A group of Hauraki chess students is set to ‘check’ out the competition with their recent national final qualification.
Hauraki Plains College A chess team won the Checkmate Challenge in August, which has gained them entry for five players into the Chess Power Nationals event this month.
On top of this, the college took out the Checkmate Challenge on September 5, which secured them another spot for a sixth player to join the team for nationals.
HPC chess club organiser Amanda Fiztpatrick said the students wouldn’t have to worry about travel and accommodation expenses as they would attend the competition online from Hauraki Plains College.
Mrs Fitzpatrick said she had noticed students who wanted to play chess, help each other out, and who were interested in getting to the nationals.
The school Hub has held a fundraiser led by Mrs Fitzpatrick, for the entry fee for students to attend the chess tournaments. In return, students bring in grocery donations for the local food bank.
The six Hauraki Plains students who will put their skills to the test are: Prajwal Parajuli, Selwin de Haast, Leon Spilsbury, Ujwal Parajuli, Adelle Johnson and Kim Endino.
HPC chess champion at the recent Checkmate Challenge Selwin de Haast told The Profile it was a “pretty great feeling” when he found out the team had qualified.
Selwin, who has played chess since he was five, planned to prepare for nationals by learning more openings and “fixing the gaps” in the ones he already knew, he said. It was really beneficial to get a good start in a game, Selwin said. “I am also going to play a lot of practice games against high level computers.”
Selwin, who’s biggest inspiration in chess was his dad, said had never been involved in a chess tournament before but looked forward to learning and facing some really good players.
He was trying to slow down during games and “not get cocky” as that often led him to blunder a lot of pieces, he said.
If he could create a new chess piece, Selwin said it would be called the priest and would replace the queen.
“[The priest] moves like a king, but can convert any enemy piece into your own piece by being next to them.”
Meanwhile, year 9 student Adelle Johnson said she would create an upgraded pawn.
“It’s like a normal pawn, but it can move two squares forward and can move diagonally.”
When Adelle heard the team qualified for nationals, she said it felt like heaven had opened up its gates to “let us through”.
To handle the pressure of competitive play, Adelle said she would just focus on what’s happening in the game instead of worrying about the person she was playing.
The reason she got into chess was because she watched her dad play a game and asked if he could teach her how to play, she said.
Her biggest inspirations in chess were her dad and little brother, she said. “Some of my moves are kind of [dad’s] and my brother’s.
“I didn’t steal their moves,” she said. “I had improved [them] with my own.”
