Mac.Rob Chess Club
On April 1st, twelve students from Mac.Rob proudly represented our school at the 2025 Brighton Chess Tournament, hosted at the Brighton Grammar School. With about 200 players competing across 37 school teams, this was a huge interschool chess event featuring a high level of competition. The tournament followed a 7-round Swiss system format, with games timed at 13 minutes per player plus a 2-second increment per move, which allowed for quick-paced yet thoughtful play.
The results of the day are as follows:
1st place [27 points]: Scotch College
2nd place [26 points]: Haileybury College
3rd-4th place [25.5 points]: Mac.Rob / MHS Team 1
5th place [25 points]: MHS Team 2
The Mac.Rob team placed third overall with 25.5 points, tying with Melbourne High School and only 1.5 points behind first place, qualifying us for both the Girls' State Finals and the Open State Finals later this year.
Every round was a learning experience for us all, and the tournament fostered a strong sense of community among players, with time between rounds spent offering encouragement, snacking and socialising, and even squeezing in some casual blitz matches. Mac.Rob’s combined efforts and collaborative spirit earned the respect of many, and our placement in the top three was a testament to everyone’s hard work. The results now set the stage for the upcoming Girls State Finals and Open State Finals, among other chess tournaments, where our team will face off against some of the best chess players in Victoria.
The full Mac.Rob team included Aparna M, Anh Quynh N, Ingrid L, Jin Shan L, Juhana N, Matilda M, Rebecca C, Rhythm K, Alice W, Sarah D, Suraya I, and Xinyao D.
All participants played exceptionally well and demonstrated great resilience and sportsmanship. Special mentions go to Alice [6 points], Aparna [5.5 points], Ingrid [5 points] and Juhana [5 points], who were the top scoring players of the Mac.Rob team.
We are incredibly proud of everyone who participated and represented Mac.Rob with poise and determination. A huge thank you to Mr. Schaffner and Mr. Tran, and our Chess Captains Aparna, Ingrid, and Juhana; without their organisation, support, and leadership, we would not have been able to participate in this amazing event.
Rhythm K (11F)