Lee Early College was dominant in their defense of the Lee County Schools Secondary Chess Championship. Cobra players earned 22 of a possible 24 points on their way to claim consecutive LCS Chess Titles.
It was a special day at the tournament as the inaugural Kim Ashby Knight's Honor Award was bestowed upon its first recipient. The award is dedicated to the memory of the late Kim Ashby, the former Chess Coach and Math Teacher at SanLee Middle School whose passion and dedication for students brought Chess to SanLee and helped it spread across the district.
This year's recipient of the Ashby Knight's Honor was Evan Leliever from SanLee Middle. Described as a passionate chess player who has carried the admiration of both his peers and coaches, Leliever has served this year as the Captain of the Stallions team. Evan began his chess journey as a sixth grade student under the direction of Mrs. Ashby, and his enthusiasm for the game was clear when he was the first student to sign up for the club again this year.
Teammates and coaches describe Leliever as kind, intelligent, fun and supportive. He recently demonstrated his chess prowess by defeating SanLee Principal Christian Chaney who described Evan's victory as being painted into a corner.