Move the queen. Protect the king.
These thoughts and more went through the minds of the participants at UF’s spring chess tournament held Sunday at the Reitz Union. About 50 people participated in the tournament hosted by the Gator Chess Club.
Britt Ryerson, the club’s team captain, acted as tournament director and moderated the event using the Swiss method of playing, which means no one gets eliminated. Instead, winners advance to play other winners while those who lose play others who have lost matches.
“It allows everyone to play every game,” he said.
Ryerson was also responsible for ensuring that the pairings, which are based on a player’s ranking, were fair.
The tournament was part of a series of changes for the club this year, including a new faculty adviser, John Harris, and tournaments for each season.
Jad Helmy, 6, got his start in a club at his elementary school a year ago. He came into this tournament fresh off of a sixth place finish at the SuperStates tournament in Miami.
Jad, who has a private chess coach, said chess isn’t that hard to play. His mom, Hania, encourages his love of the game and takes him to about five competitions per year. She said Jad participates at the state level and is going to nationals competition next month.
Though Ryerson’s favorite aspect of the game is the competition. He said it offers benefits to young players, such as good sportsmanship, thinking before making a move and enhanced math and reading abilities.
“It’s good for kids to learn for the life lessons it can teach,” Ryerson said.
