“Check mate!”
The two most loved and feared words in the vocabulary of a chess player. Fortunately, Pattonville’s chess team had the satisfaction of saying those two words 10 times at their first tournament of the year.
On Nov. 2, five members of Pattonville’s chess team arrived at Lindbergh High School for eight hours of competitive chess. Each player competed in four 45 minutes games for points; 1 for a win, 0.5 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. The top four players on each team had their scores totaled and were given a team score.
Pattonville’s team, which composed of Thomas Haake, Jason Jiang, Ethan O’Dell, Griffin Stoekel and Joshua Zahner accumulated a total of 9.5 out of 16 points. This placed them sixth out of 18 teams at the tournament.
For freshman Stoekel, this was his first Chess tournament.
“I thought it was [really] fun because the competition was good and the people I was with made the experience wonderful.”
Pattonville’s next tournament date is Dec. 7 at Chaminade High School.
Final Results of the Lindbergh Tournament:
Jason Jiang: 3 pts (3 wins); 14th Overall (Individual Medal)
Thomas Haake: 3 pts (3 wins); 18th Overall (Individual Medal)
Joshua Zahner: 2 pts (2 wins); 37th Overall
Ethan O’Dell: 1.5 pts (1 win, 1 draw); 55th Overall
Griffin Stoekel: 1 pt (1 win); 74th Overall
** Place Overall out of 81 players **
The Pattonville Chess Team is open to anyone wishing to play and learn chess. All skill levels are invited Dr. Baldwins room, D116, on Wednesdays to play or learn the game.