (grade 6) of Blendon took third and fourth respectively.
Chess Coach Carl Boor with Ohio Chess Academy (http://www.ohiochessacademy.com) served as the judge. He is a National, Fide, and Senior Master, three time Champion of Ohio, World Open co-champion, and Midwest Class co-champion. He shared chess strategies after each match, and spoke of the powerful academic and social merits of chess in one’s life.
Chess Club advisors and parent volunteers thanked Boor for his services, along with parent volunteer Marvin McDaniel, staff and administrators at the building and district levels, and the Gifted Education Department.
Beyond being a game for any age or language, research suggests that chess is excellent for improving memory, logical thinking skills, and creativity. Chess college scholarships are available and a list of Ohio chess camps and clubs can be found at Ohio Chess Association at http://www.ohiochess.org.