Trigg County’s chess team — sponsored through The Way Christian Youth Center and retired firefighter Pat Crane — had a particularly memorable finish during this past Saturday’s Regional Chess Championship in Livingston County.
Ranked fourth-best in the Commonwealth in 2023, Walker Wadlington won all four of his matches and brought home the title of regional high school champion. Peyton Rojas, relatively new to the game, also won all four of his matches for the regional junior school championship.
Alongside Rojas, David Shirley, Daniel Baumann and Dawson Moore combined for a fourth-place team finish.
As such, all have qualified for state chess championship competition.
Comprised of Wadlington, Jayden Ennis, Brandon Michael Moser and Noah Grinols, the seniors finished fifth overall.
This squad was the only one competing that didn’t stem from a public school.
Carl Heckmann, of The Way, said the organization will immediately be looking for ways to support travel for the next effort.
Crane, meanwhile, has been teaching chess Friday nights at The Way for more than five years. Last summer, he approached officials with a request to use its facilities each Wednesday during the school year, in order to start a chess club.
This endeavor is much more than just chess for Crane. He also uses the time to share Christian-based, compatible leadership principles and values key to success.
Crane recently registered each of these students to the United States Chess Federation (USCF). This past November, the club hosted an exhibition tournament with another county. This past weekend served as the group’s first official competition. Crane and Jonathan Wadlington served as transport and support for the students.
