Chess Team is King of Local Chess

The Bayside Academy Chess Team took care of business in the final round of the Mobile-Baldwin County Chess League on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at Bayside. Over 200 kids competed from around the region, and the Bayside team captured individual and team honors.

 

Bayside’s varsity team bested UMS-Wright by a score of 3-1 to claim the league title for the third consecutive year and 16 out of the last 20. Going into the match, the teams were tied for first, so the Admirals had to prevail to claim the crown. Leading the team to victory were seniors Rhett Montgomery and Michael Klimjack, junior Jacob Stallworth, and 8th grader Huan Chen. Stallworth pulled out a dramatic victory after falling behind and had about 17 seconds left on his clock when he secured the team win. The team finished the season with a record of 6-0-1.

 

Rhett Montgomery again won the Paul Morphy Award, which recognizes the league's most valuable player. After defeating his opponent from UMS, he was in a three-way tie for first, so he had a 10-minute playoff game against the first board from Davidson High School, who he had not played in the regular season. Montgomery won that game to earn his third Morphy Award. He also won it as an 8th grader and last year and is the second Bayside player to win the award at least three times.

 

Not to be outdone, Bayside’s middle school team also captured their division title by defeating Daphne Middle School by a count of 2-0-2 behind the play of 8th graders John Stephen Klimjack and Burke Ramagosa and 7th graders Don Chen and Elias Blossom. The victory capped an undefeated season with a perfect 7-0 record, and the middle school players never lost a contested game all year. Of all games played across the board, Bayside sported a record of 25-0-2. Don Chen was named to the Middle School All Star team.

 

Bayside’s JV team fell just short of a third consecutive title in their division with a 2-2 draw against the Alabama School of Math and Science. Going into the round, the Admirals were a half-game behind and needed the victory to claim the title. Instead, they settled for second with an overall record of 5-0-2. Leading the team were junior Jared Dull and sophomores Colt Hancock, Evan Stafford, and Boyce Magli.

 

Bayside’s elementary team fought to a 1-3 loss to Christ the King's B team in the season finale and finished out of the running. Playing for the Admirals were 5th graders Eli Solomon and Ben Freeman and 4th graders Louise Eleazer and Andrew Prewett.