Check mates

Chess tournament draws more than 100 students for a day of strategy, sportsmanship

EPHRATA — More than 100 students from across Grant and Adams counties gathered Saturday at Parkway School for the Annual Scholastic Chess Tournament, a long‑running event hosted by The Waypoint Foundation that pairs young players of all ages in a day of strategy, sportsmanship and community spirit. The tournament, now in its 19th year, has grown from about 60 participants to as many as 106 in recent years. “(It’s) for the love of the game,” said organizer Roger Pugh. “Chess is great. We try to help them understand that when you play chess, you’ve got to think a few moves ahead. So hopefully in life, when they go out in the world, they do the same when making a decision.”