Chess team excels

 Chess tournament

Northcote High School Chess Team competed in the first chess tournament for 2018 at the Australian International Academy in Coburg.

Northcote entered two teams: one in the Open Secondary Division (Lewis Tan, Be Murphy, Hugo Waples and Angus Boyd) and the other in the Middle Years Division (Phoebe Lawlor,  Bridie McLaughlin,  Jeffrey Ng and Thomas Smith).

Northcote achieved second place in the Senior Years division with excellent games from all competitors.  

In the Middle Years Division Jeffrey Ng was outstanding and Phoebe Lawlor won three matches. Newcomer, Thomas Smith performed extremely well as did Bridie McLaughlin. More importantly, the students competed once again in the spirit of good  sportsmanship and respect for their opponents.

Geoff Thomas

A day in the life of a Chess Player

On March the 26th Monday our chess team went to the AIA Secondary Campus in Coburg. The tournament is played as seven rounds. Each person has 12 minutes and an added 3 seconds every move.

I sit down patiently waiting for my opponent. My opponent takes a seat across me and introduces himself as Alex. He cracks his knuckles as if it seems to be intimidating. My opponent starts with a normal opening. As the opponent puts me in check multiple times I am persistent with my plan forward. I am suddenly out of focus and make a wrong move. After the false move I feel defeated and have no sense of hope. I continue to play. 8 minutes pass... Surrounded by people intensely watching in suspense and an eagle eye on any false moves. I have no pieces to move. I must make a sacrifice. I move my pawn to the end in exchange for a knight. People start to murmur and whisper judging the move. My opponent takes it. 2 more minutes pass and I start to panic. My opponent has two minutes more but we are close on the number of pieces, by me only being down by a bishop. I might lose because of time. As all the other games finish I look around, many others have crowded around our table, spectating. We both have a rook. My opponent continues to check me as I move my king and rook around the board. Times ticking. ‘10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1’ I press the timer with a desperate smash. 3 seconds are added on. My mind is going crazy, thinking intensely about my next move. My opponent puts me in a fork. I knock over my king and forfeit in frustration with only one second left on the clock. We shake hands and set the board back up.

Jeffrey Ng

Northcote High Chess Team