Franco-Nord-Ouest Chess Tournament

Written by Conseil Scolaire Catholique Nouvel-Ontario on 03 May 2017

WAWA, ON – Some 130 young chess masters met in Wawa on April 27 for the fourth Franco-Nord-Ouest Chess Tournament. The competition, hosted by Wawa’s École Saint-Joseph, attracted 131 grades 3 to 12 francophone students from the following Northwestern Ontario French Catholic and Public schools: École Saint-Joseph and École l’Escalade (Wawa), École St-Joseph and É.s. l’Orée des bois (Dubreuilville), École Sacré-Cœur (Chapleau), and École Écho-des-Rapides (Sault Ste. Marie). The friendly competition was organized by École Saint-Joseph teacher and chess aficionado, René-Guy Nobert.

Tournament participants and their chaperones had lots of fun, while teachers observed that the contest was also beneficial in spurring the students to raise the level of their game and excel in strategizing. Each participant played no fewer than 5 games and received 2 tournament t-shirts. In all, 82 happy winners took home the 25 gold, 20 silver and 37 bronze medals that were awarded during the competition.

Students from Wawa’s École Saint-Joseph have acquired a well-deserved reputation for their passion for this timeless game. Chess is a discipline that requires a great deal of forward strategizing in addition to a sharp memory and good problem-solving skills. The school’s goal in hosting the friendly francophone tournament is to promote the game and encourage Northwestern Ontario youth to explore the discipline and develop their chess skills.

École Saint-Joseph wishes to recognize the support of Wawa’s Rotary Club, which has made it possible for the Franco-Nord-Ouest Chess Tournament to expand and help provide a meaningful experience for North-Western Francophone students!

“The tournament not only allows students to develop their problem-solving skills but makes it possible for young Francophone aficionados to meet and collectively enjoy their passion for chess. We take great pride in observing the deep roots of our Francophonie in Northern Ontario,” stated René-Guy Nobert, École Saint-Joseph (Wawa) teacher and tournament organizer.

Individual results by category:

Grades 3 and 4

1^st: Elsa Budd, Écho-des-Rapides, SSM
2^nd: Ethan Roy, Saint-Joseph, Wawa
3^rd: Chad Gendron, Saint-Joseph, Wawa

Grades 5 and 6

1^st: Aili Laird, Écho-des-Rapides, SSM
2^nd: Alexander Burnham, Saint-Joseph, Wawa
3^rd: Sébastian Chevrier, Saint-Joseph, Wawa; Lauren Dickie, Écho-des-Rapides, SSM; Xander Jawoshi, Sacré Cœur, Chapleau; Faythe Millette, Écho-des-Rapides, SSM; Reese Rousseau, Saint-Joseph, Wawa

Grades 7 and 8

1^st: Kuper Fournier, Saint-Joseph, Wawa; Alex Laird, Écho des Rapides, SSM
3^rd: Quentin Ketterer, Écho-des-Rapides, SSM; Adam Ross, Écho-des-Rapides, SSM; Alain Scully, Saint-Joseph, Wawa

Secondary

1^st: Sunil Cotterill, Saint-Joseph, Wawa
2^nd: Gordon Godbout, Saint-Joseph, Wawa; Dimitri Lévesque, Saint-Joseph, Wawa; Spencer Terris, Saint-Joseph, Wawa
3^rd: Nicolas Lafrenière Saint-Joseph, Wawa; Tyler Morden, Saint-Joseph, Wawa; Steven Poulin Saint-Joseph, Wawa

Team results by catégory:

Grades 3 and 4