Local middle schoolers show off chess skills

Facing fierce competition, area middle schoolers finished 16th in the national chess championship this weekend.

After winning the state championship in March, six students from Guy B. Phillips Middle School competed in the national chess tournament in Nashville, Tenn., from Friday until late Sunday night.

In the national tournament, players were paired by grade level and then by rating.

The higher the rating, the better the player. The Phillips team played in the K-8 championship section and competed against more than 50 middle school squads.

Eric Vaughn and J.J. Lang both received individual awards.

“I learned that there are a lot of people better than me,” said eighth-grader Ben Black of what he learned at the tournament.

Eighth-grader J.J. Lang added, “It’s something real fun and exciting. It’s an experience you won’t believe; there are 5,000 kids here.”

Martin Roper, the school’s chess coach and eighth-grade language arts teacher, said he knew the students would perform well in the championship.

The team has won the state championship four times in the past five years.

But Roper said that, typically, teams from major metropolitan areas, such as New York, tend to finish higher than other teams.

“Considering the competition, the Phillips team did really well,” said David Vaughn, a parent of both eighth-grade team member Kirk Vaughn and sixth-grader Eric.

Seventh-grader Tanner Hogue said before the tournament that the team would be competing against many other good players.

But Phillips players were no less prepared than the competition, as they have extensive backgrounds in the game.

Hogue said he started playing chess because of a rivalry with another Phillips student, who he previously had beaten in everything except chess. “Now I cream him in chess, too,” he said.

The team has practice twice each week, during which it learns a variety of methods and skills to improve its chess abilities.

“Some practices I just have them play against each other. Other times I give direct instructions on the board,” Roper said.

“Other times we play team games, where they work together and learn from each other.”

Roper added that the activity doesn’t just benefit students.

Parents become elated when their kids are really focused on something, he said.

“(The kids) really enjoy it,” said David Vaughn.

“It’s amazing in the age of video games that they really enjoy something like this.”

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.