Youth chess tournament held at Sonia Sotomayor Elementary

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A youth chess tournament put on by Chess4Life was held at Sonia Sotomayor Elementary on Saturday, and included kids from as young as 4-years-old to high school seniors.

All participants played in five games. Chess allows kids to gain strategic thinking skills, problem solving and resilience.

“In chess, you’re not hiding behind team members, it’s your own game,” said Elliott Neff, founder of Chess4Life. “If you lose the match, it was your choice. Facing that reality and pushing through it, being willing to fail. We like to say it’s a first attempt in learning. So fail fast, fail forward, build grit, resilience. A mindset of success carries forward into success in other areas.”

The State Scholastic Championship will be held in Rapid City next weekend.

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