Ephrata chess tournament draws 100 participants

EPHRATA - Lain Wurl nervously props his middle finger atop his queen chess piece. He bites his lip and ignores the camera flashing in his face. He moves it over one space and tenses as he pushes the button on the clock next to him.

His opponent, Elias Quintana, immediately takes the queen with his king and records the move on a piece of paper. Lane sighs, looking tormented as his face sinks into his open hands.

"Chess is a lot like life," said organizer Roger Pugh, "There are consequences for your actions."

Roger and his brother Troy hosted the 8th Annual Waypoint Foundation Scholastic Chess Tournament in Ephrata on Saturday. The event featured 100 school-aged Grant County chess players who competed for the title and a $500 prize.

Titus Brendt took first place and Timothy Novinsky and Connor Quist tied for second.

"We want the kids to learn about life," Roger said. "Chess is one of those things that require strategy, so if you make a move you better be thinking about what lies ahead."

Students from throughout the county competed in a Swiss-pairing style, which is typical when competitors are not ranked by the United States Chess Federation, Roger said.

Some students compete every year, and for others like Josh Cooper, from Moses Lake, this was their first ever chess tournament.

Josh said that after getting a stalemate, or a tie, in the first round, he won in the second round.

"I was excited knowing that I was about to win, but even when I thought I was going to lose the first one I was like 'No, no, no, I'm still in this,"

The event had the feeling of a district wrestling tournament, with nervous parents watching and filming every move, distraught students being comforted by coaches, or event sponsors like Troy and Roger, and some participants practicing their chess moves in the hallway before their matches.

"We want to teach the competitors, too," Roger said. "After the matches we sit down with the students and ask them what could they have done better."

Competitors record every move on a sheet of paper and can refer to that when looking back at their matches.

"It really helps to do that," said Josh. "Because later you can look back and be like 'Oh, that is where I went wrong."

Competitors were encouraged to attend a prep class, which explained tournament rules to students like Josh who love the game but may not understand the intricacies of tournament play, Roger said.