Four youngsters from St George put on dazzling moves that would have done Mark Gasnier proud when they took part in an international chess tournament in the exotic setting of Turkey.
The kids, siblings Clarise and Cedric Koh and Sean Gu and Anton Smirnov, are all members of the St George League's Chess Club, which supported their trip to Antalya, Turkey, for the World Youth Chess Championships last November.
For Sean and Anton, it was their international debut, while the Koh kids had competed previously at the World Youth Chess Championships in Batumi, Georgia, in the US, in 2006, where Cedric achieved a stunning 16th in the U8 Open category.
The St George Leagues Chess Club is delighted to report that the young players performed with great distinction in Antalya, where more than 1000 youngsters from 78 nations competed.
Clarise, 10, finished 66th out of 101 players in her division, while Cedric, nine, was 106th out of 155 players in his age group. Sean, who plays a mature game for a seven year old, came in 22nd out of 120 players in his division.
The irrepressible Koh kids had a wonderful time.
Clarise said: "I enjoyed the Turkey trip as I made a number of friends that enjoyed chess from other countries!"
And from Cedric: "It was enjoyable as I got the opportunity to challenge opponents from other countries at world class level!"
Eunice Koh, mum of Clarise and Cedric, said all of the four youngsters had not only competed strongly, but also behaved with maturity and respect for their opponents.
"All of the St George kids were fantastic and all of their families and supporters were extremely proud of their efforts," Eunice said.
"Our thanks go to the Leagues Club for helping the kids to get to Turkey for what they will always remember as a great time in their lives."
The children put in up to 10 hours of training and practice each week.
Cedric and Clarise took up the game once described by Einstein as requiring "enormous mental resilience" when they started school after being introduced to the game in kindy years by their dad.
They started playing at the St George Leagues Chess Club in 2005 and Clarise is currently in Year 5 while Cedric is now in Year 4 at Penshurst West Public School. They have represented their school in chess since infant school and have won trophies for the school.
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St George Leagues Club
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