By: Sydney Denis (student at Gold Hill Middle School)
Tega Cay Elementary School hosted their first-ever Chess Club “Titans Cup” Tournament on Tuesday, April 30th. 26 students across the third, fourth, and fifth grades competed in this three-group tournament event. The Chess Club started back in November 2023, where students of all skill levels joined with the excitement of learning how to play chess. Led by parent-volunteer coach, Cedric Denis, the students learned the fundamentals of chess, chess etiquette and moved on towards the strategy of the game.
All the students played extremely well and were able to showcase to their families what they learned in the past few months. From learning where the chess pieces are placed, to algebraic notations that incorporated math skills and to strategizing multiple openings such as the Ruy Lopez and Italian game, all Chess Club members finished the season as proficient chess players. Ian Fesko, a fifth grader, claimed, “I love the environment and how everyone can work together to create new and exciting strategies”. Additionally, Victoria Freile, a third grader stated, “Chess makes me feel smarter and happier”.
While the students enjoyed learning chess and being able to apply it into their everyday lives, Tega Cay Elementary School Principal, Brigitte Wagner said “It provides additional activities other than sports at our school”. Assistant Principal, Kimberly Coolidge claims “It provides better behavior not only in the class, but outside too”.
At the end of the tournament, where we saw students play a minimum of six games and also a team competition, the following students came out as champions.
Individual Winners
Group 1 (Dwarves)
- 1st Place: Tripp Franklin
- 2nd Place: Ian Fesko
- 3rd Place: Zack Rashley
Group 2 (Wizards)
- 1st Place: Bowen Buchanan
- 2nd Place: West Holmes
- 3rd Place: Tyler Mitchell
Group 3 (Elves)
- 1st Place: Leo Nave
- 2nd Place: Grace Denis
- 3rd Place: Noah Patterson
Team Winner: “The Champions” – Bowen Buchanan, Charlie Buchanan, Cody Borg-Godinho, Eric Neu, Kevin Mathews, Leo Nave
This school year has shown that there is major interest in chess and the hope is to not only grow the Chess Club within Tega Cay Elementary School, but to also expand out to other Fort Mill School District schools in the upcoming years. With the support of the PTO, parent volunteers, school administration and local business sponsors, the 1st Annual Tega Cay Titans Cup tournament was a success!
