3 months ago
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With a record number of teams participating in the Gifted Chess Foundation’s Scholastic Team Chess Championship, St Andrew Preparatory successfully defended their national title in the open team’s category last Thursday.
The annual chess championship drew a record number of participants as over 115 teams, representing more than 50 schools, took part in the competition held at the University of Technology auditorium.
The championship founder and organiser, Adrian Palmer, was left a proud figure as he reflected on the growth of chess since their launch 25 years ago.
“This tournament has made me proud,” he said, “seeing how far chess in Jamaica has come since we began. We are witnessing brighter minds that will shape an even more intelligent nation.
“With the right support from corporate Jamaica, we can grow this tournament further and extend its reach into under-resourced schools across both Corporate Area and rural communities.”
St Andrew Prep were once again crowned champions in the main event, taking home the title in the open team category.
They were led by their coach Chrissia Graham, who was also crowned the top coach of the tournament.
The open category was a highly competitive event this year as there was a five-way tie for second place which was broken on tiebreak scores.
Creative Kids Learning Academy took second, beating out Morris Knibb Prep ‘A’ team, who took third place.
Sts Peter and Paul ‘A’, Mona Prep ‘A’ and Emmanuel Christian Academy were fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, due to the tiebreaker.
The open event was not St Andrew Prep’s only title win on the day, as they also walked away with the under-eight crown.
It was a dominant performance from the school as they took the top two positions, with St Andrew Prep ‘A’ taking the win, ahead of St Andre Prep ‘B’.
In the all-female team category, Ardenne Prep pulled off an upset as they dethroned defending champions Immaculate Conception Prep on their way to first-ever national title.
Immaculate had to settle for second place, while Lorna Otto Prep rounded off the top three placings.
Campion College improved on their second-place finish in the junior high category last year as they took home the title this time around.
The Red Force of Hope Road took two of the top three positions, as Campion ‘A’ won the title ahead of Campion ‘C’, who placed third.
Glenmuir High have showed their resilience, however, taking the second position with a brilliant display.
The annual championship was made possible through the Gifted Chess Foundation’s partnerships with title sponsors Bridget Sandals, along with S.W.A.T Production Ltd, Big Daddy Wata Refill Ltd, and the S Hotel.
English (US) ·