Chess wizards ready for their next challenge

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/03/2018 (2808 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A trio of chess wizards from a fledgling club in Brandon are heading east to compete at this year’s national chess tournament in May.

Ten-year-old Martin Riquelme, 11-year-old Zostrianos Gross and 13-year-old Nicolas Riquelme will represent Manitoba at the Canadian championships in St. John’s, N.L., over the May long weekend after qualifying at the provincial tournament on March 11.

Both Martin and Gross came out on top of their respective grades five and six divisions, while Martin’s brother Nicolas, who secured a second-place finish, will fill in for the Grade 7 champion who will be unable to attend nationals.

“It felt really great,” Gross said about securing his spot.

Gross has been playing since he was five years old and first learned about the centuries-old board game from his grandpa.

This will be his first appearance at a national tournament and as he gets ready to compete against the top players in the country, Gross said he plans to work on different chess strategies in the coming weeks and months.

“I think that’s going to be one of the bigger things,” he said.

His teammate Martin was excited about heading to Newfoundland, but this certainly won’t be his first go-around for the national title.

Three years ago, Martin competed in Ontario and came in third place among all Grade 2 students.

To prepare for St. John’s, Martin said he will spend his time working on openings and other tactics.

“I like it because it’s a strategy game,” he said about chess.

A dozen players in all from Grades 1-12 will make up Manitoba’s national team in St. John’s, but having three competitors from the Wheat City is a big deal for the local club, Brandon Knights.

Rodrigo Riquelme, father to Martin and Nicolas, started the Brandon Knights back in September after he couldn’t find another chess club in the city.

Rodrigo learned to play chess alongside his two sons in their home country of Chile, before the family moved to Brandon in 2013.

He would bring his kids to Winnipeg once a month to play, but soon Rodrigo realized it wasn’t enough for his boys, especially if they wanted to get better.

That’s when he put out ads looking for players to join his club. “And now we have 12 and we’re growing,” he said.

With the help of the Manitoba Chess Association, Rodrigo was able to get most of his boards and chess clocks.

The club now meets once a week on Saturdays at Brandon University’s Harvest Hall and has a math professor and doctor among its ranks.

“I like to have the chess club moving, kept alive,” he said, “and with more movement we can attract more players.”

As his three club members prepare for nationals, Rodrigo said the plan is to have them coached by teachers in Toronto, Winnipeg and the U.S.

But to have three of the 12 players from Manitoba represented by Brandon was something he and the other parents were certainly happy about.

“Very proud of that for sure,” he said.

» mlee@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @mtaylorlee