A South Surrey youngster who found his niche playing chess two years ago has once again proven his mettle at the game.
Luke Pulfer, 7, returned from last weekend’s Canadian Chess Challenge as the country’s Grade 2 champ, after notching nine wins in nine games during two days of intense play as a member of Team BC.
Together, the 12-member team – which included Surrey students Matthew Herdin (Grade 7, Star of the Sea), John and Joshua Doknjas (Grade 6 and 3, respectively, Lochiel U’Connect Education Centre) and Tanraj Sohal (Grade 9, Fleetwood Park) – earned the most points the province has ever scored.
The team placed second overall behind Ontario.
“Many people commented about Team BC being the strongest this year,” said team captain Victoria Jung-Doknjas. “We came one point away from taking it all this year.”
Held at University of Victoria, it was the first time in its 23 years that the championship was in B.C.
Surrey competitors proved they have all the right moves. Joshua Doknjas won at the Grade 3 level; John Doknjas won for Grade 6; and Herdin tied for first in Grade 7 play, losing the trophy for his level “by a whisker” to a Nova Scotia competitor during a tie-breaker. Grade 9 student Tanraj Sohal filled out the Surrey trophy count with a third-place finish.
For Pulfer, the trophy brings to 26 he’s won playing chess since taking the game up competitively in 2009. Mom Julie Domovich said he’s hoping to add to the cache in July, when he’ll compete in the Canadian Youth Chess Championship in Richmond Hill, Ont. A win there would earn Pulfer the right to compete in the World Youth Chess Championship, to take place in November in Brazil.
The Doknjas brothers are also to compete in Ontario, Jung-Dokjnas said. Her younger son, Joshua, competed at the world level in Greece last year. His brother, John, went to the worlds in 2008.
Jung-Dokjnas – who’s competed at the B.C. Women’s Championship – said the game takes focus.
“It takes one second, one move, and after a brilliant game, it could just be sabotaged,” she said.
“You make one blunder, it turns the whole thing around.”
