Jacksonville Scholastic Chess

Players gather for City Scholastic Chess Championship

By SCOTT PFEIFFER, My Mandarin Sun

For the fourth time in as many years, a large gathering of board-game enthusiasts and their families recently convened for a journey of the mind when Jacksonville Country Day School again opened its doors to host the annual Jacksonville City Scholastic Chess Championship.

This year’s event attracted 133 players from Duval and neighboring counties and from Georgia. The participants – including wide-eyed kindergartners playing in their first chess tournament, returning elementary school champions, novice middle school teams, and seasoned high school veterans – were looking forward to competing on the checkered field of the “royal game.”

The chess tournament, a non-elimination, four-game format called a “Swiss system,” got off to a late start when officials wrestled with pairing anomalies and for the first time employed overheads to post table assignments.

The players came to do battle, and they did so with vigor when the ritual pre-game words were announced: “Players, shake hands, have fun and start your games!”

Before you could say, “Bobby Fischer, the Brooklyn whiz,” second-grader Ajamn Brown, in a mere four moves, had achieved the ultimate objective – checkmate.

One might wonder, how did it happen so quickly?

The youngster had employed one of the oldest “tricks” in the books, the so-called “Scholar’s Mate.” In doing so, he paved the way to repeat his undefeated performance from last year. He won all four of his games, and took the champion’s trophy in the kindergarten- to second-grade category.

On the other end of the spectrum were a few brave pioneers, some of whom lost most if not all of their games.

This sometimes happens to initiates of the game because, as with so many other pursuits, it takes time to excel at chess. But those who don’t give up eventually gain from their losses. In future battles, they can apply lessons learned and take their first steps toward mastery.
Scott Pfeiffer was tournament director for the 2008 Jacksonville City Scholastic Chess Championship.

Here is the list of all the winners.