It may be the only competition which silence fills the room once it begins. Aside from the occasional click of a clock, a quiet intensity settled over the gymnasium at Eastmont Middle as students across the District squared off in the Canyons School District middle school chess tournament. With eight boards per team and trophies on the line, every move carried weight and strategy that would determine the championship.

Still the day was more than scores.

At Albion Middle, coach Lacee Larson is building her program on consistency and sportsmanship.

“It’s about fun first and foremost,” she said. “We want students to come join the fun and learn good sportsmanship. They’re good about shaking hands and nobody gloats when they win. Everybody’s a good winner. They’re great kids.” 

Albion players started practicing at the beginning of the school year and play every week. Although the team had a smaller turnout this year and competed with seven boards instead of eight, strong leadership led the group.

“Our first grader has won in every tournament in middle school so he wants to have a streak and is working hard at that,” Larson said. “Our team is a mix of experience; some kids come knowing their stuff and others come in and are learning as they go.”

That blend of veterans and newcomers is common across the District. At Butler Middle, coach Anna McNamer, who oversees a 40-member team, strikes a balance between experienced and new players in championship play.

“We balance playing in the tournament between experience, attendance and skill,” she said. “Finding that balance is how we get the most out of extracurricular activities.”

McNamer said students support each other.

“This is designed less on ‘I’m a master chess player and I’m going to teach you how to play,’ but more on mentorship and encouragement,” she said. “We have students learning how to play chess, how to win with humility and lose with dignity, which in middle school, can be tricky.”

Indian Hills Middle School players felt both the pressure and joy of the competition.

Sixth-grader Jacob Hamilton joined the team for the opportunity to play.

“I wanted to play chess more, but nobody in my family ever wanted to, so I joined chess club,” he said. “It’s fun and now I get to play more often.”

Teammate seventh-grader Dysen Painter found himself competing at a higher level than expected at the tournament.

“It’s kind of difficult for me because I’m the second alternate, but I’m playing the second table because our second player didn’t show,” he said. “I’ve won one game and lost another so far, but I feel pretty good about it.”

Dysen learned chess from his father, but he hadn’t played a lot until recently.

“I want to beat my dad three times in a row. I’ve only beat him once because he’s a good player, but most of my skill I’ve learned comes from him,” he said.

Seventh-grader Thiago Jara Mateo, who won board 7, likes chess for the skill and strategy.

“Unlike most board games, it’s not about luck and it’s more about skill,” he said. “I like figuring out how I can get better. I often attack and leave pieces open, hanging. That’s mostly why I lose, and I need to get better at that.”

Coach Adam Martinez is in his fourth year coaching Indian Hills, guided a team that entered the tournament as a two-time defending District champion.

“I’d love to take a lot of the credit, but players are dedicated to the game,” he said. “They’re the ones who make all the difference. I’m just a pretty good cheerleader.”

Martinez prepares his team with an abridged round robin school tournament.

“They’re ranked accordingly so you can figure out how to place them on the boards,” he said. “We practice as we play, too.”

That preparation includes using chess clocks, following “touch move” rules and adhering to guidelines against sideline coaching.

When the matches concluded, teams scores were tallied, with eight possible points per round:  one point per win, half point for a draw and zero for a loss.

In the end, Eastmont prevented Indian Hills from claiming a third straight title by capturing the District title with 41 points. Mount Jordan Middle followed with 38.5 points for second place while Midvale Middle took third with 35 points.  

Individually, Albion’s Stephen Lindsay and Draper Park Middle’s Sam Chen tied on board 1; Midvale’s Yuun Kim and Mt. Jordan’s Noah Whitting tied on board 2; Mt. Jordan’s Arthur Despain won board 3; Eastmont’s Kevin Bretz took board 4; Midvale’s Will McKenna won board 5; Indian Hills’ Alex Zollinger took board 6 and Eastmont’s Kimball Bettinson won board 8.