On Saturday, Feb. 3, 165 chess players came to Centralia College for the 2024 Southwest Washington Scholastic Chess Championships, an opportunity for students in grades 6 through 12 to qualify for regional state competition.
A team from Yelm Middle School won the team championship.
The event consisted of two simultaneous tournaments: the Southwest Washington Middle School Chess Championships for students in grades 6 to 8, and the Southwest Washington High School Chess Championships for students in grades 9 to 12.
Students who attend school or are homeschooled in Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Skamania, Thurston and Wahkiakum counties were invited to attend.
Students played a total of 408 tournament games of chess during the event, yielding winners in three categories in addition to the team title won by Yelm Middle School:
• North Kitsap High School, in Poulsbo, 2024 High School Team Champions
• Blake VanSickle, of Pacific Crest Innovation Academy, Cook, 2024 High School Champion
• Stephen Belgau, of Jefferson Middle School, Olympia, 2024 Middle School Champion
The Washington High School Chess Association is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization, responsible for guiding high school chess leagues throughout Washington, and directing the annual Washington State High School Chess Team Championships.
The results, showing new ratings, will be available at https://ratingsnw.com/.
