Nearly 70 students compete in Scholastic Chess Tournament
By ALICIA NOTARIANNI
7:45 p.m. EST, December 17, 2011
BOONSBORO, Md.— Justin Hung sat in the cafeteria, oblivious to the noise and commotion around him.
Though he occasionally would gnaw a bite off his pizza, his focus clearly was centered on the chessboard and scorebook before him.
Justin, 10, of North Potomac, Md., appeared to be playing a game against himself.
“I’m playing a game like the one I just played, a review game,” he said. “I’m seeing what went wrong.”
The fifth-grader had recorded every move made by himself and his opponent Saturday morning during his first game at the W. Paul Engle Jr. Open and Scholastic Chess Tournament at Boonsboro Middle School. The event was co-sponsored by the Pleasant Valley Elementary/Boonsboro Middle-High School Chess Club and the Maryland Chess Association. Nearly 70 students competed in four divisions.
While Justin prepared for his second game, his brother Benjamin Hung, 12, vied against an opponent in the nearby gymnasium. Their father, Graham Hung, said he thinks the game is “good for their thinking.”
“It helps them do things logically, and that helps in other areas of development,” he said.
Stephanie Stamper of Boonsboro prepped her daughter Emily, 8, as she headed into the gym for her second game.
“Smart moves. No pressure. Do your best every time,” Stamper said.
Emily’s brother Caleb, 6, also competed in the tournament.
“You just never know who is going to beat you,” Stamper said. “Someone who is very young can beat someone who is older. It’s not about physical ability. It’s more of a mental game.”
Kenny Hall, 16, of Walkersville, Md., played against 7-year-old Amy Luo of Centreville, Va. Amy recently had advanced to the contender class, and her modest ratings threw Kenny off. He managed a win, but not without considerable effort.
“I was shocked to see the way she played. I thought, ‘How could someone with that rating possibly play so well?'” Hall said.
David Antonenko, 10, of Reisterstown, Md., managed to beat an opponent five years his senior. David said competing against older players doesn’t faze him.
“I don’t really pay attention to my opponent. I just pay attention to the game,” David said.
More here.
Great article. I wonder how many scholastic chess tournaments are going on during the holidays?