Checkmate !
Students Compete in District Competition
The 2018 Iredell-Statesville Schools Chess Tournament was held on Thursday , March 29 , 2018 , at The Unity Center in Statesville , NC . The tournament was open to any students in grades 3-12 in Iredell- Statesville Schools ( I-SS ). A total of 79 players , representing 14 schools , participated in this year ’ s tournament . The awards ceremonies were divided by school-level , recognizing a first , second , and third place winner . This year , for the first time , one school in each division was recognized for their impeccable sportsmanship .
Elementary School Division
The elementary awards were first and Mrs . Kelly Hinson , Director of Gifted Learning , announced the winners . Parker Shrigley from Lake Norman Elementary School was awarded third place , and second place was awarded to Thomas Julian from Scotts Elementary School . Carter Culbreth claimed this year ’ s first place in the elementary division . Culbreth is a fourth-grade student at Lake Norman Elementary School . When asked about his win Culbreth stated , “ It feels really good to win . [ Chess ] is really fun , and it makes your brain work and improves your skills .”
Thomas Julian - 2nd place , Carter Culbreth - 1st place , and Parker Shrigley - 3rd place
Casey Hickey - 3rd place , Arjun Saminathan - 1st place , and Benson Huang - 2nd place .
Middle School Division
The middle school division continued to a 6th round since many of the players were tied for multiple places . Winners were announced to conclude the competition . Casey Hickey from West Iredell Middle School was awarded third place , and Benson Huang from Mount Mourne School received second place honors . Arjun Saminathan a sixth-grade student at Mount Mourne School claimed the top honors for the middle school division . Saminathan explained that chess is fun and intense for him , but nothing beats the thrill he gets
3rd place winner - Casey Hickey , 1st place winner - Arjun Saminathan , and 2nd place winner - Benson Huang
The Sportsmanship Trophy was awarded to Troutman Middle School for their division .
from the sport . “ I love the thrill . It ’ s sorta the same thrill you get when you are running really fast ,” stated Saminathan . “ It ’ s like when your heart beats when you might notice something you messed up on . That ’ s sort of fun .” Saminathan did not win the tournament by just playing occasionally . If someone is wanting to get better they have to “ practice ” he explained . “ You cannot just get good at it without practice .”
8 Iredell-Statesville School & Family