The Sawgrass Springs Middle School Chess Team earned third place at the Chess4Life tournament. {David Volz}
The Sawgrass Springs Middle School chess team earned third place at the Chess4Life Tournament at Ramblewood Middle School on November 8.
Fran McMahon, the chess teacher and coach at Sawgrass Springs, was excited about her team’s success and wanted them to continue improving over the year. “I was very proud of our team, and the students did very well today,” she said.
This was the first time Ramblewood hosted the tournament, and Principal Andrew Kirk was proud of the school’s chess team and the students who volunteered throughout the day to make it a success.
“Chess teaches students to use logic and to think strategically. They learn valuable skills by participating in chess,” according to Kirk.
The tournament was open to students in grades K-12. The divisions included K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Participants competed in five games, and those who won three games received a medal. While the Ramblewood team did not finish in the top five, some of the team members won three games. Members of the Ramblewood National Honor Society, Student Government Association, and journalism program volunteered to help run the tournament, according to Kirk.
Eric Hockahhauser, a member of the Ramblewood team, won three games. “I enjoy playing chess and I liked competing in this tournament,” he said.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School chess team earned first place, and the Coral Glades High School chess team earned second place.
Elliott Neff, the founder of Chess4Life, believes the game teaches valuable life skills, such as problem-solving and logic. He travels the nation promoting the value of learning to play chess.
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