The March Madness chess tournament March 8 at South Eugene High School gave Coquille chess players a chance to practice one last time before the Chess for Success state championships March 14-15 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.

In the elite section, Aaron Grabinsky tackled all the highest-rated players. He defeated them all to retain his status as the highest-rated scholastic player in Oregon. Josiah Perkins and Joshua Grabinsky put in a few wins in the elite section but not enough to place in the top four.

In the advanced section, Hailey Riley scored 21/2 wins against frequently higher-rated players and tied for third place.

In the novice section, Sarah Reed and Logan Hill tied for first place. An exciting speed chess blitz playoff was played to break the tie. With many players, parents and coaches watching, Logan won the playoff to earn the first-place trophy. Sarah Reed won the second-place trophy and Caleb Prince took third place.

Coquille elementary and middle school teams competed for the Oregon team championships at the Oregon Convention Center on March 11. Aaron Grabinsky and Riley will started the two-day tournament for the high school individual championship. The tournament to determine the Oregon representative for the Barber National tournament will be in April.