NAMS seniors win Berbice Chess Championships

Nov 13, 2013 Sports

…junior team places third

By Leon Suseran
The New Amsterdam Multilateral School (NAMS) walked away the champs in the Senior Category of the Annual Berbice Chess Championships held at the Tagore Memorial Secondary School in Number 63 Village on the Corentyne on Thursday last.
N/A Multilateral had two teams: senior and junior teams. The senior team of NAMS walked away with the winning trophy, while the junior team attained third place in their first- ever competition.

Proud winning moment: NAMS Senior Chess Team Winners (top row) with their trophies and the junior players (bottom row) with their teachers Mr and Mrs. Young.

Of the five schools participating, were the defending champions, Black Bush Secondary, as well as four others.
Teacher attached to the school, Mr. Andrew Young, related that it was the first time his school had participated in the completion. Preparing the students meant that the school had to identify the talented ones, so he said that they hosted inter- school chess competitions “to identify beginners, intermediate and advances players, and over the past month, we have been holding that tournament.” Young also worked with the students many afternoons after school.
One major challenge during the tournament, he revealed, “was nervousness.” “They just had to be calm and steady, to have confidence to believe in themselves that they can do it, and they did do it and their actual skill levels are getting better every time.”
The teacher stated, too, that the school is all set for the National Chess Competitions to begin in December. “Our tournament will be ongoing as well and then we will be probably work on some more refined techniques—much harder competitions with all the schools from the country coming in.”
Captain of the NAMS Senior Chess Team, Mr. Jacob North said his biggest joy was “that it is our first time participating and we are more pleased with defeating the two- time champions—it was a tough competition; not very easy to capture a title like this.”
Playing against JC Chandisingh Secondary, too, during the finals was tough, “but we came out on top.” The key to winning chess, he stated, “is to just stay focus and keep calm.” He thanked Mr. Young, “…and he helped us all the way to reach there in the tournament and during practice during the term and it has paid off in the end.” He is very anxious to move on to the national competition even though “there will be much more difficult teams to beat but I’m sure that we will do well.” He advised youngsters out there to participate and get involved in chess. “Chess is a game where you have to get good mental reasoning…all you need to know is how to make the basic moves and then you move on to the higher levels.”
Kema Daniels, captain of the junior chess team said that, “The competition wasn’t bad, but we could have done better and we have learnt from our mistakes.” They lost to the Black Bush Secondary School team. “The mistake was that we were not really focused; we were nervous, it was our first time…but if we were not, we would have seen the difficulties and know how to correct them.”
Chess, he acknowledged, “is a very mental game where you have to stay focused to win.” Omar Moses, another member of the NAMS Chess Team said that you have to know how to focus or you would “lose big- time.” “You have to get very good skills because your opponents, sometimes, they are not easy and you will have to fight, fight and push yourself and work hard until you win.” The game helps someone to develop mentally “and conquer challenges that come your way in real life.”
Desmond Kissoon, another champ, said that the competition “was a rather fun one.” He is ready to participate in the national competition in December. The team, he said, practiced every day during most of the school breaks. “Chess is a game that requires a lot of practice and studying.”
Fred Kissoon, a member of the junior team, said that it was a very exciting competition “and I’d like to give advice to the youngsters to come out and play chess and keep focused and anticipate your opponent’s move before you make your move.”
Among some of the other players representing the junior team were Junior Seepersaud, Neville Brehaspat and Devon Kissoon. The senior team winners were each awarded trophies and they also received a big trophy for the school.
Zakir Hussein and Krishna Lukhoo were other team members who represented NAMS at the competition on Thursday.

1 thoughts on “NAMS seniors win Berbice Chess Championships”

Gurjender singh December 14, 2013 at 1:27 am

Thanks for your great information, the contents are quiet interesting.I will be waiting for your next post.
win at chess.

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