Beginning on May 20, sophomore class presidents Shawnak Shivakumar and Axel Pilette hosted their annual chess championships which brought together over 100 students and awarded a free Chick-fil-A meal to those who won at least two of their rounds, which were single-elimination
The matches were during Flex and lunch periods with dozens of students crowding B-21 to compete and watch the tournament. Groups of eight students were separated into divisions named after famous chess grandmasters such as Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Bobby Fischer. By May 23, eight division winners advanced to the semifinals.
Sophomore Hunter Cabral said, “I was promised a free Chipotle lunch if I were to win two matches. The stakes were high for me. Even though I didn’t advance to my second round, I still appreciate Axel and Shawnak’s efforts in bringing M-A together.”
Sophomore Scarlett Shenk added, “I saw everyone having a good time at the tournament regardless of their experience level. Even though I don’t play chess competitively or even very often, I still enjoyed the light but competitive atmosphere and the friendliness of all the players.”
With three tables filled and digital chess timers at the ready, the semifinal participants brought an entirely different vibe to the classroom on Thursday. Instead of the lighthearted atmosphere on Monday and Wednesday, B-21 was now filled with a tense and serious mood––the competitors were ready to win.
Freshman semi-finalist Leonard Isakov said, “When I saw I was competing against Hayden Brongersma, I wanted to quit. I told the coordinator of the event that I wanted to resign from the competition, but I was encouraged to remain in the match by the spectators. I’m glad I did because even though I lost the round, it felt nice competing and being part of a community.”
For the Thursday finals round, freshmen Hayden Brongersma and senior John Diepenbrock played best-of-three speedy Blitz rounds to determine the champion. With only three minutes on their chess timers for their first round and a two-minute bullet round for their second, the goal was to have a fun and fast-paced exchange of moves.
However, the game quickly shifted to a suspenseful competition for time. Both players often ended up playing pieces with less than a second left, quickly tapping their phone screens to pause their countdown before elimination. With just 2 seconds left, Diepenbrock struggled to keep up with his clock and lost the final round, earning Brongersma the win of the tournament.
Brongersma said, “The tournament’s unique one-match elimination format created a lot of pressure on the players. Even so, the welcoming players made competing in the tournament a priceless experience and I look forward to playing next year’s championship match.”
Pilette said, “Setting up the tournament was exciting but challenging. I believe that teamwork and effective communication helped us manage everything smoothly. We were inspired by a desire to connect students through a shared interest in chess and wanted to create a tradition that fostered both school spirit and strategic thinking.”
