Freeport

Bishop Michael Eldon School Launches the 
Only Competitive Chess Team in Freeport, The Bahamas

It's been said that Grand Bahama Island has it all: one of the world's largest underwater cave systems, three national parks, miles of beautiful beaches and crisp blue waters. Well now, Bishop Michael Eldon School has added to that list by becoming the only school on the island with a chess team. Coached by Math Teacher Shawn Sorsby, the BMES Warriors are now going out to battle in a game of the minds, on the chess board.

Since most students at BMES had never played chess before, one might think it would have been difficult to build interest. To much surprise, however, in only a matter of months the chess team, known as the PAWNSTORMERS, has grown to become the largest team at the school with over 40 members! While many students had the notion that chess was only for "nerds" and might not be for them, now even the "cool kids" are playing chess, which is cool indeed.

When asked about the benefits of playing chess, the BMES PAWNSTORMERS had this to say:

“One advantage to playing chess is learning to think ahead. While playing chess you have to think ahead and visualize the consequences of your actions.”        ~~Terray Rolle, Grade 8 

“Usually learning from your mistakes is better than winning, and your opponent in turn teaches you a valuable lesson of what works and what doesn’t.”       ~~Timothy Brown, Grade 9

“Chess can teach you many good lessons like patience and focus, and also can help your mind mentally. It’s better than playing video games!”       ~~Rohith Nair, Grade 8

“One advantage to playing chess is weighing options because on the chess board if you make the wrong move you can easily lose, and the same goes for life.”       ~~Elijah St. Armand, Grade 9

“Every time I lose, I learn because each game I play is like another building block for me to start learning different techniques.”       ~~Wilton Cartwright, Grade 7

The chess team is currently looking to travel for their first tournament and would love to have your support. Please post a comment below, they look forward to hearing from you! The team meets every Tuesday and Wednesday for instruction in Room 14 at BMES, and invites anyone to come and play on Thursdays at BMES under the Covered Area. Please come check them out as these chess warriors look to take on new heights, one move at a time.