Interschool event, 14 June 2022

The Covid era sometimes seems to drag on interminably and has affected our lives in countless ways. In many cases there are social and interpersonal events that are lost to time because of it. But we live in an era of remarkable technology which, while never able to equal the human connections of actually attending public events in person, can offset much of the frustration of students being confined to school campuses for interschool events.

Interschool Chess in Tasmania has access to Tornelo, the digital arena for this Term’s tournament. Tornelo simulates the conditions of a live chess tournament and is used worldwide for competitions of all ages, levels and sectors of society. Based on the other side of Bass Strait, last week it played host to a state-wide competition where our students were able to compete against some of the state’s best young players – and a smattering of mainland students in Victoria and WA.

Eleven Prospect students each played seven hard-fought rounds against automatically placed opponents, between coaching sessions on Zoom using graphics. A highlight was watching Aiden and Hayden (both Yr.7) notch up their first tournament wins. Both students have made great strides to improve their games this year. Another moment was watching big gun Travis (Yr.9) take on the tournament’s elite, coming in as our highest ranked player. He was followed by quiet achiever Wilfred (Yr.9), who vies with Aiden for being Prospect’s most improved player this year. Wilfred finished as our second-highest ranked player.

An enjoyable morning was had by all. While we appreciated the technology involved, all of us are keenly awaiting the chance to return to in-person tournaments in Term 3, which are planned to be held in our region. From there we are a good chance to qualify for Finals in Term 4. Most importantly, the fun, the growth and the spirit shown by our Chess students on the day remains the key. Thanks goes to Narelle Williams for the photos.