Regional Chess News: Peoria, IL

From PJStar.com Area chess teams make a move Local high school students compete in statewide tourney Saturday, February 9, 2008 By Brian Feldt Of The Journal StarPeoria - Just 32 small warriors stood between Michael Mahoney and his enemy as a room full of more than a 1,000 high school students was so quiet, one could only here the constant pounding of clocks. Rarely is a ballroom packed with teenagers so calm, but the focus and determination needed to play a solid chess match requires the silence. The high school students were competing in the 2008 Illinois High School Association's Chess Team State Tournament, which kicked off Friday at the Civic Center. The tournament will conclude today with the crowning of a new champion after the final round scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. Mahoney, the No. 2 ranked player for Peoria Notre Dame, lost his first-round match Friday but said the overall experience is something that he cherishes. "You get to make friends, meet new people and it is really challenging," he said. "You can have good games and then you can have bad games. It can get really intense while playing fast, moving fast, hitting the clock, moving, thinking. It's just fun." Shortly after 10 a.m. Friday, 37,120 assorted chess pieces were in play as nearly 150 schools challenged for the state title. Area high schools competing included Peoria Notre Dame, Richwoods, Galva, Woodruff and Princeville. Among them, Woodruff was the highest rated team coming in with a ranking of 51. Meanwhile, Notre Dame, Richwoods, Galva and Princeville were ranked 71st, 81st, 64th and 98th respectively. Mahoney and his eight-member squad will look to make a run to compete with some of the best chess players and teams Illinois has to offer. His coach, though, said finishing around the assigned ranking would be enough for his appetite. "We haven't had a team in our school for a few years," said Notre Dame coach Bill Smith, who revived the program that had been dead for three years. "If we could finish around the same spot that we are ranked, then that would be great." Smith said a few of his seniors had competed when they were freshmen and had hoped the chess team would be resurrected by the time they reached their final year. Eying the opportunity, Smith said he started the program and got a good response, and things just took off from there. He also said his first state tournament would be a learning experience for most players. "For one thing, with us being a new team made mostly of freshmen and sophomores, they get an idea of how much excitement they can find on a state level," he said. "And basically, they can find out just how good they really are by competing here." For more experienced teams, though, the weekend event is the culmination of a hard-fought season. Jeanette Quetel, a coach at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, Ill., said the tournament is the highlight of her players' season. The day off school, she added, was an extra bonus. "They look forward to this because it is the pinnacle of their chess experiences, because of the high-energy competition and because it is so challenging and engaging," she said. "Then, when they are done, they get to have some fun with their friends and teammates back at the hotel. That combination is pretty exciting for them."