Piercestown chess stars overall winners at county tournament
YOUNG CHESS players from Piercestown National School showcased all the right moves to win the Spring 2018 Chess Tournament in the Brandon House Hotel. Ninety-eight children from four schools around Co Wexford took part in the tournament, which saw each players competing in seven matches.
The overall winner of the tournament, with a perfect score of seven wins, was Sarah Kenny of Piercestown National School. Her brother, Peter Kenny, shared second place with a score of 6.5 wins. Meanwhile, showing that success runs in the family, their younger brother John was a junior category winner.
Piercestown National School took the overall prize for winning school at the end of the day but competition was very tight between them and closest contenders Edmund Rice Primary School in New Ross. Duncannon Primary School and St Joseph’s NS in Gorey finished third and fourth respectively.
The Piercestown team enjoyed a number of impressive results. Sixth class pupil Sarah Kenny, the overall winner, also won the under-13 section. Peter Kenny, who is in fifth class, won the under-11 competition, with team mate Kevin O’Mahony (fourth class) taking second place. John Kenny (first class) won the under-eight section on a score of four wins. The rest of the team included: Dylan Devereux, James Quirke and Chloe McCluskey, all from third class; and Ellie O’Mahony from sixth class.
School principal Laura Walsh said that the school was steeped in chess and had run an in-school league for many decades under the guidance of former principal Eamonn Barrett. From this league, a team of six will be picked to represent the school at the County Wexford Chess Challenge in St Jospeh’s National School, Gorey, next month.
Ms Walsh said: ‘There is a great tradition of chess in the school with many of the parents’ names on the in-school trophy.’