Ardenne High defeated a strong Queen's team 4-0 last Friday, to advance as automatic qualifiers to the Round of 16 phase of the 2006 RBTT Bank National Schools Chess Championship.

Following a shaky start in the championship, Ardenne reminded the rest of the teams in the championship why they are jointly ranked at number one by blanking the fifth ranked Queen's High contingent.

The other match in St. Andrew Zone 2B, which was of academic interest, saw Calabar B defeating Meadowbrook B 3-1.

Final standings in the Zone are Ardenne 14.5, Campion B 11.5, Queen's 7.5, Calabar B 6 and Meadowbrook B 0.5. Campion B and Queen's will now move on to a series of qualifiers scheduled to start in January 2007, to try to earn a place in the Round of 16. In St. Andrew Zone 1A, Calabar A and defending champions Campion A both registered 4-0 victories over Meadowbrook A and Calabar C respectively, to set up an intriguing final round clash this Friday, which will determine which teams will earn automatic qualification to the Round of 16. With one round to go, Zone 1A standings are as follows: Calabar A 18, Campion A 17, Meadowbrook A four and Calabar C one.

Calabar A only need a draw to secure their place in the Round of 16, while Campion A need to win by at least a 3-1 margin.