Chess at Kryal Castle
On Wednesday 26 March Kryal Castle near Ballarat hosted the Northern Star Chess Primary Open Championship as part of the Kryal Castle Chess Shield 2025. This event, organised by Northern Star Chess, brought together Year 5 and 6 students from various Victorian schools to compete in a unique medieval setting. The tournament featured a seven-round Swiss format, with each student playing seven games. The top 30% of participants qualified for the Northern Star Chess Primary Open semi-finals, with additional qualifications for the top 30% of girls to enter the Primary Girls State Final. The winning school’s name was engraved on the perpetual Kryal Castle Chess Shield, continuing a proud tradition of competitive chess in a historical setting.
Students enjoyed the competition and came third in the overall School-based competition, which was a fantastic effort. Leo and Miran will compete at the State semi-finals later in the year, and Navisha will compete at the Girl’s State final. Congratulations to all ten students who competed in the tournament, and we look forward to more opportunities to compete in Chess tournaments in the future.
‘I loved the Kryal Castle chess competition; it was a delightful experience. I felt really proud to represent our school, and I most enjoyed it when we got third in the whole competition. We had some free time during the tournament to explore the castle. A highlight of the tournament was the Maze. I got a little lost, but it was still fun. Mr Fleming came in and guided me. Luckily, I made it out. The Ivanhoe attribute shown in this experience was courage. Everyone was brave and won many games, but they also lost some. It was the greatest place ever.’ – Navisha
‘The thing I enjoyed most about going to Kryal Castle was when we got there and we explored the area before playing chess. I also enjoyed playing chess because it is one of my favourite sports and I love to play it. What stood out to me was how there were so many different kids, but it didn’t matter if they were old or young, they were still excellent at chess. I saw The Ivanhoe Attribute when some people qualified and others didn’t; the people who lost were very happy for the people who qualified.’ – Kishan
