The Lighthouse Damacrest Crescendo

Kids filled with both anxiety and eagerness waited in angst for the melodious Damacrest choir to finish the anthem ,so that they could set the ball rolling. Clocks were set, boards on the ready, minds prepared to meet their opponents, that’s how the day started on the 17th of June 2019 at the Damacrest schools hall. The Lighthouse inter schools tournament was to run for a period of three days ,and the schools in attendance were eager to carry the day as the crowned champions. With the melodious voices from the choir, the event definitely started on a high note and it would later end in a crescendo of victorious chants from the victors on the 19th of June 2019. The kids, all under the age of 19 years would have to tackle their opponents in a tournament of 9 rounds, in a classic event of one hour per player. The schools represented were, : .Alliance Boys,Alliance Girls,Damacrest Junior School,Damacrest Senior School,Kahawa Baptist School,Seedlings Junior School,Logos Christian School,Utawala Academy,Mashinani Chess Club,Golden Knights Chess Club, last but not least, Lighthouse Chess Club. One thing was for certain as the arbiters started the timers, the players handshaked and white played their first move, victory was the end game. With the likes of Cyprian and Danwillies in the U11 category, neck to neck, the flawless sheet by Mbithi in the U15 category and the tentative but eventual win of Keith in the U19 category /lions den, it was clear that the battle lines had been long drawn and dare l say, crossed. Eventually, 21 medals were given out to the various winners in the categories. As it was a battle between schools, technicalities of being a school and being a club really mattered. As they say in school, read the instructions carefully. As it was, Lighthouse Chess Club carried the day with 35.5 points, however, they decided to relinquish the win to Seedlings junior Academy who had followed closely with 31.5 points. The crescendo of cheerful chants filled the hall as the champs took their trophy. Alliance boys were first runners up as Mashinani Chess Club took the 3rd position . SI Judith(FIDE Certified Chess School Instructor), commended the participants and promised to have more and more classical timed tournaments, so as to help boost the strength in the players and also to facilitate more and more tutelage to the trainers in training seminars that are accompanied by tournaments.