The Niles North Chess Team has yet again met adversity with victory.

Supernationals, an event held every four years in Nashville, Tenn., combines the annual K-8 nationals with high school nationals.

“There were lots of good players,” sophomore Brad D’Costa said. “We definitely grew as a team”.

The team fought through seven grueling rounds over three days in early April. After each round, players retreated to the teams day room to rest and prepare for their next rounds.

Although chess isn’t a physical sport, it can be exhausting. Games can last from under an hour, to  more than four hours. After their games, players are often mentally and physically drained. (Imagine taking seven mini ACT’s over the course of a weekend.)

However, the team fought through each round and when the smoke cleared, the team’s “unrated section” (the tournament is divided up into divisions based on strength, the unrated section is for players who have not played in tournaments before) emerged with a glistening third-place trophy.

The team gained more than just a trophy from the experience. “My favorite thing about us as a team is how supportive we are of each other,” junior Sofia Tagkaloglu said. “Players of all levels are so eager to go over games and tactics with each other.”

In addition, freshman Eric Musielski, who also played in the unrated section, scored an impressive six wins out of seven games to earn sixth place in the unrated section.

The team left North early last Thursday. The team competed at the Gaylord Opryland, a resort in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nationals is the last event of the season. The team is currently preparing for next years years conference competition.