Our two teams and one individual player had a very strong showing at the National K-12 Championships held last weekend in Columbus, Ohio. Our U800 team finished in 5th place, so each scorer for the team earned a special plaque in addition to their team trophy. David Dong led the team with 5.5 points, earning an 11th place trophy (field of 249). He was supported by Nyla Long, LaVaughn Caradine, Sarah Crawford, Doug Koller, and Parker Lake. This was the first Nationals for Doug and for Parker.
Our U1200 team finished in 17th place, a fine result for a team with so many students new to this division. Emanuel Gerbi led the team with a very strong 5 points, finishing 27th out of 352 players. He was backed up by Ernie McCarter, Homer Dula, Andrew Kowalkowski, Russell Bigham, Solomon Cooper, Jonathan Lake, and Joey Blank. Many of these players were playing in the U1200 division for the first time, and they exceeded expectations.
In the Championship section, senior Matthew Larson finished with 5 points and received a trophy for tying 30th place out of 468 players who completed the tournament.
In addition to chess, we had a good time touring the Ohio State University, exploring the North Market, and enjoying a post-tournament dinner at the Blue Danube.
Howard thanks Michael Bartley and Ed Dromgoole for their expert analysis, Jodi Granok for keeping the skittles area running smoothly, and Mary and Dave Crawford for the extra fruit and veggies to keep our players going throughout the long tournament..
Annual Chess Potluck
The chess awards night and potluck is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 3rd, at the Blank/Groark residence in Compton Heights (St. Louis), between 4 and 7 pm. Details soon in our team Email blast.
Gateway Chess Awards
The annual awards buffet will be held Wednesday, May 6th, at Golden Corral, 6110 S. Lindbergh. Dinner at 6:30, awards at 7:30. All students who played on Wednesdays or Thursdays this year are invited. The following students will be receiving awards: Ernie McCarter, Matt Larson, Rock Jia, Katie Stujenske, David Dong, and Yossi Rovinsky. We will also be receiving the Eastern Conference 1st place trophy.