Hvaleyrarskóli in an international chess competition

In an international competition

The Hvaleyrarskóli team competed at the World School Team Championship at the beginning of the month. The tournament took place in Washington D.C., United States. This was their first international tournament, but not their last, as they are aiming for the Nordic Championship in Helsinki in the middle of the month.

“I am very proud of a great group,” says Kristinn Guðlaugsson, principal of Hvaleyrarskóli.

Before the competition, the group was ranked as the 46th strongest in the tournament and they finished in 45th place. They had received training from the president of the Chess Federation for the trip. India won the tournament quite convincingly, Kazakhstan came in second, and the United States took third place.

The team consists of:

• Emilía Klara Tómasdóttir
• Katrín Ósk Tómasdóttir
• Kristófer Árni Egilsson
• Milosz Úlfur Olszewski
• Tristan Nash Alguno Openia

A strong interest in chess has taken root at Hvaleyrarskóli, as it has in many schools in Hafnarfjörður.

“There is a chessboard in the hallways, and students play. Chess has been revived here in the school. Three or four years ago, we brought it back after a quiet period and were ahead of the chess wave,” Kristinn explains.

“Yes, they performed well abroad and jumped up one spot in their debut in international competition. This is an excellent experience for all of them,” says Kristinn.

Congratulations on the experience, and best of luck at the Nordic Championship.