The National High School Chess Championships were held in Atlanta, Georgia this year. Crossroads has a tradition of doing well in Atlanta, and this year was no exception.
Our U800 team finished 2nd in their division. Four players finished with 5-2 records for a team score of 20 points. Evan Chen placed 19th, while LaVaughn Caradine, Blake Fondren, and Jonathan Lake tied for 20th place. Other team members included Nick Babusis, Joey Blank, Sarah Crawford, Andrew Guest, and Isaac Lake.
The U1200 team finished 7th in their division. Emanuel Gerbi finished in 2nd place in the division (tied for first), winning 6 games and drawing 1. You can find the story on the USCF website, too: https://new.uschess.org/news/
David Dong won a trophy for 25th place with his 5-2 record, and Ben Clair tied for 30th place, earning him a consolation trophy. Other team members included Russell Bigham, Homer Dula, Nyla Long, and Harbor Wolff.
We also had two individuals playing in other divisions. Ernie McCarter moved up to the U1600 Division, and he had a winning record of 4-1-2. Matthew Ritter played in the unrated division, amassing a winning record of 4-3.
Congratulations to all of our players!
When the students were not playing chess, they took advantage of all there was to do in Atlanta. Several students visited Emory University, Georgia Tech, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Alumnae Grace Reid and Faith Reid showed Nyla around Spelman, while alumnus Will Dula showed the guys around Morehouse. Assistant coach Michael Bartley led excursions to CNN studios, the Coca Cola Museum, and the Georgia Aquarium.
Thanks to Michael, Jodi Granok, and Bryan Clair for all their help with this amazing trip.