Millthorpe Public School dominated the recent NSW Junior Chess League Orange Zone Finals, claiming three of the four divisions on offer and showcasing the strength of its chess program.

Students from schools across the Central West gathered at Orange Christian School on Wednesday, June 3, for the annual competition. Millthorpe secured victories in the Championship, Intermediate and Junior Rookies divisions, while St Mary's Catholic Primary School took out the Rookies competition.

The event forms part of the NSW Junior Chess League competition and has become a fixture on the local school calendar, with students from across the region spending months preparing through lunchtime chess clubs led by dedicated teachers and volunteers.

The tournament featured four divisions catering to a range of skill levels, from Junior Rookies for younger and less experienced players through to the Championship division, where schools compete for the chance to progress to the next stage of competition against winning teams from other regional centres.

Orange East Public School teacher and competition organiser James Meares said the event offered students much more than the chance to win trophies.

"Chess is a wonderful way of learning a strategic game in which you can persist and be ruthless without hurting anyone," Mr Meares said.

He said chess encouraged creativity, patience and critical thinking while teaching students how to plan ahead, analyse situations and adapt when circumstances changed.

Mr Meares said one of the most rewarding aspects of the competition was watching students put into practice the skills they had developed through school chess clubs and lunchtime programs.

Among the competitors was Orange East Public School student Runa Morgan, who said she first became interested in chess through her mother before joining a school chess club.

"My mum's really into chess," she said.

Now competing in the Rookies division, Runa said the queen was her favourite piece because it was "the all-round good one".

She encouraged other children to take up the game.

"Just do it. It's really fun, and you can get to the higher levels," she said.

With another successful local tournament completed, attention will now turn to the next stage of competition, where the district's top players will have the opportunity to test themselves against some of the strongest school chess teams in western New South Wales.