Article by Thavanesh Thevar, Room 4

On Wednesday 16 June, our group of 24 keen chess players competed in the West Auckland Intermediate Chess Championships. We were all hyped to take part in such a unique event.

We were divided into six teams of four, competing against teams across West Auckland. In total, 29 teams participated, all with their eyes on the top spot. While we didn’t place in the top three, it was still an awesome experience - and after a nail biting final round, our A team placed fourth!

Here is a little bit about my personal experience on the day.

On arrival at Kelston Boys’ High School, we were talked through how the competition would run, and shortly after our team of four was behind a table, ready to compete against another team. 

The first round — which was the first of six rounds to come — was hard. Considering that we contended against players ranked higher than us, our team did pretty well. Determined to win, our team tried our very hardest in the Chess Championships. 

Each round, we came up against other schools from across West Auckland. As I was playing on board one, it was often a challenge playing against top ranked players. Our hard work paid off, and my team - Glen Eden Intermediate C - placed sixth in the overall competition. By all accounts, it was a great experience; I’m extremely glad that I got to compete in the Chess Championships.