Checkmate

Lawrence Goodall | Chess Team Moderator
Eleven students represented Belen Jesuit in 13 chess tournaments throughout this academic year, with 1 more tournament pending before the conclusion of the school year.  This year saw a great and welcome increase in the number of middle school students competing.
 
Among the many highlights of the year was the performance of Belen’s team at the U.S. High School National Championship in mid-March. Aidan Pevida ‘21 went undefeated to win the 12th place individual trophy in the U 1600 division and Carlos Ariza ‘19 only lost one game in the same division.
 
Additionally, Belen won its first-ever Regional Championship title in the Middle School division, with 1st place individual achieved by Avery Villasuso ‘24 and 2nd place individual achieved by Edgar Batista ‘24 – in his very first chess competition!  In the same event, the high school players achieved 1st place team in the U 1200 division (with Jonathan Gomez ‘21 achieving 1st place individual) and 2nd place team in the Open division.
 
In local tournaments, the team won 3 team trophies and 8 individual trophies. For more information on the Chess team please email me at lgoodall@belenjesuit.org.
 
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BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain.  The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline.  In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty.  The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow.  Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.