Gilbert High chess team tops national contest
Hayley Ringle, Tribune
Gilbert High School’s chess team put their self-discipline, creative problem-solving skills and intellectual abilities to the test when they beat out the tough competition at the recent national chess competition.
The Gilbert High team won first place in both the 10th-grade division and the blitz chess, or speed chess, category at the United States Chess Federation National Grades Championships Dec. 11-14 in Orlando, Fla.
Last year, the same team earned first place in the ninth-grade category at the same national competition in Houston.
The trophies keep piling up for the Gilbert High team after earning several individual awards and other first-place honors in additional national and state competitions.
Gilbert High sophomore Nick Thompson credits his daily practices, competitive nature and team’s effort in the recent wins. The 15-year-old also received a third-place individual prize for the 10th-grade section, seventh place for the speed chess category, and a third-place award for the partner chess division with teammate Jacob Maneth.
“I like chess because it involves a lot of thinking and preparing,” said Thompson, who has been playing chess for three years and has already competed in more than 50 competitions. “You can’t be good at it without practicing.”
Chess coach Michael Reading said this team does so well because “they have the knowledge, experience and drive.”
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Nicely done.