Students hold their own in national chess tourney
By Journal staff
A dozen Rapid City youths were among about 1,000 students, kindergarten through ninth grade, competing in the junior high national championship chess tournament in Sacramento this past weekend.
South Middle School finished the K-9 team competition in 13th place. The Grandview Elementary School team ended the tournament in 18th place.
“We’ll take 13 and 18,” chess coach Randy Christensen said Monday. “Some of the best minds in the nation were all under one roof. These chess players are the best of the best in the country in these grades, and we’re really proud of our kids.”
The Rapid City players were the only South Dakotans at the tournament. California and New York sent about half of the students who up the competition.
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One of the most valuable features of this weblog is the regular highlighting of State, Regional, and National youth chess activity. I doubt that most Americans realize how much chess activity young people are involved in and how beneficial it is.