Scotch College

Check-mate!

The Junior Secondary Program State Final at St Catherine’s School

The Winning Team (L to R): Ronald Lam (Yr9), Ben Lucato (Yr8), Gordon Yang (Yr8), Eddie Yeoh (Yr8), Andrew Lim (Yr7), Derek Yu (Yr7), Sai Wimaleswaran (Yr7) and Scott Woodard (Yr8)

Victorian State Champions Sam Chow (Yr11), Daichi Nagao (Yr12 – Chess Captain), Alex Hua (Yr12) and Chris Sia (Yr11)

Many boys at Scotch enjoy Chess and over the past two years it has grown from strength to strength within the School. A lunchtime club is held weekly where players of all ability levels are welcome, and early in the year boys who are interested in representing the School as a member of a competitive Chess team are selected in graded teams. Some students are involved in clubs outside the school and are able to use these talents within this extra curricula activity.

In 2004 Scotch had seven competitive teams, comprised of players from Years 7 to 12, entered into the Chess Victoria Secondary Teams Competition and fifteen players from Years 7 to 9 who participated in the Junior Secondary Interschool Competition.

Each term a Chess event is held to celebrate the enjoyment and challenge of Chess. This may take the form of a staff–student challenge, a simultaneous event where many games are played at the same time against a variety of opponents, or lightning chess.

2004 saw the first election of leaders for Chess with Daichi Nagao being selected Captain and James Wan and Sam Chow Vice-Captains.

Chess Victoria Secondary Teams Event.

Students are entered in teams of four and play seven rounds in the zone competition.

Scotch won the Metro West and Metro South East Competition thus qualifying two teams into the state ‘A’ grade division and came second in another zone to qualify for the ‘B’ division. The team members in A division were Sam Chow, Daichi Nagao, Chris Sia, Alex Hua, James Wan, Ben Lucato, Carl Kimberley, Robert Pallot, Toby Cooper and Derek Yu. B division team members were Gordon Yang, Sai Wimaleswaran, Andrew Lim, Jonathan Chia and Ashish Sharma.

The state final was held in Springvale in September. The competition was strong and a close finish ensued with Scotch winning the right to represent Victoria at the National Schools’ Championship in December. We wish Sam Chow, Daichi Nagao, Chris Sia, Alex Hua, James Wan and Derek Yu all the very best for this competition. The other Scotch teams also played very well, coming eighth in division A and third in division B.

Junior Secondary Interschool Competition

This was a new program developed by Chess Kids this year for Years 7–9 players only. Throughout the year Scotch participated in three zones of the competition, two of which we hosted in the Boykett Room. Scotch qualified eight players for the state final held at St Catherine’s on Monday 25 October. Students played nine half-hour games and Scotch won convincingly over Melbourne High School by a margin of 3.5 games. Derek Yu was undefeated with nine wins and Ben Lucato with eight. These boys are in Years 7 and 8 respectively and indicate a strength for years to come.

Congratulations to all the students who have taken part in the range of Chess opportunities at Scotch.

Michele Linossier
Extension Studies Co-ordinator