On November 20th, the Center Hill High School Chess team attended the Desoto County Chess Tournament, where teams from across the county compete.

Sophomore Jason Hilliard shared his nerves heading into the event. “I’m not the best at chess. That’s what [I’m] worried about, that maybe I’ll get eliminated really quickly,”  explained Hilliard. Yet, Hilliard also reassured that he did have confidence despite his fears.

To prepare, the team has been practicing every day. Benjamin Kegerise, the new team’s coach, has also been motivating his players. Kegerise explained to motivate his players, he told them to not get discouraged by anything but continue to play and try to have as much fun as possible.

Even though the team gave it their all, there was still room for improvement.

“Some areas of improvement are that we have people that enjoy chess and like playing it casually, but just need a little bit of a push to be a little bit better and compete a little bit more,” said Kegerise.

The tournament created some memorable moments for the team.

“Just getting to interact with a lot of the kids that I normally don’t get to interact with and forming new relationships and new connections with them, was a memorable moment for me,” explained the coach.