The NBA Championships are over and the World Cup Championship is going strong but I thought I would share with everyone a championship that some may have missed; The United States Chess Federation’s 2014 National K-12 Championship. We always hear negative news as it pertains to Detroit, Michigan like crime, bankruptcy and scandals but I do wish something as positive as these young kids winning this championship would have garnered more national attention. Below is the story as reported by Marie Osborne of CBS Detroit and also a video segment from Click-On-Detroit.
Some pint-size Detroit chess players are national champions. “It feels good because we’re the best in the nation…that’s like, a whole championship,” said 9-year-old Eric Hobson, a Chrysler Elementary student and two-year veteran of the Detroit City Chess Club. The team earned two titles at the National Elementary Championship in Dallas, Texas last weekend. Chrysler Elementary kids captured the K-3 title, and they won the Blitz Round. Students from Detroit’s University Prep Science and Math won the K-6 title.
Beaming with pride, Coach Kevin Fite, who founded the club a dozen years ago, says this is the first time a single team has won two national titles — and it did not come easy. “It is seven rounds and each round can last up to four hours long…it’s exhausting,” Fite told WWJ Newsradio 950′s Marie Osborne. “So some kids, in second grade (are sitting there) for four hours,” — and the kids must remain silent throughout the game. He says discipline commitment, hard work, and practice feed into the fun.
“We meet even on vacation,” Fite said. “So even when the kids are out of school, we’re still meeting; so our kids really don’t have a lot of breaks. We practice on Saturdays, on some Sundays we’ll practice.” For Louis Jackson, a very articulate 9-year-old, winning was a big surprise. “I literally thought that…even though I’m gonna do my best. It was my first nationals, so, I didn’t really know the flow,” he said.
Club members have a demanding schedule, playing several hours a week; and players have to keep their grades up. “I like everything…because you get to think, and it relaxes your mind, and it helps you in school and everything,” Eric said. 8-year-old third grader Charisse Woods added, “I just felt really proud, because I knew I accomplished something really good.”
CONGRATS!
Awesome!!!! Congrats youngins!!!!!!!
Congratulations to them! I used to play chess when I was younger, it really takes a lot of strategizing and discipline to become proficient at. These kids must be exceptionally talented (I’m sure they could beat me into the ground lol)
It’s a shame that the first time I hear something about this great achievement is on here, the media focuses on such negative news in major cities like Detroit, especially when it pertains to the African American community, but will not give praise when praises are due. Love articles like this, great achievement for their school and communities.
Young black chess champions,that’s exciting enough by itself.