Students tested their skills of problem solving, abstract reasoning, pattern recognition and strategic thinking as they competed against each other in chess tournaments, . “In every chess game, players are faced with challenges and problems that they have to solve,” says Chris Vaillant, a French as a Second Language teacher with St. Clair Catholic and convenor of the tournaments. “Chess is a tremendous learning tool, which helps students to develop many skills, most especially how to focus on a task before them.” In the Sarnia tournament, approximately 250 students from 12 schools across Sarnia-Lambton will compete in the 34 th annual tournament. Because of the success of the annual event, this year it will be expanded to include a tournament in Chatham, where about 90 students are expected to participate.