The William S. Hart Union High School District hosted its first-ever Superbowl of Chess tournament on Saturday at Castaic High School.
A total of 62 students ranging from junior high to high school participated in a friendly competition for a chance to win a trophy and bragging privileges.
But it wasn’t just about who had the best strategic move to score a checkmate. The daylong competition aimed to showcase chess on a bigger scale and teach students the similarities between life and the board game.
Hart District Director of Human Resources Mark Crawford, Tim Abadilla with Masterpiece Chess Academy in Newhall, and Saugus High School teacher Sam Kennedy were the three who organized and led the tournament.
According to Kennedy, the game teaches players life skills such as patience, planning, critical thinking and problem solving.
“In chess, you start out late to the beating position, and then you have to plan your way to finish the game,” Kennedy said. “Students may think, ‘I want to do this as a career. Let me find the steps on how to get there.’ Obviously,there are going to be obstacles. You play against your opponent; you don’t know what’s going to happen or what they’re going to do. How are you going to change what’s coming at you?”
“It’s great for the brain and any way kids are able to sit down and use those skills I think is a benefit not only on the chessboard but in life,” Kennedy added.
West Ranch High School sophomore Roger Li hadn’t played chess in a few years but wanted to participate on Saturday for some friendly competition. Some competitors caught him by surprise with their strategic moves such as a fork, or a single piece attacking two or more pieces at the same time.
Nonetheless, he enjoyed surrounding himself with students who were open to learning how to master the game because “anyone could play. You always see really young kids to really old people,” he said.
According to Kennedy and Abadilla, each game during the tournament averaged about an hour, and there was a total of five rounds.
The tournament had 100 signups and 62 students showed up for the tournament, which was more than expected and determined to be a positive turnout.
“It feels so nice seeing all these kids together playing chess. It’s growing in this community. I definitely want more kids in here and honestly, I’d like to open it up, not just to junior high and high school, but just K-12 in general,” Abadilla said.
One misconception people usually have about chess is that “you need to be smart to be good at it,” said Abadilla, but “that’s far from the truth. It’s a game, like all of the games, but it helps build those qualities.”
Siblings Aakash and Aakashi Ahuja both decided to participate in the tournament because they’ve been playing the board game for a few years.
Aakash, who is a sophomore at West Ranch, had a winning streak by lunch break during the tournament. By the end of the competition he took first place in the Rated Division. McColm Cephas took first place in the High School Division and Saimahith Velama took first place in the Junior High Division.
What Aakash loves most about the game is that there’s something new that is always happening when a new game begins.
“Chess is one of my hobbies, and I like to practice it and every time I play, it feels like a gift. It feels like something new every time despite it being the same sport,” he said.
His sister, Aakashi, who is an eighth grader at Rio Norte Junior High School, said she loves the variety the game offers.
“No two games are the same, and I just enjoy it, because there’s a lot of variation. I like coming here with him, too,” Aakashi said, speaking about her brother. “Since we both play chess, this is something we can come do together.”
“At one point when you start understanding the game more, it takes more cognitive depth and as a result it actually enhances your thinking in other ways many don’t realize,” added Aakash.
The winners of this year’s Hart District Superbowl of Chess winners were as follows:
Junior High Division:
- 1st – Saimahith Velama.
- 2nd – Cole Gallegly.
- 3rd – Tigran Hakobyan.
- 4th – Logan Shane.
High School Division:
- 1st – McColm Cephas.
- 2nd – Rhett Klinger.
- 3rd – Isaiah Singley.
- 4th – Jose Martinez.
Rated Division:
- 1st – Aakash Ahuja.
- 2nd – Roger Li.
- 3rd – Sai Tej Chikati.
- 4th – Alexander Beglaryan.
