At the end of February, 15 members of the chess team competed at the IESA State Chess Tournament in Peoria. After eight matches over two days the eighth grade level team made up of Aayush, DJin, Jonathan, Fabio, Jeremy, Vihaan, Andrei, Eric, Maggie and Lars finished in first place to capture the State Championship for Westview Hills Middle School. Taking home the trophy was a fitting end to a remarkable season for the team and the hardworking players. Eighth grade science teacher and team coach Don Engberg says that the team was determined from day one.
“Most of the players were on the team last year where we finished in fifth place which is just out of the range for getting a trophy,” said Engberg. “They almost immediately said ‘we are going to get back and try to win it all next year.’ Thanks to a veteran group of eighth graders who stepped up to lead the team, they made it their mission to get better and win.”
New this school year is an afterschool chess club, which most of the team took advantage of as a way to continue to get better and really connect with teammates. The competitive season starts in December, so the club pauses in order for students to focus on preparing for matches. Thanks to positive attitudes and an encouraging culture built on sharing what they learn, the team went undefeated throughout the season with some game victories being blowouts.
When Engberg took over the team from a retiring teacher back in 2010, it was not because he was a passionate chess player himself. The former coach would hold practices in Engberg’s science classroom and he observed how they prepared for upcoming competitions. When he was asked to step up and coach, he was excited for the opportunity.
“I am not a widely experienced competitive chess player or a coach that is going to know every technique down to the move,” said Engberg. “I consider myself more of a Chess Motivator or Chess Facilitator because I can help the team get better with things like how to calm their mind, interact with each other in a positive way, and encourage them to help each other.”
That facilitation style approach results in practices that are open ended where practicing with different players and sharing ideas for strategy is encouraged. The team stays sharp by playing online chess and keeping their brains busy with puzzles. Eighth grader and top player NAME would even occasionally take control of the smart board in the classroom and show the team different strategies or ideas he picked up online. He also stepped in with a serious motivational speech on the day of the state tournament.
The state finals is a two-day competition with five rounds of chess being played each day. They were in first place for much of the day, but by the end of the first day, they had dropped to third. Before they left for the day, the team gathered and was told to go home and get rest because there was more chess to play tomorrow and that they could expect to move back up.
“They all came in so positive on that second day and it just kept going,” said Engberg. “They had that winning mindset and focused on encouraging each other and sharing how to continue to improve instead of being discouraged after a loss. These kids are so good at learning strategy, thinking ahead, and making those quick decisions. Chess is a great way to create strong strategic thinkers!”
At the end of the day they were back in first place and came away with the win. In addition to the team’s overall success, seven Westview players won individual medals. At the sixth grade level, Yathin and DJun won silver. The seventh grade level saw Ariyan win a bronze. And at the eighth grade level, Jonathan won silver, while Aayush, Vihaan and Fabio won bronze medals.
Bigger than the medals and trophies or the school assemblies or board of education recognition, the team earned each other’s trust and became a team made up of individuals who brought their best to every practice, every move, and every game.