Published On: June 15th, 2015By

Jones Elementary, Aldine Middle and Aldine Ninth Grade Win AISD Chess Tournament

Chess teaches youth to make the right moves on the board, in the classroom and in life.

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One hundred and thirty students from 10 campuses took part in the 2015 Aldine ISD Chess Tournament. The event took place May 30 at Aldine Middle School. This is the second year that AISD holds the unrated tournament for K-12th grade students.

The district’s Gifted and Talented Department sponsors the event. Twiana Collier serves as program director for advanced academics.

Chess-QuoteMany schools in the district have incorporated a chess program at their campuses,” Collier said. “Supporters of chess believe it has a positive impact on students. The goal is to help students make reasoned judgments. Chess is an excellent tool to teach them critical thinking. The district tournament gives chess students an opportunity to shine. They see how their skills compare with their peers. It is a fun learning experience for everyone.

Research shows a strong correlation between learning to play chess and academic achievement. In 2000, a study found that students who received chess instruction scored significantly higher on all measures of academic achievement. This included math, spatial analysis, and non-verbal reasoning ability (Smith and Cage, 2000).

Middle-School-Students-playing-2ABenefits of Chess

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Increases higher level thinking skills[/li] [li]Builds self-confidence[/li][/ul]

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Increases the ability to visualize and analyze[/li] [li]Improves problem-solving skills[/li][/ul]

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Develops strategic thinking[/li] [li]Increases focus[/li][/ul]

Thomas Lucker lauds the benefits of chess. Lucker serves as the chess coach at Aldine Middle School. He also serves as the district chess coordinator.

Elementary-students-playing-chess-3-AMost folks just see Kings, Queens, and Rooks,” said Lucker. “But when you learn to play the game, you see quadrants, coordinates, lines and angles. You learn to think strategically and foresee consequences for every move. You learn to weigh options and make decisions. In my opinion, chess is a perfect learning tool. Chess teaches students winning moves on the board and in life.

At the Second Annual AISD Chess Tournament, students put those skills to the test. But there can only be one winner in each division. Organizers determined tie breaks by strength of schedule and wins/losses of common opponents. Jones Elementary School, Aldine Middle School and Aldine Ninth Grade School took home first place in their divisions. In the individual student awards, Aldine Middle School dominated with six out of eight trophies. Jones Elementary School students won four out of eight trophies for individual performance.

Campus Winners

Elementary School Division

1st Place — Jones Elementary School (20 team pts.)
2nd Place — Goodman Elementary School (18 team pts.)
3rd Place — Kujawa Elementary School (17 team pts.)
4th Place — Carmichael Elementary School (8 team pts.)

* Eckert Intermediate didn’t win a trophy but did score 7 team points.

Middle School Division

1st Place — Aldine Middle School (22 team pts.)
2nd Place — Grantham Academy (13.5 team pts.)
3rd Place — Lewis Middle School (11 team pts.)

High School Division

1st Place — Aldine Ninth Grade School (10 team pts.)
2nd Place — Nimitz High School (8 team pts.)

Individual Student Trophies

Elementary School Division

1st Place — Abram Joseph @ Jones Elementary School (5 pts.; 5 wins – 0 losses)
2nd Place  — Fernando Ruiz @ Eckert Intermediate School (5 pts.; 5 wins – 0 losses)
3rd Place  — Víctor Sánchez @ Kujawa Elementary School (4 pts.)
4th Place — Sandra Arroyo @ Jones Elementary School 4 pts.)
5th Place — Meylan Rodríguez @ Goodman Elementary School (4 pts.)
6th Place — Kai Huynh @ Goodman Elementary School (4 pts.)
7th Place — Christopher Luna @ Jones Elementary School (4 pts.)
8th Place — David Guerra @ Jones Elementary School (3.5 pts.)

Middle School Division

1st Place — Sterling Silvas @ Aldine Middle School (5 pts; 5 wins – 0 losses)
2nd Place — Diana Ambrosio @ Aldine Middle School (4.5 pts.; 4 wins – 1 draw)
3rd Place — Gianni Lomeli @ Aldine Middle School (4.5 pts.; 4 wins – 1 draw)
4th Place — Paola Hernández @ Aldine Middle School (4 pts.)
5th Place — Vanessa Celestino @ Aldine Middle School (4 pts.)
6th Place — Esteban Trujillo @ Aldine Middle School (4 pts.)
7th Place — Steven Sisavath @ Lewis Middle School (4 pts.)
8th Place — Eric del Villar @ Grantham Middle School (4 pts)

High School Division

1st Place — Rúben Valdillez @ Nimitz HS (4 pts.)
2nd Place — Isaías Medina @ Aldine Ninth Grade School (4 pts.)
3rd Place — Carlos Valdillez @ Nimitz HS (3 pts.)
4th Place — Edgar Padrón @ Aldine Ninth Grade School (3 pts.)

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Jones Elementary School

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Goodman Elementary School

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Carmichael Elementary School

Congratulations to all the winners!

About the Author: Leticia Fehling

Director of Internal Communications