Students play in regional tournament

On January 24, at 8:30 a.m., children from all over Central Oregon were in the cafeteria of Ridgeview High School, anticipating their first game of chess in the Regional Tournament of 2015, held by Chess For Success.

They were going to compete according to age, and level. The games ranged from 10 minutes to an hour. Five games were played between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., with different opponents each time. There were breaks in between these games when teams could discuss strategies and make observations.

Sisters Chess Club had been practicing and preparing for this event for several months, every Wednesday morning at Sisters elementary and middle schools. Participating in the tournament were: Emily Huber, Torin Greaney, Cambrian Leaver, Bela Chladek and Ashton King for Sisters Elementary School; David Novotny, Eli Gurney, Brody Lofdahl, Simon Rhett and Sasha Komar for Sisters Middle School; and Ethan Ferwalt and Jordan Pollard representing Sisters High School.

Every person at the tournament had their own unique strategies, strengths and weaknesses, tried their best, and played fair, according to 13-year-old participant Sasha Komar.

"Unfortunately, many people couldn't come to the tournament because of other events," Komar noted.

"I really enjoyed the tournament," Komar noted. "We got to play different people from different schools, who taught me new strategies. This is my second time at the regional tournament, and every time I learn something new. I think more people should join chess club and hopefully, go to the tournament.

"Chess club is really fun and helps people become better at math. Anyone from Sisters Elementary School, Sisters Middle School, and Sisters High School can sign up at any time."