At Veritas, we like to study things that are time-tested, significant, impactful, thoughtful, and engaging. We play chess for the same reasons. We also LOVE chess…and here’s why:

Chess enhances a Classical Christian Education

Chess encourages the same things that a classical education focuses on…grammar, logic, and rhetoric. In chess, one must know the fundamental movements and rules of all the pieces (grammar), how to move these pieces in a systematic, cohesive, and synergetic manner (logic), and, in order to be great at chess, you must know what your and your opponent’s moves truly communicate lest you be bamboozled into a trap (rhetoric).

Chess Teaches Life Skills

Chess also teaches patience, strategic thinking, and perseverance, but perhaps more relevant today than ever, it teaches you that all actions have consequences. As it is in life, one bad move often leads to another, but a well-planned and thoughtful step leads to long term success.

Chess is for Everyone

Chess is a game that surpasses limitations often present in sports. One’s age, size, gender, nationality, or pedigree matter not when you step up to the chess board. It is fun because all students of all ages and backgrounds can come together to play chess with a fair shot at victory. When this dynamic is at play, you just never know what to expect! 

This Year’s Achievements

Second Place Overall in Lancaster-Lebanon Counties

Chess is a relatively new sport here at Veritas, but in the recent Elementary competition for Lancaster and Lebanon Counties featuring dozens of schools, Veritas’ team finished 2nd place overall (missing first place by only 1/2 point)! Congratulations to Jackson Kuehner, William Daughtrey, Seth Bender, and Patrick Daughtrey for this performance. The team brought an impressive trophy back to Veritas.

Individual Winners

Also, every one of our middle school students who participated in their year-end middle school league tournament brought home a personal award. To our knowledge, we were the only team that accomplished this, so congrats to Ronan Casey (7th), Owen Nissley (9th), and Myles Kuehner (6th) for this accomplishment.

Patrick Daughtrey, a Veritas 4th grader, was the individual overall champion out of over 100 participants at the elementary school level. Patrick played in the state tournament, where he finished in the top 10!

We're proud of all of our chess players, whether they were on the competitive team or playing in our chess club, and we love that Veritas is the type of school where these kids can say with confidence that they love chess because "chess is cool!" In fact, the Chess Club is our most popular extracurricular activity, with nearly 40 kids participating this year and so much interest we had to form a waiting list!

Whether on the athletic field, in the music hall, on stage, in the classroom, or on the chess boards, it's a privilege and joy to be a part of shaping these kids into well-rounded students and young adults who can stand, think, and lead with confidence and integrity!