Regional Chess Tournament

The Coos County Regional Chess tournament determines who will move on to the state tournament, and we're packing our bags! Elisa was too young for this one, but Julianne and Caleb both did very well.

Julianne ended up with three wins, one loss, and one draw. Her big win of the day was against Mikey, the chess coach's son. She was so nervous when she found out she'd be playing him, but we encouraged her to take her time and think through her moves. She did just that--and won!
Her loss and draw were a little heartbreaking, since they were both to players she knows she can beat. Brad and I both were extremely impressed by her attitude. She took it with a smile on her face, and we're as proud of her maturity as we would have been of that 1st place trophy. She still gets to go to the state tournament as an alternate.

Caleb continues to build his reputation as someone you don't want to mess with on the chess board. Before the tournament started, another mom was telling me that all the boys were hoping and praying that they wouldn't have to play Caleb. It's really fun to watch him play; he is serious and deliberate, but not cocky. I even saw him offer advice to one of his competitors.
He came through the tournament undefeated, for another 1st place trophy and a ticket to the state tournament!
The kids are counting the days until the state tournament on March 3-4 in Portland. The bad news is that I won't be able to go because I have AYUSA national training meetings in San Francisco. Thank the Lord for text messaging!