2021 has been an extremely fruitful year for the Logan Park High School chess club! The chess room has been buzzing with activity every Friday, and the club has reached an all-time high, both in participation and in success in local competitions.

In June, three LPHS teams competed in the Otago/Southland Interschool Teams Chess Championship, where our A team placed 1st in Otago and 2nd in the tournament. This competition saw the combined success of Zishen and Paxton, who achieved the highest overall score of all Board 2 players. The LPHS A team also made it to chess nationals (however, it is not certain whether this event will still be held). Due to COVID-19 restrictions, chess club members have also competed in a variety of online tournaments, including the August, September, and October Checkmate Challenges, where the school placed 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd each respective month, and the Chess Power Online Regionals, where the school placed 2nd. Paxton and Alexander each placed highly enough to move into the nationals for several of these events. LPHS also placed 1st in the Otago U20s chess tournament in September.

It’s been a fantastic year for the chess club, and I wish them all the best for the upcoming years.