Winning with the 2014 Chess Team!

Pictured below... The 2014 St. Ethelreda Chess Team led by our 5th grade teacher, Mr. Luster.

The Chess Team rocked at the Lane Tech Chess Tournament last weekend (link):

• Our St. Ethelreda squad finished 4th out of 23 teams competing. Awesome!

• With more than 100 players participating, 3 St. Ethelreda team members finished in the top 25: Amani M, Elijah W, and Torrance H.

• And Amani M. finished 1st overall... ahead of more than 100 players, with a perfect match record. WOW! 

I asked Mr. Luster about how he likes leading the team. "I love it. I personally enjoy chess. It's wonderful to see my students improving and growing in confidence with each practice and tournament."

Some insight from team members:

• Valandria S (8th grade) - "I joined at the recommendation of a friend. They told my they enjoyed it. And I agree!"

• Shane S - "My Dad is a chess master, and I wanted to learn more like him."

• I asked Jeremiah W (4th grade) if he could beat me in a game of chess: "Oh sure!"

You can see all the Chess Team photos here on flickr:

St. Ethelreda 2014 Chess Team photo album

Thank you Mr. Luster and our great St. Ethelreda Chess Team!
Finally, the Chess Team with their game faces on, intense and ready for the next game.

Chess team champions!

By Mr. Luster
Chess Team Coach

The St. Ethelreda Eagle chess team is soaring right through its competition as of late.

During Glenwood's recent scholastic tournament, St. Ethelreda dominated the third grade and under competition acquiring 1st place team trophies and an individual 1st place for William W. in the third grade. St. Ethelreda also won the fifth and sixth grade category, capturing 1st place trophies there as well. Amani M. won second place in this category.

At De La Salle's recent Scholastic Tournament, St. Ethelreda's own Taifa M. dominated his competition by winning 1st place in the 7&8 grade category out of almost 100 participants in his section! Below Taifa and Principal Spells show off his victory hardware in front of St. Ethelreda's trophy shelves.

I attribute the recent success to hard work and fervent prayers and anticipate that the St. Ethelreda family will be hearing many more success stories soon.

PS - Thank you Mr Luster. Bill Krieger here. I was able to interview our chess champion, Taifa M., about his victory this morning at school.

Bill: Did you expect to win?
Taifa: No.

Bill: So, how did you do it?
Taifa: It was luck and skill.

Bill: How often do you practice?
Taifa: Usually twice a week.

Bill: Do you play at home?
Taifa: Yes. I play against my Dad and my brother.

Bill: Did you have fun at the competition?
Taifa: Yeah, and it was tough!

Congrats Taifa! And congrats to all our St. Ethelreda chess champions! These incredible tournament results  reflects a great job done by our Chess Team coach, Mr. Luster. He has done an outstanding job motivating and educating these young students.