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State Chess Final

Two Year 8 students, Renata Fanthome and Angelina Rodos, qualified for the Northern Star Schools’ State Chess Final which was held at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar on Wednesday, 16 October.

Renata and Angelina represented the top thirty per cent of girls in the state after qualifying for the finals at the last chess tournament which was also held at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar.  Renata won five out of seven games to win a bronze medal on the day and Angelina’s three wins boosted Siena’s score, placing us in sixth place out of the eleven schools. Both students played really well.

The Siena Chess Club continues to meet every Wednesday at lunchtime in the College Library this term. At the meetings, we are very fortunate to have the benefit of learning from Denise, an expert chess player and representative of Dark Horse Chess Coaching.  New players of all skill levels, including absolute beginners, are very welcome to come along!

Student Reflection - Angelina Rodos

What was something new you learnt from this experience?

Doing what you think is right. Trust yourself to make a move that you will benefit from. It might not be the best choice as you’re under a lot of pressure, but it’s better than making a move that is thoughtless and gives you a disadvantage further in the game.

What did you like most about the day?

During the day, we played a total of seven rounds with other students based on the amount of wins we had. The most enjoyable part of the day was the start of every round. For some people it may seem scary, and it is, but once you start you forget about all your worries and focus purely on the game. That’s what I like about chess, it is a game where I am unable to be distracted easily. It’s a game where you have to plan and think things through and your concentration can’t be lost for a second.

How could you apply this learning to your school subjects?

I’ve only been playing proper chess since Year 7. I did study chess in primary school as something I did for fun but I never played with anyone. Because I haven’t been playing for a long time, I make mistakes all the time, whether it be an illegal move or a loss of a chess piece. But there’s nothing wrong with it. It's okay to get something wrong, you just have to move on. Chess is a game where you have to lose a piece at some stage in the game and in school, you’ll get something wrong once in a while, but you are able to learn from it. If you practice chess regularly, you can only get better at it. Same as in school. If you study regularly, you can only know more. 

One phrase that sums up the day?

Chess club is the best club, join us!

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    Two Year 8 students, Renata Fanthome and Angelina Rodos, qualified for the Northern Star Schools’ State Chess Final which was held at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar on Wednesday, 16 October.

    Renata and Angelina represented the top thirty per cent of girls in the state after qualifying for the finals at the last chess tournament which was also held at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar.  Renata won five out of seven games to win a bronze medal on the day and Angelina’s three wins boosted Siena’s score, placing us in sixth place out of the eleven schools. Both students played really well.

    The Siena Chess Club continues to meet every Wednesday at lunchtime in the College Library this term. At the meetings, we are very fortunate to have the benefit of learning from Denise, an expert chess player and representative of Dark Horse Chess Coaching.  New players of all skill levels, including absolute beginners, are very welcome to come along!

    Student Reflection - Angelina Rodos

    What was something new you learnt from this experience?

    Doing what you think is right. Trust yourself to make a move that you will benefit from. It might not be the best choice as you’re under a lot of pressure, but it’s better than making a move that is thoughtless and gives you a disadvantage further in the game.

    What did you like most about the day?

    During the day, we played a total of seven rounds with other students based on the amount of wins we had. The most enjoyable part of the day was the start of every round. For some people it may seem scary, and it is, but once you start you forget about all your worries and focus purely on the game. That’s what I like about chess, it is a game where I am unable to be distracted easily. It’s a game where you have to plan and think things through and your concentration can’t be lost for a second.

    How could you apply this learning to your school subjects?

    I’ve only been playing proper chess since Year 7. I did study chess in primary school as something I did for fun but I never played with anyone. Because I haven’t been playing for a long time, I make mistakes all the time, whether it be an illegal move or a loss of a chess piece. But there’s nothing wrong with it. It's okay to get something wrong, you just have to move on. Chess is a game where you have to lose a piece at some stage in the game and in school, you’ll get something wrong once in a while, but you are able to learn from it. If you practice chess regularly, you can only get better at it. Same as in school. If you study regularly, you can only know more. 

    One phrase that sums up the day?

    Chess club is the best club, join us!