Assets School secures back-to-back wins in chess.
Noah '29, clinched the crown in chess at the Vanta Hawaii Esports League Finals held on Saturday, April 27, at the Hawaii Pacific University Esports Arena at Aloha Tower. Six schools and 22 skilled players participated in the tournament.
Noah said, "Winning meant that I had completed one of my goals in chess, which was to win a tournament. I like chess because there are many different ways to play this game."
Noah started playing chess with his dad in the first grade. In the second and third grades, he began playing at school in Mr. Gabe's chess class. He continued playing chess in Ms. Kona's class in the fourth grade. He played online at chess.com. With encouragement from his parents and Mr. Gabe, he joined the Checkmates Chess Club.
Jesse '28, was the 2023 Vanta Hawaii Esports League Finals winner. This year, Jesse played in the semi-finals at the tournament on Saturday. Jesse won the winter season championship.
"I like how you have to plan and think about every move you make," Jesse said.
Jesse learned to play chess from his grandfather in 2019, when he watched his brother and grandfather play.
Assets students took the top three spots in the 2023 Vanta Hawaii Esports League Finals. Teo Cann, now an eighth grader, earned second place, and Noah Cheng took third place.
Coach Gabe Bridgman, a Middle School teacher, has led the Assets School esports team in chess since its inception in 2023.
“To have an Assets esports chess team, and on top of that, for us to win back-to-back championships in our first year, it feels incredible,” said Bridgman. “I love that our boys represented our school in this fashion! Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a legacy, but we're already etched in history.”
Bridgman has taught chess in enrichment classes at Assets and organized school tournaments for seven years.
Esports news also includes our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players. Wylan '29 and Ezekiel '28 emerged as the 8th and 9th seeds from a competitive pool of 16 qualifiers.
From esports to judo, congratulations go to Jesse '28 and Leilani '28 for winning 1st place in their weight class in judo matches at the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) Championships on Friday, April 12.
Kudos also go to Charlie ‘28, who finished the regular golf season in the top 20, which qualified him for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) Championships. Charlie finished tied for 9th overall average.
The Christian Schools Athletics League (CSAL) Girls' Basketball team wrapped up their season with a final game on Thursday at Iolani School against Iolani.