After years of hard work, practice, and diligence, the Whitefield K-5 Chess Team went undefeated in five rounds to win the state chess championship on March 25!
Following second-place finishes at state in 2015 and 2016, the students competed against a strong field of 26 teams from across Georgia this year.
In the first round, the fifth-graders prevailed on every board, securing a 5-0 first round score. Progressively facing tougher competition, the team won 4-1 in each of the next two rounds. Moving into the fourth round with three wins, Whitefield was paired against the top-seeded team in the event. Drew Justice, playing the highest rated player in the section on board one, came away with a win, again leading the team to a 4-1 match score. In the final round, facing the only other undefeated team, Walker Paxton got things going with a quick win on board four, while Nate Jones and Drew each took draws. Needing one more win for the state championship title, Efetobo Aror and Christian Wiggins were at the board for close to an hour. Both players simultaneously pulled out wins to secure the victory for Whitefield, with Efe finishing the day 5-0!
The K-5 team, supported throughout by alternate Archer McBride, garnered a total of 21 out of 25 points and won the title outright as the only team with a perfect 5-0 score.
Whitefield's K-3 team, including second-graders Alex Keck, Troy Schoenbaechler, Andrew Upchurch, and Jordan Young, and third-grader Anders Guthrie, also competed at the state championship. The team demonstrated patience and perseverance as they faced more experienced teams, coming away with a win against Walker in the final round for a 1-4 record on the day. The second-graders are looking forward to continuing competition next year in K-3 to achieve a better result.
Congratulations to these chess players for their dedication and success and for representing Whitefield Academy!