Last weekend, three staff members took four students to the 5th annual Deaf Chess Invitational, hosted by the Texas School for the Deaf. We arrived despite flying through a rough thunderstorm. The seven participating teams were Texas, Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Rochester, MSSD, Kentucky, and Colorado. We all enjoyed plenty of games and social activities on Friday as we prepped for the chess matches ahead.
Saturday morning, the teams began a round-robin style of play for seven rounds. CSDB played very well and had such a great attitude. During the midday break, we toured downtown Austin to enjoy the beautiful Texas weather. With some surprising wins here and there, we ended up placing 6th by day's end.
Sunday, we began the playoffs against 3rd seeded Rochester School for the Deaf. Despite several close games, we ended up losing. Most of our players learned chess four months ago, so we held our heads high, and felt proud of our first tournament. The host school won a very heated championship round and everyone had a wonderful time.
1st Place Team: Texas School for the Deaf
2nd Place Team: Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf
3rd Place Team: Ohio School for the Deaf
Justin, Trena, and I (Nick) couldn't be prouder of the effort our students put out there this weekend. Our Texan hosts were lovely and welcoming. We are looking forward to the immense potential for next year!
