Last night was the first chess meet for the North Idaho Scholastic Chess League sponsored by the Idaho Chess Association and it was more successful than I anticipated as 21 scholastic players showed up with 11 schools represented. Medals were given out to top High School, Middle School, and Elementary School players.
This league is scheduled to meet once per month (3rd Thursday nights) in the Coeur d'Alene area and is open to any scholastic player or school in the Eastern Washington or North Idaho region.
There are three divisions in High School, Middle School, and Elementary sections with team scores coming from the A and B divisions in each section. As of last night, Lakeland High School, Home School Middle School, and Sorensen Magnet School are the leaders. Congratulations! Each team can select one player for the A or B divisions, where players in the C Division can earn their place in the B division by winning the C. In this way, players will play kids of similar skill and have opportunities for advancement. Strong teams will accumulate players in the A and B divisions.
For the first meeting, all players were lumped into an open section to establish where their placements will be in the upcoming tournaments. Players should encourage more players from their school to come as we can add players throughout the season. The plan is to play for 6 months with a championship event ending the season.
Wall Chart