Some students from Tampa's Academy Prep have been crowned champions after a statewide chess tournament.

Players on the school's award-winning chess team say the concentration of thinking ahead of your opponent draws them to the game.

"I love winning," said Jonathan Munoz, who took first place in a recent tournament. "I like the pressure of losing and coming back to win."

And that's just what the team did at the Florida Scholastic Chess Championships. The Academy Prep team won the K-8 U/900 division title with Munoz taking an individual crown.

The team edged out 14 other squads from across the state.

"They've gotten to see the fruits of their labor because they're the ones that've been working hard going over openings, end games and practice," said Michael Young, the team's coach. "And they got to see that end result."

It's a big accomplishment, especially since many of the players only recently took up the game.

"This is my second year," said David Estrada, who placed second behind Munoz. "I started last year when I came here for 5th grade."

Academy Prep's players went 19-0 in the tournament's opening round, led by Munoz.

"It was amazing in all my games I went 6-0," Munoz said. "It was hard, especially the last game since I was losing but I came back to win."

The team will head to the national tournament in Nashville at the end of April.