Area chess teams compete at state championships

Chess teams from Coos County braved the forecast of snow to travel to Oregon Episcopal School in Portland to compete in the Oregon High School Chess Team State Championships two day event March 1st and 2nd. Saturday morning the large windows of the tournament room showed the gentle snow fall while chess games in the tournament hall were blazing with battle.

The Coquille Varsity Team was handicapped from the beginning as one team member became ill the day before so the team played with four board, taking an automatic loss on their fifth board. Coquille was paired to play Westview, a 6A school in the first round and took a beating as first board Frank Morse had to play National Master and Oregon State Champion Zoey Tang. The team put up a good fight with games lasting nearly the full two hours but ultimately Westview won. Coquille Varsity did beat Churchhill 5A, Sherman 1A and Junction City 4A but lost to Oregon Episcopal 3A. Ultimately, Coquille won 2nd place in the 1-3A division with Oregon Episcopal getting first. Jesuit High School won the 2024 State Championship overall.

Individually there were awards. Frank Morse won Most Valuable Player 1st board in the 1-3A division and Jordan Florez won Most Valuable Player 3rd board in the 1-3A division.

The Coquille Junior Varsity Team was beaten by Oregon Episcopal A and Oregon Episcopal B teams to place third in the 1-3A Junior Varsity Division.

Meanwhile, the Coos Open team made up of players from North Bend, Coos Bay and Myrtle Point won two and half rounds to tie with the only other Open team. The Coos Open team played in a combined JV/Open section.