The 55th Annual WV Scholastic Chess Championship took place on March 15 in Charleston, on the campus of West Virginia State University. 
Berkeley Springs High School fielded nine players, divided into two teams:
BSHS A
Elizabeth Kessel
Malcolm L Johns
Joseph Guzman-Robles
Brody Gloyd
Rylee David Sauter
BSHS B
William Bottomley
Kyle Rankin
Evan Kessel
Adam O’Brien
There was one more Berkeley Springs player in the younger age group: Ítaca Nour Benzidour-Miguel, a six-year-old first-grader from Widmyer Elementary School.
All Berkeley Springs High School students performed well in fairly complicated games and positions due to the time pressure at the end of the game. They played at a pace of 45 minutes per player, but this time literally flies when the mind is busy calculating variations, said chess coach Pedro Miguel.
In the end, Berkeley Springs High School A captured second place, with two of its players finishing in the top eight of the tournament standings.
Unlike last year, this year Berkeley Springs High School held on to first place in the championship with just the final round remaining, a 2.5-point lead over George Washington High School, the reigning champions.
“The nerves of the final round and the level of the opponents in the final match thwarted Berkeley Springs High School’s chances of winning the championship when it truly had it in its grasp, something that didn’t happen last year,” said Miguel.
On the individual level, it’s worth noting that only two players were repeat participants from last year; the remaining seven were new to this type of competition.
Malcolm Johns had a phenomenal performance: with the final round remaining, he was second with 3.5 points out of a possible 4. Unfortunately, in the final match, he faced off against number one-ranked John Boylin for the championship. Boylin put his experience to good use and ultimately won the state tournament, winning all five of his matches.
Individual standings for the BSHS players:
Malcom Johns 6th (improving one position compared to last year), Rylee Sauter 8th (getting 3 points out of 5 in his first championship, he had serious chances of finishing in the top 3 before the final round), William Bottomley 14th (also 3 out of 5, in a very good performance), Brody Gloyd 17th, Adam O´Brien 18th, Joseph Guzmán-Robles 22nd, Kyle Rankin 25th, Evan Kessel 26th, Elizabeth Kessel 28th.
Little Itaca Nour from Widmyer Elementary School played four games against older and more experienced players, but earned 2 points out of 4, climbing to 10th place out of 19 players in her first ever championship.
“Hopefully, this success of the Berkeley Springs High School players on their expedition to Charleston will spread some enthusiasm for chess, this game and sport that benefits our intellectual wellness,” said Miguel.
Miguel noted that Berkeley Springs has many chess enthusiasts, and not just at school, so it would be wonderful to find a public space in downtown Berkeley Springs to open a Chess Club where families could gather to practice this ancient mental game.
