Chess, the pawn of community.
On Tuesday afternoon, the game brought dozens of students from grades seven to 12 together for the third annual Manitoba High School Chess Championship at Sisler High School in Winnipeg.
However, the tournament is about more than striking kings and advancing white and black boxes.
“The purpose is to unite students, because chess is a global game where everybody is equal and everybody has an opportunity,” said Orysya Petryshyn, a teacher at Sisler and the head adviser of the championship.
She said the event originally started alongside the war in Ukraine.
“I am originally from Ukraine,” the teacher said, “and many students in Ukraine played chess but everything was bombarded. So, I thought, ‘How can I do this to organize?’”
“Right now, we do have just recent newcomers who just arrived from Ukraine, and you see a variety of different students from different nationalities and backgrounds.”
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Samuel Daya, a Grade 12 student at Sisler and volunteer at the championship, said it makes him happy to know that different people have found a common way to meet.
“I found it a bit inspirational that ‘Hey, let’s all come together. Let’s play a game of chess over on the same board.’ Two people on the same board,” he said.
Even in the two last games, he said throngs of students huddled around one board.
“You’re still building that community even though you’re not conversing with each other. You’re both watching the same thing. You’re both watching the same game.
“It’s like you’re watching a basketball game, but it’s just right there on a small board with 32 pieces.”
Petryshyn said beyond the immediate community that rallies around a board, there tournaments like this one have lasting impacts.
“They will be able to have some healthy friendships because they will remember, since childhood, that we — once upon a time — used to come to the chess championship and played. They will continue this journey together,” she said, adding it’s also exciting when students volunteer to help with the event.
“This is how I see now they become friends. They become actually very good citizens who are exchanging the telephones and start to have a good communication and learn English.”
Her goal is to make the championship happen annually, adding this is the third consecutive year it’s been running.
“It’s going to get bigger and bigger, and everybody will have a chance. Plus it’s free, so no one needs to worry about paying anything,” she said.
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