Seventeen students from the middle and upper schools, along with three faculty members, competed in Doane Stuart’s Fall/Winter Chess Tournament, which was played over several months. Seventh-grader Asher Madison (‘25) reached the finals, ultimately falling to the defending champion and tournament organizer, Mr. Bradt (‘05). 

“It’s a great accomplishment to reach the finals of a school-wide tournament in the seventh grade, even more so given the strong turnout of players,” said Mr. Bradt, the school librarian. “Asher is a tenacious player with a lot of potential.”

The tournament featured a fun, communal atmosphere, with students coming to watch their friends compete. Jayden Ganeles (‘23) put it this way: “Even though I’m not the best at chess, I still had a great time. I had an exciting few matches, and I was glad to be able to compete with some of my friends.” 

On January 31st, Mr. Bradt ran a blitz chess (fast chess with timers) event in the library, and in March he will be running a student-only tournament. “Hopefully I will get better,” said Louis Nguyen (‘22), “I am looking forward to the chess tournament next month.”