The George Street Normal School pupils won the Otago Primary Schools Chess Championship earlier this year, and recently went on to win the South Island Schools Chess Championship.Their latest win qualified them to compete in the national final in Palmerston North next weekend.
George Street Normal School deputy principal Leanne Stanton said the school entered annually and had won the Dunedin finals before.
But it was only the second time the school had reached the national final.
Because of that, the team’s chess-playing ability was relatively unknown to other teams in the competition, making them the dark horses.
The team hopes their anonymity will help them win the official New Zealand Chess Federation Interschools title.
Mrs Stanton said much of the credit for the team’s success so far had to go to Samuel’s father Daniel Kelly, who had been tutoring the pupils in past weeks.
She said the school had been teaching pupils to play chess for many years.
"It’s great for their problem-solving skills, being able to persevere and get better at something, working as a team and strategy.
"What I’ve been most pleased to see is the self-motivation of the children.
"Every lunchtime or playtime, you’ll see them with the boards out and playing while others stand around to see what’s happening. It really has created a great culture."
Also competing in the national final are teams from Tahuna Normal Intermediate and Otago Boys’ High School, which will represent Otago in the intermediate and secondary school championships.
