BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) – George Evans Junior High School’s sixth, seventh, and eighth grade chess teams in Bloomington swept the competition at the Illinois Elementary School Association state championships this year.
Held February 23 and 24, the championships consisted of eight rounds of chess.
Until now, Chess coach Barry Bridgette said three chess teams from the same school winning first place at state is something that has never been done before in Illinois state history.
Last year the seventh and eighth grade teams also took first place home.
“They’ve won five state titles…Vamsi’s won three gold medals, and we have five or six silver medals and double digit bronze medals, so they’ve just the last two years went out and been amazing,” Bridgette said.
Bridgette said he’s proud of the student’s work ethic and dedication to the game. He said he believes he has some of the best players in the state.
”Everyday when I go to practice, I’m always just amazed by what they can do,” Bridgette said. “People playing three people at a time, people playing blind, it’s been eye opening.”
Some students say they practice chess over 30 hours a week.
“It’s a really good way to challenge your brain and pressure you to keep going, but in a good way. It’s not like you’re being pressured to do something that’s uncomfortable,” said eighth grade teammate Suhki Doddi. “Playing chess has always made me feel better about myself and I think it’s a really good thing to keep playing.”
Eighth grade player Vamsi Munaganuri went undefeated this year, earning himself individual gold. He said chess has been important to him since he was younger.
“It’s like a career, it’s like sport, and most of my life I’ve been playing,” Munaganuri said. “It’s just a key part of my life and something that I’m proud of.”
Sixth grade teammate Arnav Sharma said he believes he’ll continue to play chess the rest of his life.
“I feel safe in this world [that] only I get to control, my stuff, my pieces,” Sharma said. “I feel safe in it.”
Many of the eighth grade team members said they will continue to play in high school, and hope to reach titles beyond school competitions.
“I try to practice 30 to 50 hours per week, something like that,” said eighth grade teammate Pragyan Misra. “I really want to get better at chess and try and get a grand master title.”
Although the championship is over for the year, most of the kids still compete in tournaments across the state over the weekends.
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Source: Bloomington middle school’s chess teams sweep competition at state
