“Chess is a game by its form, an art by its content and a science by the difficulty of gaining mastery in it.”
Tigran Petrosian
On Wednesday 15th November 2023, Ms Black took our first team of six boys to the Schools Nationals Chess Championships qualifiers held at St Mary's Catholic School. There were 14 schools in attendance, 16 teams in total competing to qualify for the Regionals.
The boys played amazingly, winning two rounds and drawing one. The boys were one of six teams at the event who qualified to progress to the Regionals for the Schools National Chess Championships.
Ms Black said: 'I cannot say enough about how proud we should be of this team, we were one of the only schools to have never competed in the tournament before, and a real testament to the boys to even qualify their first time taking part. Additionally, they all stayed behind and helped the organiser of the event pack away chess boards, clocks, and move furniture. They were the only students at the event to stay and help.'
The organiser Paul Richardson, an alumnus of St Cuthbert's, was so proud to see the boys get through and the start of Chess at St Cuthbert's, which did not exist when he attended.
"Chess helps you to concentrate, improve your logic. It teaches you to play by the rules and take responsibility for your actions, how to problem solve in an uncertain environment."
Garry Kasparov
