Mates check chess finesse

There are not many times that silence reigns when about 100 pupils congregate in a school hall, but a regional schools chess competition, where the only sounds are the click of pieces on the board, proved to be just such an occasion.

Twenty teams from Dunedin schools and three from Invercargill took part in the Otago Primary-Intermediate School Teams Championship 2010, at Dunedin North Intermediate on Saturday.

Tournament director Quentin Johnson said many more pupils took part in the competition this year, which he attributed to changing the format to a one-day rather than weekend event.

Teams played six rounds to find the winning team.

That team goes on to the national final in Christchurch.

The top three teams will also go on to the South Island finals in Ashburton in September.

Results:

Intermediate grade, Home School 1, Tahuna Intermediate 2, Balmacewen B 3.

Primary grade, Enrich ILT A 1, St Clair Primary A 2, Maori Hill 3.

Mr Johnson said St Clair would be going to the national finals in Christchurch in September rather than Enrich ILT, because teams had to be from a single school to be eligible.