MUNCIE - For freshman Caden Christy, chess has been a roller coaster ride. With time, he returned to a game that he now enjoys more than ever. And with that return, he was able to practice and grow his game. This weekend - Saturday April 26 - Caden will participate in the Indiana eSports Network state championships at Ball State University. He started the 30-person field as the No. 1 seed. And after three rounds, the tournament is down to the Final Four contenders. Caden, a freshman at LaVille Jr-Sr High School, has his eyes set on his upcoming round, with a chance to bring the state title back to Lakeville, IN. "This weekend in Muncie, Indiana, I am going to a chess tournament to represent LaVille in the Indiana High School Esports Network," said Christy. "This year, 30 people started in the chess tournament. The bracket is single elimination, and the students were seeded based on the 2024-2025 season score. Fortunately, I started as the top seed (Praise God!), so I got a bye round. I have played in 2 rounds for this tournament so far and won both. "This weekend, the 4 people left in the bracket are going down to Muncie to play. The 4 people are seeded 1, 2, 6, and 12. Unfortunately, I only know their username on chess.com and their school. Saturday's games will be decided by a best out of 5 match, with a 10|3 time control---which means each side has 10 minutes plus 3 seconds per move to make all of their moves. The winners of the matches will play to decide the 1st and 2nd places, and the losers will play to decide the 3rd and 4th places. I hope to take it all this weekend for LaVille, and I think I have a great shot at it, based on my opponents' ratings." According to Caden, players can earn rating points from chess.com based on if you win a game or lose a game. "All the opponents that I will be facing on Saturday are rated below 1300," noted Christy. "As I am writing this, I am rated 2054 in the specific time control we are playing, praise God! The opportunity to play this weekend in a state tournament for LaVille means a lot to me. I see this as an opportunity to show that God can work through those who follow His will to do anything that He wants to do. I have faith that God will help me win this weekend for LaVille and for His glory!" The final four chess players are from Knightstown, Michigan City and Kankakee Valley, along with LaVille. Caden opens against Knightstown in a best of five series beginning at 9am ET at Ball State University. Winners advance to the state championship match, while the consolation round will also be played. Both those matches are scheduled for 11am ET. Early on when he was just learning, his older sibling Colin would get the best of him. Caden got away from the game because he didn't like to lose. Then after a short hiatus, Caden returned to chess in middle school. He was able to find a website that allowed him to work on his craft and continue to advance in his rating via IEN (Indiana eSports Network). "I have been playing chess for a long time, starting when I was young," Caden recalled when asked about how long he has been playing. "Back then, I wasn't great at it. Unfortunately, my brother Colin beat me every time, and I did not enjoy the game. This was before I was in 2nd grade, if I am remembering correctly. I then didn't play chess for a long time, because I would rather win than be defeated all the time. "In 6th grade, I found a website that was unblocked, and it had chess on it. I decided to play some people in school, and I started winning. That was when I got back into chess. Later, in my 7th grade year, I asked the head of the technology department, Mr. (Brandon) Shafer, if he could unblock chess.com. For some reason, he did. I don't remember why. Aside from that, I have been playing chess almost daily on chess.com since the day he unblocked it. Fast forward to high school, and I am still playing it today." Going into Saturday's IEN state Final Four, the roller coaster continues its way up for Caden. It could end up going to the top of the ride as he competes for a Indiana state title. Good luck, Caden ... you got this!