Category Scholastic

2018 Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship

On Saturday, March 17th, 2018, 256 young chess players came to the Las Vegas Day School in Las Vegas, NV to compete in the 2018 Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship, setting a new attendance record for our state scholastic chess championship. The previous attendance record for the Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship was 235 players, set in 2017. The tournament was divided into four sections: a five round high school section for players in grades 12 and below, a five round middle school section for players in grades 8 and below, a six round elementary section for players in grades 5 and below, and a six round primary section for players in grades 3 and below.

In the high school section, 9th grader Ethan Silva from Advanced Technologies Academy (ATECH) defeated the top seeded player, 10th grader Michelangelo Barozzi from The Meadows School, in the second round. Both players finished with four out of five points, with Silva winning the third place trophy and Barozzi taking home the fourth place trophy. In the fourth round, 10th grade ATECH student Omid Najibzadeh upset third seeded 12th grader Naomi Santiago from Edward W. Clark High School. This set up a final round game between Najibzadeh and 12th grade ATECH student Royce Pereira, in which Pereira prevailed. Royce Pereira is the 2018 Nevada state high school chess champion, and Omid Najibzadeh finished the tournament in second place. Advanced Technologies Academy won the high school team title with 17 team points. Edward W. Clark High School finished second in the team competition with 12.5 points, and Palo Verde High School took home the third place team trophy with 12 points.

In the middle school section, the three top seeded players each won all their games in the first four rounds. In the final round third seeded 8th grader Samira Prieto from K. O. Knudson Middle School played the white pieces against 7th grader Darsh Patel from Davidson Academy of Nevada. Their game ended in a repetition of position in an equal king and pawn ending in which neither player was able to make any progress. Prieto finished the tournament in clear second place with 4.5 points. Meanwhile top seeded 7th grader Chris Bao from the Adelson Educational Campus was pressing an attack against the defending Nevada state middle school champion, 8th grader Divyam Muckherjee from Sig Rogich Middle School. Muckherjee successfully launched a counter-attack, using mating threats to win first a knight and then an exchange. Bao resigned in a rook down endgame. Divyam Muckherjee has won the Nevada state middle school chess championship for the second year in a row. Chris Bao took home the third place trophy for his 4-1 result. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School (SEAS) won the Nevada state middle school team championship with 12.5 team points, and Sig Rogich Middle School earned the second place team trophy with 12 points.

In the elementary section top seeded 4th grader Kagan Uz from Caughlin Ranch Elementary School and second seeded 5th grader Shenlone Wu each won all their games in the first five rounds, so they played each other in the final round for the title of Nevada state elementary chess champion. Wu quickly won Uz’s queen. Even though Uz had two minor pieces for the queen, Wu demonstrated why the queen is the strongest piece in chess and won the game. Shenlone Wu is the 2018 Nevada elementary chess champion with a perfect 6-0 score. The Wu household now boasts two state chess champions, as Shenlone’s older sister, Shenmei Wu, won the Nevada State Girls’ Chess Championship held March 10th, 2018 at the Las Vegas Chess Center. Kagan Uz took home the third place trophy. 5th grader J. D. Gallo from Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School had one draw and won five games to finish in second place with 5.5 points. Saint Viator Catholic School won the elementary team championship with 18 points. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School and Las Vegas Day School (LVDS) tied for second place in the elementary team competition with 16 points each. SEAS won the second place trophy on tie breaks, and LVDS captured the third place trophy.

In the primary section, 3rd grader Marius Cutitaru from Robert Taylor Elementary School and 2nd grader Nirav Natha from Foothills Montessori drew their fifth round game against each other and defeated 2nd grader Pranav Mahendran from the Coral Academy of Science and 3rd grader Fred Lewandowski from host school LVDS, respectively, in the final round to become 2018 Nevada state primary chess co-champions. Cutitaru earned the first place trophy based upon his tie breaks, and Natha took home the second place trophy. Saint Viator Catholic School earned the primary team championship title with 16.5 points. SEAS finished second in the team competition with 16 points, and LVDS finished third in the team competition with 14.5 points.

Divyam Muckherjee will represent the state of Nevada in the 2018 Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions, which will be held July 28-31 in Middleton, WI. Royce Pereira has earned the right to represent Nevada in the 2018 Denker Tournament of High School Champions, which will also be held July 28-31 in Middleton, WI. Gale Winds, Alan Losoff, Juan Jauregui, and Tom Brownscombe organized the 2018 Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship Tournament on behalf of Nevada Chess, Inc. Tom Brownscombe, Alan Losoff, Juan Jauregui, Sabrina Jauregui, Allen Magruder, Janelle Losoff, and Gale Winds served as tournament directors. Complete results for all players can be found at the Nevada Chess website and the US Chess Federation website. We would like to thank all the players who participated in this tournament for their good sportsmanship, and we hope that we will see even more enthusiastic young chess players at the 2019 Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship.

Nevada State Girls’ Championship 2017.

The first Nevada State Girls’ Scholastic championship took place today at our center. After five rounds Samira Prieto finished in first place with four points, tied in second to 5th places Nare Khachatryan (a great performance by Nare, she defeated the highest player in the tournament and current High School champion Naomi),  Shemmei Wu, Naomi Santiago, and Jan Stephanie De Leon, all with 3.5. Stephanie took the trophy for the best Under 800 section. Shanti and Riya from Clarence Piggott Elementary took the best team trophy.

Congratulations, and thank you to the players and the parents for making this great event possible.

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Next Saturday , March 25th, the State Scholastic 2017 will take place at the Las Vegas day School, over 200 players are already registered online so far. Continue reading “Nevada State Girls’ Championship 2017.”

