Playing chess at Spirit of Math.
On August 7 CIC held an in-person tournament, held at the Central Toronto campus of Spirit of Math. For those of you who don’t know, Spirit of Math has been a long-time partner of CIC, and they welcomed us with open arms.
The tournament itself was quite small, as many people were away on holiday, but what emerged was quite a strong event! Some of our best alumni, plus some newer students and participants, played over fifty games of chess that afternoon, under the supervision of tournament director Keith and CIC instructor Tigana.
The results were quite amazing! Fourteen players played an eight-round rapid Swiss, which lead to a lot of really tough, well-played games of chess. I was (as usual) very impressed with the professionalism with which these young people approached their games. As I often say, chess is fun, but it’s serious fun!
A tense battle.
Regardless of tournament performance, each and every participant should feel proud of their tenacity and courage. Playing chess, especially against a tough opponent, is a difficult thing to do, and to play eight games of chess in one afternoon is quite an accomplishment!
Our players consistently demonstrate the qualities of mind—the courage to play, accepting a win or a loss with grace, and having a good, sporting attitude—that will benefit them as they progress both in chess and in life.
Congratulations to all who played, but particularly the tournament winners:
The medallists with tournament director Keith!
1st place: Ryan Saxena (7.0/8.0)
2nd place: Jakov Pavlovic (6.5/8.0)
3rd place: Dyaus Pan (6.0/8.0)
Honourable mention: Nolan Jeanneret, for defeating one of the top players
Spirit Award: Carter Whitten
