Over 100 contestants join 2nd Annual GESM Chess Tournament

by Alexander Inkinen Ruiz and Pascal Birle

On June 7, 2025, together with fellow IBDP student Pascal Birle, we co-hosted the second annual GESM Chess Tournament. Guided by Head Coach Ferdinand Reyes and CAS Coordinator Mrs. Grisela Marti, we spent over a month planning logistics, organizing finances, and promoting the event, all with support from vendors, admin, teachers, and families. During this time, we all learnt to be more committed, to manage our time better, and collaborate with others more effectively. 

We began with the simple idea and managed to turn it into something much bigger – an event that brought together over 100 participants, aged 5 to 19, from local and international schools. The day began with inspiring words from our Headmaster, Herr Frank, as well as from Coach Ferdie. Then, five rounds of chess unfolded, showcasing not only strategy and skill, but also perseverance, creativity, and sportsmanship.

Although we were just helping to organize a tournament, we learned so much more. It was a chance to build community and bring people together. It was an opportunity to learn how to more effectively communicate with students, parents, volunteers, and vendors. We saw firsthand how much can be achieved when people work together toward a common goal.

Chess teaches us to think critically, stay calm under pressure, and learn from every move—lessons that extend far beyond the game itself. Furthermore, it teaches perseverance, another skill we learned not just from playing the game, but from organizing the tournament itself.

With support from volunteers, admin, teachers, and families, the tournament was a success. Medals, trophies, and cash prizes were awarded, but the true reward was seeing friendships form, and a community grow.

We hope the annual GESM Chess Tournament continues to grow in the years to come, encouraging the values of competition, unity, service, and community that we can all learn from such an event.