Update (May 6th):

As the tournament wrapped up last night, Grad Council is happy to announce it went extremely well. While it didn’t end up being streamed or having commentary, it was still enjoyed by all participants and viewers. In total, 17 participants signed up for the tournament and ten of those actually played.

The winner was Maxim Storozhuk, a grade 11 student.

As everyone is still adapting to our pandemic world, KSS’ Grad Council has understandably struggled in finding safe ways to host school events this year while still following health and safety guidelines. Their newest event that is currently in the works is the KSS 2021 virtual chess tournament that will be streamed on Twitch on May 5th. This tournament is an attempt to reach out to an audience that has not yet had much connection to the Grad Council while simultaneously being able to  accommodate any beginners to chess. 

This tournament promises to have entertaining and engaging commentary courtesy of multiple student hosts. This commentary hopes to encourage those who have no background in chess to still come and watch the tournament to support their peers and enjoy some friendly competition. 

This tournament is aimed to happen on May 5th after school hours, however will Grad Council be able to accomplish this with such a short deadline? 

Depending on how much interest arises from students, it will potentially happen over the span of a few days. 

Unlike any other event our Grad Council has planned thus far, this one is inclusive of all grades. They want to encourage participation from any student and facilitate a  safe form of  interaction between students of different ages who would never normally be able to converse. Since this year has been hectic and somewhat disappointing for everyone, Grad Council would like to reach out to the entirety of our school with this safe, competitive and friendly event. 

The idea for this event comes from one of our grad presidents, Sam Morrow, who is a chess player himself. Sam Morrow explained he was inspired by a fellow grad and saw the importance to “both try new things and reach out as members of Grad Council” to a wider variety of students. As for the change of being more inclusive, Sam described seeing no reason to restrict this event, “many grade 11’s and 10’s were excited for this, and inclusion is something that we strive for as school representatives”. 

Another council member who has a hand in planning the chess tournament is Maddy Sangster. Maddy along with a few friends has done the majority of the advertising, whether it be creating posters or posting on social media platforms. She admitted knowing little about chess, “I honestly don’t know how to play chess at all except for watching the ‘Queen’s Gambit’”. She feels that students should participate whether as a player or viewer since “this could be interesting to watch” and is different from any event we’ve done before.

This tournament shows strong potential to be a great event that targets a different audience. As graduation approaches, “senioritis” is beginning to set in which highlights the willpower and motivation of these council members to push through and continue to surpass expectations.

To join the chess tournament happening this Wednesday, click the link below: 

https://forms.gle/TkB9pqrT9w2C2Jcg7