The Rich Township Raptors Chess team competed at IHSA State finals this past weekend in Peoria.  Although a very young team, the Raptors put up a great fight against many larger and more experienced schools by winning on several boards.

(Original story posted on January 19, 2022)

Through much perseverance, the Rich Township Chess Team had many great achievements this season. Many players were able to reach the top 10 in boards and even received medals for this year’s Blitz Tournament!  Junior Jenny Nguyen said of her team’s success, “I’m very proud of the team and the new members for their achievements! I made some friends along the way being in this club and would have never met such great people if I never joined. I also want to mention our coach (Mr. Chou), who lead the whole team with his optimism!”

For those not aware of what Blitz is, it is a game of chess in which two players play against each other with a 5 minute timer until one player wins either through their opponent’s timer running out or their king becoming captured. This type of chess game truly gets the adrenaline rushing and is very competitive.

Players who managed to reach the top 10 boards their names are Albert Gonzalez (1st Place Blitz, 2nd Place Board 2), Jenny Nguyen (5th Place Blitz, 3rd Place Board 3), Lamine Sidime (3rd Place Board 6), Zach Zamot ( 7th Place Board 1), Myles Menefee (4th Place Board 4), Anthony Howard (4th Place Board 6), Chinadu Onyeizeh (6th Place Board 6), and Cameron Taylor (10th Place Place Board 8). An honorable mention goes to Angelina Darden who won a game in the blitz tournament despite the fact it was her first time competing is this type of tournament!  On being new to this type of competition, sophomore Angelina says, “Your failures can help win achievements, learn from your mistakes and others.”

All the Raptor Chess Team members deserve words of praise for these great achievements. The team will compete in IHSA Sectionals next Saturday, January 29th at Andrew High School.  From there,  a chance for the team to qualify for the IHSA State Chess Finals down in Peoria, where they will meet with competitors from all around Illinois. Wishing good luck to the team!