Community & Business
14 October, 2026
Checkmate!
FOUR young chess wizards will be heading down to Brisbane this weekend to contest the Interschool Chess State Finals, marking their school’s first appearance at the event since 2023.
St Stephen’s students Tom Fenner, Patrick McCarthy, Ruben Jr Longakit and Jake Cook will compete at the State Finals following their silver medal performance at the recent FNQ Championships.
The team excelled at the event and finished just two wins behind winners Trinity Anglican School (Cairns), with Patrick being named Board 2 Champion.
Other students Christian, Samuel, Jonathon and Ashley also competed on the day. All four posted wins of their own which helped to send their peers on to the next level of competition.
Principal Gary Conwell was proud of his students’ accomplishments.
“We are very proud of our chess team for earning the opportunity to compete at the State Finals,” he said.
“Chess develops critical thinking, problem solving and resilience under pressure, and our team has demonstrated these qualities throughout the competition. We wish our students every confidence as they compete against some of the state’s best players.”
The boys said they were both nervous and excited to compete on a big stage in Brisbane and hoped to bring back good news for their school.
