Young South Coast chess players have been capturing attention, and trophies, at State-wide competitions.

A group of twenty South Coast chess players spent the weekend at the Portland Expo Center to compete in the Chess for Success State Championships earlier this month.

Another group are set to compete at the Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation state championships this upcoming weekend. It will determine the high school individual, middle school individual, elementary school individual and the girl individual who will be nominated to participate in the USCF National events.

Local chess players already had success at the first competition in Portland.

Three of the South Coast players came home with trophies and medals and they all had fun and are even more motivated to work hard and advance their chess skills, said Dr. Nancy Keller after the Chess for Success State Championships.

Some of the South Coast elementary chess players having fun between rounds.

Keller played chess as a child and eventually became a class-3 chess player. She never lost her passion for chess. In her retirement, she enjoys teaching young South Coast community members how to play.

With chess for me it's my sneaky way of making them smarter, Keller said.

They are having fun and they don't know they are getting smarter at the same time. Chess is problem solving, pattern recognition and gracefulness because you have to be gracious whether winning or losing. There's team elements involved so you've also got collegiality and sportsmanship. She said.

The local chess teacher said chess clubs on the South Coast have been really taking off this year, and she has her hands full teaching local community members from preschool-aged to adult.

Members of the Bandon chess team.

Keller is getting ready to take twenty-seven South Coast chess players to Seaside for the Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation State Championships.

The young players must be supervised by their parents. While it is a fun and unique opportunity for up-and-coming chess players to travel and compete it is also an expense.

A Coquille family set up a go-fund me account to make the trip possible for 7-year-old chess player Miles Jennings.

"I'm hoping to raise enough money to cover our room and board, food, and gas so that our family and Miles may attend the state tournament," his father Joshua Jennings wrote on GoFundMe.

Miles has been working very hard for the last couple years and it's finally paying off for him, Joshua said.

Nancy Keller and the entire Coquille chess club have all been working very hard, he added.

Chess teacher Keller said she thinks its great that Miles family is supporting his passion for chess.

Miles is doing great and he loves the game. He has potential and we will see where it goes. No matter what, he is going to learn a lot of life lessons, Keller said.

Miles Jennings' family is raising money for him to compete in the upcoming state championship in Seaside Oregon.

Keller said she has several players who have real talent and could go far.

I love finding those hidden gems, she said.

More than anything, Keller said she enjoys giving local youth a chance to explore and find out what they are good at all while making great friends with each other.

Chess for Success State Championships local winners:

K-4: Noah Ish-Shalom (Winter Lake Elementary) won third place losing only one game to the first place winner. PMisha von Dassow (Lighthouse Coos Bay) won second place. 7th grade: Tyler LeBrun (Coquille Jr/Sr High ) won third place.

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Photos: South Coast chess players making their best moves - Coos Bay World