Health & Fitness
L-W East Chess Team Competes at State
One player, sophomore Caleb Henstein, comes home with a medal.
The chess team participated in the Illinois High School Association State Chess Team Tournament this past weekend where they tested their mental skills with students from across the state.
One player, Caleb Henstein, came home with a medal.
“Caleb’s learning curve for tactical chess has been incredible,” said Lincoln-Way East social science teacher and head chess team coach Matt Johnson. “This is only his first year on the team, but he plays with the focus and mental agility of a seasoned veteran.”
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Caleb, who is only a sophomore at East, placed 10th on his board out of 128 contenders.
He was joined at the two-day tournament by East teammates Kyle Adams, Alex Arseneau, Jack Christensen, Steve Johnson, Jake Kasmierski, Doug Prskalo, Levi Ruby and Nick Schreiner.
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More than 1,400 players from 128 schools participated in the tournament, which was held Feb. 10 and 11 in Peoria.
It was the eighth year Johnson has taken the school’s chess team to the state tournament.
“We have a really talented group of players on the East Chess Team this year,” he said. “They are all dedicated and possess great sportsmanship. They are also a young group, so I’m expecting big things next year.”
