Updated Information - more success for our students!
We came an impressive 18th out of 40 teams. Leo H who was on board number 1 against all the top players from all the other schools finished in 6th position!
Caningeraba State School had an incredibly talented team compete in the 2025 Queensland Interschool Chess State Finals this weekend, 18th and 19th October, at St Joseph's Gregory Terrace against the top 40 primary private, Catholic and state school teams from across Queensland. They competed in teams of four in three rounds on each day playing the classic long style game where rounds can go up to three hours long. Each teammate was assigned a board number 1-4 based on ratings and in each round would verse a different opposing team and face off against the opposing teammate with their corresponding board number. Leo our captain and experienced veteran in this style of competition lead the team on board 1 and came away with an unbelievable total of 4.5/6 points. Sylvie stayed resilient as our only female player and only year 5 player on the difficult number 2 board and came away with a much anticipated and celebrated point in her final round. Bailey was steady and focused throughout the tournament and came away with a strong result of 4/6 points on board 3. Xavi our rookie in chess this year but absolute rising star accumulated a solid 3/6 points on board 4. The team finished the tournament on a high note with a clean sweep of wins adding 4 points to their team total, which meant they came away with an impressive 12.5 points out of a potential 24 points. This was the first time our school has ever qualified for the state finals and they achieved so much success that they even surprised themselves. They were proud of themselves and rightfully so. Their Caningeraba team spirit was heartwarming both on and off the board. There were team good luck ducks, handshakes, high fives, handball and so much humour. The team bonding was not only apparent between the teammates but also their parents who were there every step of the way to encourage them. I want to thank the parents and acknowledge the amazing job they are doing and that their sacrifices and support makes all the difference in shaping these kids and their future. The parents were right when they said their story had the makings of a feel good coming of age underdog movie about the little local state school chess team that came up against the big flashy private schools and showed everyone what you can do with a bit of belief, commitment and determination. Not all movies end with the favourites coming away with the champions cup trophy but they definitely came away as champions in so many other ways. Caningeraba chess champions – Legendary Leo, Slaying Sylvie, Brilliant Bailey and X-factor Xavi - take a bow because you deserve a standing ovation!
Gold Coast Primary Coastal Chess Tournament
On Wednesday, 10th September 2025, 38 students from Years 2 to 6 from Caningeraba SS took part in the Gold Coast Primary Coastal Chess Tournament. The event was hosted at Emmanuel College. Caningeraba entered ten teams across six divisions with our students playing seven challenging rounds throughout the day.
Running concurrently with the standard tournament was the premier division, which took the top 4 teams from the three different Gold Coast areas being Hinterland, Coastal and Gold Coast North to have the top 12 teams play off to determine who would qualify for the state finals in Brisbane on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th October. Our premier team battled some tough opposition and showed great determination and resilience under pressure to accomplish an amazing feat that no other Caningeraba team has ever done before…
They qualified for the state titles!!!!
Our premier team consisted of some amazing young talented grandmasters in the making in Leo, Sylvie, Bailey & Xavi (with Finn who helped the team originally qualify being absent today but having the potential to rejoin the other 4 team members at state to make a team of 5).
Congratulations to all students on their outstanding behaviour, effort and achievements throughout the tournament. Special recognition goes to the following students who were awarded ribbons and medals during the presentation ceremony.
Individual success:
Premier – Leo (merit ribbon)
B division – Zac (merit ribbon)
Logan (merit ribbon)
C division – Miki (3rd place bronze medal)
D division – Mia (merit ribbon)
Aydin (merit ribbon)
E division - Coen (merit ribbon)
Team success:
B division – Caningeraba 3 – Zac, Louie, Logan & Max (2nd place silver medal)
Acknowledgements:
Thank you goes to the following students for showing leadership and supporting our newer students by being their buddies for the day and helping them navigate the tournament environment:
Zac, Sean, Java, Maddison and Lara
Gold Coast Primary Coastal Chess Tournament
On Tuesday, 10th June 2025, 31 students from Years 2 to 6 from Caningeraba SS took part in the Gold Coast Primary Coastal Chess Tournament. The event was hosted at St Kevin's Catholic College and over 300 students from local primary schools participated. Caningeraba entered eight teams across five divisions and our students played seven challenging rounds throughout the day.
While we celebrated some excellent individual and team results, what truly stood out was the character our students displayed. They showed integrity, patience under pressure, thoughtful collaboration, quiet confidence, mental stamina, and a genuine respect for their opponents. Their encouragement of one another and the kindness extended to players from other schools reflected the best of Caningeraba's values. A special mention goes to Leo, Bailey and Noah for willingly taking on the responsibility of supporting some of our newer students in the tournament environment.
Congratulations to all students on their outstanding efforts and achievements throughout the tournament. Special recognition goes to the following students who were awarded ribbons and medals during the presentation.
Individual success:
Merit ribbon recipients:
A division – Leo, Sylvie & Finn
B division – Zac & Chaddy
C division – Vienna, Max, Logan & Miki
D division – Lara & Elliot
E division - Aydin
Team success:
A division – 3rd place Bronze medal - Caningeraba 1 – Leo, Bailey, Sylvie & Finn
B division – tied 3rd place – Caningeraba 3 – Sean, Zac, Louie & Chaddy
C division – 3rd place Bronze medal – Caningeraba 4 – Noah, Vienna, Max & Logan
D division – 3rd place Bronze medal – Caningeraba 6 –Blake, Kai, Elliot and Isaac
Article by Bree Dlugosz