Chess Odyssey Winter Olympics

I took three Archer Glen chess teams to the Chess Odyssey Winter Olympics on Saturday. This was a big deal for everyone involved - all but one of us (coach included) had absolutely zero competitive chess experience! The three teams played in the Warrior division, which consists of unrated players. This doesn't mean the competition wasn't tough though.

There were three other teams playing in this division - two from Cooper Mountain, and one from the Portland Chess club. Our strongest team did very well, finishing third overall and winning the bronze medal. The player on the first board on our best team won a trophy for best player on his board! Overall I'm very proud of all of these kids for showing up and competing against other kids that clearly spend a lot more time practicing than we do. It was a long day (8am - 5pm) but they hung in there till the end.