Chess Empowerment Association hosts large tournament at Mercer

Gazebo Photo by Zeraiz Shabbire
Younger students from other Macon schools played chess matches Saturday at Mercer’s Medical School
The Chess Empowerment Association hosted its biggest chess tournament to date in Mercer University on February 24.

Stratford sophomore Daniel Smolensky in a chess match with a younger player
Students from several local schools participated. It was divided into five rounds, in which the competition became more difficult each round.
“I did pretty well overall, and I was playing ranked the whole time,” Stratford sophomore Daniel Smolensky said.
If you own a USCF (United States Chess Federation) membership card you had the option to play ranked matches where your wins and losses are rated against other chess competitors globally.
“I only lost two matches out of five, and even won an award,” Stratford freshman Haaris Ahmed said.

Zeraiz Shabbir is a sophomore and in his first year on the staff of The Gazebo. His favorite subjects are Accelerated Chemistry and AP World History. His...