Checkmate champion Tawai’s off to nationals
Checkmate: To check a chess opponent’s king so escape is impossible.
The word has become common in t he vernacular of Whanganui Intermediate School youngster Tawai Pinnock.
The 11-year-old became the intermediate-level chess champion when he called checkmate again at the recent Whanganui Regional Chess Competition.
Tawai has been taking part in chess competitions for about two years.
“This one was more challenging than usual, more schools came to compete and we didn’t know how good they were,” Tawai said.
“It was a really great experience to see how other schools play, now I know how good they are and they’re actually really good.”
The event took place in the Whanganui Intermediate School hall and 88 students took part in rookie, junior, intermediate and senior sections.
It was a good showing for Whanganui Intermediate, with Toby Clark finishing second be- hind Tawai in the intermediate individual category and Harrison Smith placing third to complete the trifecta. They also won the intermediate teams category.
“Competing individually is really hard because you know how good [your opponents] are and you get quite nervous,” Tawai said.
“When you’re competing as a team, you’re just trying to get as many wins and points as you can with your mates.”
Tawai became interested in chess when he was at Churton School and a professional visited to show students how to play the game.
After this visit, he taught himself to play and his love of chess has continued to grow since that moment.
“I like the feeling of how you move the pieces and take control of the game.
“Winning feels cool as well, it’s fun to win.”
Scores follow a basic system where one point is awarded for a win, half a point for a stalemate and no points for a loss.
Tawai racked up six and a half points out of a possible seven in his victory, earning a certificate for distinction and another for finishing first.
He has four or five medals at home and will have a chance to add to that tally at the national competition in Hamilton in October.
“This is going to be my third nationals, last year we went to Auckland and I got four and a half points,” Tawai said.
“It was quite difficult because there were a lot of good players from all around New Zealand.”
Tawai believes he is well equipped to finish better this time around and takes inspiration from his mother and father, who play a few games with him at night.
“You’ve got to keep playing different players to learn new strategies,” he said.
“In the nationals, it was quite embarrassing because I lost in four moves, but I built up on that and now I use that four-move checkmate.
“Sometimes you’ve got to lose to win.”