Published On: June 16th, 2016By

Kujawa Elementary, Aldine Middle and Aldine Ninth GradeSchool/Aldine HS Win AISD Chess Tournament

Chess teaches youth to make the right moves on the board, in the classroom and in life.

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[dropcap color=”#888″ type=”square”]O[/dropcap]ne hundred and fifty-three students from 11 campuses took part in the 2015 Aldine ISD Chess Tournament. The event took place in May 7 at Aldine Middle School. This is the second year that AISD holds the unrated tournament for K-12th grade students.

The district’s Gifted and Talented Department sponsors the event. Twiana Collier is program director for advanced academics.

Chess-QuoteMany schools in the district have incorporated a chess program at their campuses,” Collier said. “Supporters of chess believe it has a positive impact on students. The goal is to help students make reasoned judgments. Chess is an excellent tool to teach them critical thinking. The district tournament gives chess students an opportunity to shine. They see how their skills compare with their peers. It is a fun learning experience for everyone.”

Research shows a strong correlation between learning to play chess and academic achievement. In 2000, a study found that students who received chess instruction scored significantly higher on all measures of academic achievement. This included math, spatial analysis, and non-verbal reasoning ability (Smith and Cage, 2000).

Benefits of Chess

AlSD-1st-Annual-Chess-Tournament-3[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Increases higher level thinking skills[/li] [li]Builds self-confidence[/li][/ul][ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Increases the ability to visualize and analyze[/li] [li]Improves problem-solving skills [/li][/ul][ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Develops strategic thinking[/li] [li]Increases focus [/li][/ul]

Thomas Lucker lauds the benefits of chess. Lucker serves as the chess coach at Aldine Middle School. He also serves as the district chess coordinator.

Most individuals just see Kings, Queens and Rooks,” said Lucker. Elementary-students-playing-chess-3-ABut when you learn to play the game, you see quadrants, coordinates, lines and angles. You learn to think strategically and foresee consequences for every move. You learn to weigh options and make decisions. In my opinion, chess is a perfect learning tool. Chess teaches students winning moves on the board and in life.”

At the Third Annual AISD Chess Tournament, students put those skills to the test. But there can only be one winner in each division. Organizers determined tie breaks by strength of schedule and wins/losses of common opponents. Kujawa Elementary School, Aldine Middle School and Aldine Ninth/Aldine High School took home first place in their divisions. In the individual student awards, Aldine Middle School dominated with six out of eight trophies. Jones Elementary School students won four out of eight trophies for individual performance.

Campus Winners

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Kujawa Elementary School

Elementary School Division

1st Place — Kujawa ES
2nd Place — Jones ES
3rd Place — Goodman ES
4th Place — Carmichael ES

Middle School Division

1st Place — Aldine MS
2nd Place — Grantham Academy
3rd Place — Eckert IS
4th Place — Wilson IS

High School Division

1st Place — Aldine Ninth Grade School/Aldine HS
2nd Place — Carver HS
3rd Place — Nimitz HS

 

Individual Student Trophies

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Aldine Middle School

Elementary School Division

1st Place — Aiden Quinteros @ Jones ES
2nd Place — Víctor Garza @ Kujawa ES
3rd Place — Ezekiel Aguilera @ Kujawa ES
4th Place — Jesús Estrada @ Kujawa ES
5th Place — Víctor Sánchez @ Kujawa ES
6th Place — Isaac Espericueta @ Kujawa ES
7th Place — David Guererra @ Jones ES
8th Place — Zaahir Yanes @ Kujawa ES
9th Place — Alonzo Ramírez @ Kujawa ES
10th Place — Justin Resnick @ Goodman ES

Middle School Division

1st Place — Josiah Williams @ Aldine MS
2nd Place — Trevian Almanza @ Aldine MS
3rd Place — Bihn Le Bui @ Aldine MS
4th Place — Adam Gonzalez @ Aldine MS
5th Place — Nayeli Ramirez @ Grantham Academy
6th Place — Eric Delvillar @ Grantham Academy
7th Place — Gino Velazquez @ Grantham Academy
8th Place — Everett Carillo @ Aldine MS
9th Place — Erick MOnroy @ Aldine MS
10th Place — Willie Spears @ Aldine MS

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Aldine Ninth/Aldine HS

High School Division

1st Place — Rúben Valdillez @ Nimitz HS
2nd Place — Redmond Padrón @ Carver HS
3rd Place — Javier Carranza @ Aldine HS
4th Place — Douglas Banos @ Aldine HS
5th Place — Logan Scotte @ Aldine HS
6th Place — John St. Julian @ Carver HS
7th Place — Saul Sánchez @ Carver HS
8th Place — Óscar Plata @ Aldine HS

Congratulations!

About the Author: Leticia Fehling

Director of Internal Communications