Volume 31 Issue 28 09 Sep 2022 13 Elul 5782

Primary News

Felicity Donahue -Co-ordinator of Gifted & Talented (K-6)

Celebrating our Chess success

It’s been a big year for our chess players, with lots of exciting opportunities for our students to get together to share their love of “the royal game”.

Our chess leaders have been magnificent mentors for our younger students as they spend their Monday lunchtimes with the K-2 chess group. It’s a busy place to be on a Monday, as we have lots of lively games playing with our younger players. It’s wonderful to see the connections made between older and younger students, as they coach each other and share their knowledge in a supportive and respectful way. 

The Wednesday Years 3-6 casual chess group has been competing in the inaugural Emanuel Chess Tournament, run by our secondary students. The secondary chess enthusiasts run a tight ship, where strategy is discussed and moves are challenged. The tournament has been a great opportunity for older primary students who are new to chess to come along and give it a try, playing matches with peers and making new friends along the way. 

International Chess Master, Vladimir Feldman, coaches our competitive group on Fridays. This is a wonderful opportunity for students who would like to take up the challenge of building their skills alongside the tutelage of one of the very best. The invitation is open to all students who would like to stretch their knowledge and try their hand at participating in competitions occurring throughout the year. Our participation in the NSW Junior Chess League has come to an end this year, but we will be continuing to build our skills in anticipation of next year’s schedule. If any student is interested in coming along, please come and speak to me as we would be happy to help connect you to our group.

Our Championship Chess team moved into the semi-finals of the Sydney Academy of Chess Inter-school Chess Challenge, playing in the tournament at De La Salle College on Tuesday 23 August 2022. Although we didn’t progress to the finals, we played against some formidable teams and represented Emanuel brilliantly. A big congratulations to Theo Salek for placing 5th overall in the individual rankings. 

There is a range of chess opportunities for all students of all skill levels throughout the Primary School – if anyone is interested in participating in any of the groups listed in this article, I encourage you to get in contact with me via email so we can discuss the best placement for your child.