Earlier in March, Flynn (10H) and Christopher (10K) travelled to Ballarat to participate in the 55th annual Begonia Open Chess Tournament.
The Ballarat Chess Club and the town’s wider community is fiercely proud of their chess tournament, and with good reason. Begonia has always attracted top players from around the world. This year, there was a record entry of 157 players, including 5 Grandmasters and 4 International Masters.
The Begonia Open was exceptionally popular in 2021 as it was one of the first face-to-face tournaments to take place since the pandemic took hold in Victoria last March.
Chris and Flynn played 7 games over three days. The games were a mental marathon, with most games lasting between 1 and 5 hours!
With multiple chess prodigies and adult grand and international masters, we knew it was going to be tough.Christopher and Flynn (Year 10)
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Christopher (10K) playing chess -
Flynn (10H) during a long game
Flynn and Christopher played outstandingly well. Highlights for Christopher included playing a four-hour long game against an 1800 rated player, as well as defeating numerous young chess prodigies. Flynn enjoyed beating three strong and experienced adults who were all above a 1500 rating.
After the three full days of chess, both Chris and Flynn won equal first place in their rating categories, earning a combined prize of $600!
Looking back on the event, both students commented on how chess has helped them grow as people, and how much they had enjoyed the competition.
We are eagerly looking forward to participating next year.Christopher and Flynn (Year 10)
Chris and Flynn are keen members of St Michael’s Chess Club. All students from Prep to Year 12 are welcome to join the Chess Club, where professional chess coach James Watson, and our students such as Chris and Flynn are happy to help anyone new to the game. Current families can find out more information on SchoL.
