LAPLACE – The LaPlace Elementary School Chess Club was given the challenge of the “Knights Tour.” The Knight’s Tour is an ancient puzzle in which the object is to move a knight, starting from any square on a chessboard, to every other square, landing on each square only once. This is usually considered to be a very challenging puzzle.

Thirty-one days after being given the puzzle, Deric Prichett returned it completed in six different ways. Prichett is a seventh-grader who has been playing chess for about five years. His grandfather, Danny Wiltberger, taught him to play.

In speaking of the puzzle Prichett said, “It was hard. It seems like it should be easy, but it is not. I almost gave up… but you should never give up.”

Prichett also enjoys Sudoku puzzles and Battle reversi.

When asked why he solved the puzzle six different ways he said, “I just wanted to be creative.”

So far Prichett is the only student in three years to checkmate the captain of the chess club.