The 2011 Chess Team's Championship was held on 28 August 2011. Teams were formed with 3 players who controlled Board 1, Board 2 and Board 3. The tournament had a surprise visitor who came all the way from New South Wales, Dr. Jashint Maharaj. Dr. Jashint Maharaj has been a strong backbone and enthusiastic player when we remember Fiji Chess for the past decade. A total of 11 teams competed in the championship, 6 of which belonged to the Open Category.

At the end of 5 rounds, Saint Agnes Primary School were declared champions in their category. Their team consisted of Claudia Koroi, Julianne Bale and Austin Koroi. They managed to hold at bay a tough challenge from Saint Anne Primary School which was represented by Jacqui Masi, Kelyn Prasad and Samu Mataika.

Nausori High School reigned supreme in the Secondary Schools category since their team was headed by the Terubea brothers - Ronald, Keiz and Tianata. The Terubea brothers had shown similar prowess in the FMF Under-20 Chess Champioship that just went by. The second position was a tie between Marist Brother's High School and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High who shared the prize.

Photo: Rajiv Raj and Krishneel Nair playing mind games at the Pacifica Campus

The Open Category was won by the Suva Vikings which was spearheaded by Chessmaster Manoj Kumar, June Adricula and FIDE arbiter Krishneel Nair. The team scored 8 points out of a possible 15 with Manoj Kumar on 4 wins and 1 draw, June Adricula on 3 wins and Krishneel Nair on 1 win. The 2nd position was held by Team Knights which made 6 points with Juan Clomera, Elmera and Brian Terubea. Dark Horse made up of Noel Adricula, Carlos Sensedo and Rajiv Raj secured the 3rd position.

Board prizes were awarded to Chessmaster Manoj Kumar (Board 1), Elmera (Board 2) and Rajiv Raj (Board 3). The Team's championship turned out to be an exciting battle since all teams had players of varying skill levels such that no team was dominated by veterans only. Until 2012, congratulations to Suva Vikings and the rest of the Team winners!