CROWN POINT - The St. Mary Catholic Community School Chess Team competed in the Scholastic Chess of Indiana Team State Championship on March 22. Twenty-six St. Mary students qualified for the tournament and traveled to Martinsville to compete among the best student chess players in the state.
The St. Mary’s group consisted of six small teams of four or five players each ranging from first grade through eighth grade. The students persevered through a ten-hour day of chess games demonstrating excellent skills and sportsmanship.
Finishing the day in a very impressive third place and tying their school record from last year was the Eighth Grade and Under A team composed of Joseph Mullally, Andrew Myers, James Raggs and James Wong. They played at an elite level, losing only once, to the first-place team. The Eighth Grade and Under B team, consisting of Alex Macocha, Gabriel Rosado, Luca Trajkovski, Lucas Raloff and Nathan Ford, performed at a high level as well, ending the day in 16th place.
Another outstanding result was achieved by the Third Grade and Under A team of Matteo Gutierrez, Jacob Abramowicz, Kai Newtoff and Mariella Ables, who placed 15th in the state.
The other state finalists representing the Crown Point school included Joseph Shea, Lukas Vicari, Adeline Rosencranz, Grace Jamrosz, Ayumi Artis, Kameron Williams, Aubrey Charles, Elizabeth Mlynarski, Alfonso Gutierrez, Davis Mlynarski, Joanthon Patton, Harry Weaver and Emily Charles.
“Congratulations to the SMS Chess Team on another fun and highly successful season. A special shoutout goes to their outstanding club moderator, Dr. Lisa Mullally, for her efforts to take the SMS Chess to new heights,” said St. Mary principal Tom Ruiz.
Caption: Twenty-six students represented St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point at the Scholastic Chess of Indiana Team State Championship in Martinsville on March 22, winning many games and grabbing a third, 15th and 16th place finish. (Provided photo)
