Blaine varsity chess team sends 5 to state championship

After sweeping Meridian in scoring with five out of five points, the Blaine High School varsity chess team booked a spot at the Washington High School Chess Association’s state championship tournament in Stanwood this weekend.

Freshmen Carson Roesch and Shawn Waters, sophomores Maddy Reiss and Xander Hodges, and junior Owen Millsap will compete in Stanwood Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5.

“First, I would like to say how proud I am of our entire team,” coach Jeremy Roesch wrote in a community message. “We started the season with a very young team, no returning students and pretty much our entire team was new to the game. The prospects of making the state tournament looked slim as we needed to build a strong foundation. We entered our final meet with the pressure on as we were just one point out of state contention.”

Roesch said the team won three of five games against Sehome, forcing them out of the competition. 

“With their confidence boosted, the varsity then went on to sweep Meridian scoring an impressive five out of five points and solidifying a spot in the state championship!” he wrote. “Great job, go Borderites!”