The Washington State Championship weekend kicked off with a Bughouse Tournament on Friday evening. Andre M. & Maxwell D., Odin O. & Christian L., Bruno M. & Andrew B., and Annabelle B. had a lot of fun, capturing pieces from their opponents and passing them off to their teammate on the other board. Communication between teammates in Bughouse Chess is key!

The State Championship started at 9 o’clock on Saturday morning, April 27, with 1,432 players from all over the state. All players had to qualify for state in local tournaments to participate. The championship day was long, going from morning until late afternoon. Every student played 5 games as there is no elimination. It is an amazing site to watch K-6 players seated over 700 boards arranged in rows, as they silently shake hands in synchrony to start each game in a huge exhibition hall.

Franklin’s players were Andrew B., Bruno M., Mateo C., Gabe H., Odin O., Andre M., Maxwell D., and Christian L. Our Knights earned 30th out of 107 school teams in the state of Washington in the 4-6 grade section. The result put Franklin as the top school (by far) of Bellingham and Whatcom county in the championship!

In the 1-3 grade section, our Knights earned 30th out of 99 schools in the state. The result also put Franklin as the best performing school in Bellingham and Whatcom county, with a 0.5 point lead over Wade King Elementary. Team scores were calculated by adding the top 4 players in each school.

Nice job, Franklin Knights team!

Individually, Andre, Christian, Gabe, and Mateo scored 3 points out of 5 in their respective sections. Andrew scored 2.5.  Bruno, Maxwell, and Odin scored 2 points. It was a thrill to have a set of 4 players in each section to finally compete as a team at the state level.

We close our Franklin Knights era on a high note and hope that the Franklin Academy’s Chess Force will be as enthusiastic, united, and successful. Join our team in celebrating their accomplishment in our own Bughouse Tournament on May 4.

We close our Franklin Knights era on a high note and hope that the Franklin Academy’s Chess Force will be as enthusiastic, united, and successful. Join our team in celebrating their accomplishment in our own Bughouse Tournament on May 4.

Chess Board Parents

Cristina Mozsgai, Karen Enriquez, Sue Day, Barbara Overson, and Erin Jordan