Hanna to host regional chess tourney
By GARY LONG/The Brownsville Herald
2008-02-15 00:00:00
Hanna High School will host the 2008 Region VIII Championship Chess tournament on Saturday and Sunday. It is the qualifying event for the Texas High School Championship Chess Tournament in Houston. By Thursday afternoon, more than 1,200 players had registered, Hanna Principal Teri Alarcon said.
The tournament includes elementary, middle school and high school divisions. Awards include trophies to the top 10 teams in each section, individual trophies to the top 30 players, and individual medals to 31st to 60th places.
The winner of the High School Division will win a $1,000 scholarship to the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.
“This is quite an honor for us,” Hanna chess coach J.J. Garza said. “The only other time regionals were held here, it was hosted by the university.”
Garza said the first three places in each division qualify to go to state and Hanna is hoping to go again. “We’ve been state champions or co-champions for five years in a row and we’re hoping to make it six,” he said.
Garza said there is an additional incentive for Brownsville schools to do well at the Region VIII tourney and at state. It’s BISD policy to pay transportation costs to nationals for anyone who finishes first, second or third at state, he said.
Here is the full article.
Texas chess is huge!