This year all our kids qualified and participated in the 2010 Washington State Chess Championships in Tacoma on April 24th. What an eventful tournament! We stayed at a hotel in Tacoma near the convention center the night before as the tournament was to start extra early. We ordered room service for breakfast that night and got a good night's sleep. The next morning the breakfast never showed up. We scrambled to find something minutes before they had to be seated for the first round. Unfortunately hot chocolate was all they would drink until later that morning. Maddy's game was the last of the 600 or so to end the first round. Maddy hurrying to go to the restroom between rounds tripped and fell hard, breaking her clavicle. She was in severe pain and had to forfeit her second round match. However, she did tough out the rest of the day and play her final three games, winning two of them, though one win shy of placing and winning a trophy. Not bad considering she played in one less game and in constant pain. Who gets injured playing chess? Well, she did get injured during a math olympiad as well a week earlier. We didn't realize chess and math were contact sports. Dane had a very strong tournament, in fact his best ever, with 3.5 points out of 5, beating or drawing three higher rated opponents. He placed 13th overall in the Kindergarten section. Brock also had a very strong tournament and his best ever. He won every game to end up with 5.0 points. He was awarded 1st place and is the 2010 state chess champion for 2nd grade! He played another highly rated opponent in his final match of the day, which will be re-told as the Tale of Victor Krum around the family dinner table for years to come. In fact, there will be three tales, one for each kid, which will become family lore in this day of big highs and lows. To cap off the day, the Lowell Elementary chess team took 2nd place in the K-3rd grade division. Dane was the sole participant from his school. He looks forward to participating on the Lowell team next school year.
Dane takes 13th place!
Maddy back at the table with an ice pack, diagnosed later as a broken clavicle.
Brock playing his arch-rival, Howie.
Brock getting ready to play Vikram for the state championship.
Brock awarded 1st place and the 2010 State Championship for 2nd grade!
Lowell Elementary awarded the 2nd place team trophy! Best finish ever.
Brock with Coach DeWayne and Coach Otis. Brock joined their weekly study sessions this spring.
