By SEAN MORTIMER
Staff Reporter 

Worland hosts middle school chess tournament after long hiatus

 

February 16, 2023

Sean Mortimer

Hayden Peters of Powell poses with his first place trophy after winning the Worland Invitational Chess Tournament at the Middle School library on Feb. 11.

WORLAND – Worland Middle School Chess Coach Tim Trippel hosted a chess tournament at the middle school library on Feb. 11, the first of its kind in a very long time, according to Trippel.

He said that the first time Worland hosted a chess tournament was when Judy Harkink, a former Worland teacher, had sponsored it while she still worked at the middle school. Trippel said that there was one other since then, but that it has been quite a long time since Worland has hosted a chess event.

The reintroduction of the chess tournament in Worland was successful, according to Trippel. Players from Worland, Thermopolis, Greybull and Powell competed in six rounds of play for prizes such as chess boards, books and chess pieces. Cody had planned on bringing a team but they were unable to come, he said.

Worland players performed well in the tournament, with a second-place finish from Ethan Re and a fourth-place finish from Jeff Winiecki. Notably, Winiecki utilized an En passant capture in one of his victories; an obscure strategy in which you can capture a pawn adjacent to your own if, in the previous turn, the opponent advanced their pawn two spaces.

Although Worland competed well, Hayden Peters from Powell went on a tear of six wins and no losses on his way to first place at the tournament. Trippel praised him, calling him a "very strong player." For his efforts he was awarded an ornate solid wood chess set. Onyx Miller, also of Powell, took third place after a tie-breaker loss in a timed match versus Ethan Re.

Trippel said that those players who travelled for the tournament all came with their families, and said "Powell, Greybull and Thermop kids all come with their parents, so both them and their parents are pretty serious about the game."

Following the success of the chess tournament, Trippel said that he looks forward to participating in more chess events with his team. He stated that both Powell and Cody had expressed interest in hosting a tournament, and that he would plan to have his team travel to attend should they occur.

As for future Worland events, he said that students would have an informal after-school tournament during the spring to look forward to. Trippel also said of future invitational chess tournaments that "we will definitely host another one next year."

The players representing Worland are all participants in Trippel's chess club, which he hosts on Mondays and Wednesdays during lunch time at the middle school. He said that he also hosts after-school chess events on Thursdays that are open to all ages.

Trippel said that his chess club has spiked in attendance in recent years, and he attributes that to several factors. He cites the user base of chess.com doubling through the COVID pandemic as evidence of increased interest in the game. In addition, increased media attention toward chess stemming from shows like The Queens Gambit on Netflix has helped bring chess to a wider audience. Meanwhile, there are talented chess players streaming their gameplay on websites like twitch.tv, drumming up interest in the game from young people.

Sean Mortimer

Worland chess coach Tim Trippel oversees the tournament in the Middle School library on Feb. 11.

After discussing these factors, Trippel said "As a whole, the popularity of the game has just shot up."

 
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