It was the highest turnout in the 42-year history of the competition, with 213 students registered in the elementary division alone, grades kindergarten through sixth. A handful of schools brought 20 or more students. Bell Oaks marched in with its team of seven, three of whom had never played in a tournament before. But now these schools are bringing 20-some players. That gives them a lot of room.
More players translates to more opportunities for good scores.
Yet the kids from Bell Oaks were not the nervous type. And neither were their parents. In the flurry of excitement as the pairings were posted at 10 a.m. Sunday, the Bell Oaks parents were not the ones jockeying for position to see the lists. The players, aged 5 to 12, were seated at long tables in twos, on either side of a chess board. They brought their own pieces and game clocks.