2014 Nevada Scholastic Championships

Saturday, March 22, 2014 at Las Vegas Day School

INFO Enter Now Advance Entries Flyer and Entry Form Results

On line entry will be available up to the start of the tournament. Entries received after Friday  March 21 will incur an additional Late Fee. On site registration starts at 8 a.m.  Players who enter on site after 8:30 a.m. Saturday may not be paired for round 1, and will receive 1/2 point for that round.

2007 Nevada State Scholastic Team & Individual Championships

K-3 Results

 USCF ID PAIR       NAME        ST   1     2     3     4     5     6   TOTAL
-------- ---- ----------------- -- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
12931319    1 BALDYGA, MICHAEL  NV W--20 W--23 W---8 W---6 W---2 W---3  6.0
13240142    2 KOLOSKY, C J      NV W--35 W--10 W---4 W---7 L---1 W---8  5.0
13516145    3 SANATINIA, ARMAN  NV W--27 W--13 W---9 W--32 W---7 L---1  5.0
13525086    4 ADRANGI, KAYVAAN  NV W--54 W--15 L---2 W--11 W--12 W---6  5.0
13072274    5 MARTINEZ, LUKE X  NV W--43 D--48 D--18 D--31 W--20 W---9  4.5
12933076    6 AGRAWAL, ALEX     NV W--28 W--18 W--17 L---1 W--23 L---4  4.0
13478741    7 MASON, SAMUEL REE NV W--50 W--11 W--12 L---2 L---3 W--17  4.0
13112768    8 HANSEN, AMANDA    NV W--38 W--40 L---1 W--10 W--15 L---2  4.0
13615024    9 LEE, GRAHAM       NV W--45 W--25 L---3 W--14 W--32 L---5  4.0
13242965   10 SAN MARTIN, GABRI NV W--41 L---2 W--53 L---8 W--27 W--30  4.0
13117744   11 HOOD, JIMMY       NV W--39 L---7 W--28 L---4 W--38 W--31  4.0
13397393   12 HANSEN, TUCKER    NV W--46 W--21 L---7 W--34 L---4 W--32  4.0
13335663   13 TEGTMEYER, DAVID  NV W--31 L---3 L--38 W--28 W--44 W--33  4.0
13072280   14 MARTINEZ, ALEXIA  NV W--33 L--16 W--42 L---9 W--29 W--22  4.0
13514216   15 HIEW, JASON       NV W--56 L---4 W--43 W--16 L---8 W--23  4.0
13080446   16 HIRALES, CHRISTIA NV W--37 W--14 L--32 L--15 W--26 D--18  3.5
13242938   17 BALDYGA, ALEXANDE NV W--53 W--30 L---6 D--20 W--19 L---7  3.5
13514311   18 ALEXANDER, JOSH   NV W--47 L---6 D---5 D--30 W--49 D--16  3.5
13514201   19 WILKINS, AUSTIN   NV L--30 W--29 D--44 W--48 L--17 W--37  3.5
13400836   20 GIALKETSIS, GEORG NV L---1 W--55 W--25 D--17 L---5 W--36  3.5
13396170   21 FAGAN, DON        NV W--44 L--12 W--48 W--38 U---0 U---0  3.0
12979323   22 HAN, AMANDA       NV W--42 L--32 L--26 W--52 W--25 L--14  3.0
12932386   23 HIGA, JANE T      NV W--51 L---1 W--35 W--26 L---6 L--15  3.0
13513496   24 CARNATE, NATALIE  NV D--29 L--34 L--33 W--51 D--42 W--44  3.0
13317871   25 MARTINEZ, JUSTIN  NV W--52 L---9 L--20 W--46 L--22 W--42  3.0
13400878   26 GARCIA, MATTHEW   NV L--48 W--49 W--22 L--23 L--16 W--43  3.0
13400925   27 GUAN, RAYMOND     NV L---3 W--56 L--34 W--43 L--10 W--49  3.0
13349333   28 BROWN, REMINGTON  NV L---6 W--47 L--11 L--13 W--55 W--50  3.0
13632205   29 BINFIELD, ROBERT  NV D--24 L--19 W--50 D--33 L--14 W--40  3.0
13677366   30 BORGEL, HANNAH MI NV W--19 L--17 W--40 D--18 D--31 L--10  3.0
13630743   31 DASELER, ROBERT   NV L--13 W--37 W--36 D---5 D--30 L--11  3.0
13630440   32 ESTIMOS, KENNETH  NV W--34 W--22 W--16 L---3 L---9 L--12  3.0
13630764   33 FIORENTINO, GAGE  NV L--14 D--50 W--24 D--29 W--34 L--13  3.0
13107376   34 DE LA CALZADA, YA NV L--32 W--24 W--27 L--12 L--33 D--38  2.5
13400946   35 KWOK, ANDREW      NV L---2 W--54 L--23 L--37 D--39 W--55  2.5
13513020   36 TEGTMEYER, SARA   NV L--40 W--46 L--31 D--42 W--48 L--20  2.5
13358295   37 SILVA, ANGELA     NV L--16 L--31 W--55 W--35 D--40 L--19  2.5
13400910   38 SELLINGER, JAKE   NV L---8 W--51 W--13 L--21 L--11 D--34  2.5
13632191   39 WIECZOREK, EMERSO NV L--11 L--42 D--54 D--50 D--35 W--52  2.5
13514243   40 HORNS, NOAH       NV W--36 L---8 L--30 D--44 D--37 L--29  2.0
13514237   41 GATLIN, VICTORIA  NV L--10 L--44 L--49 D--56 W--51 D--48  2.0
13514291   42 MANCUSO, ZIA      NV L--22 W--39 L--14 D--36 D--24 L--25  2.0
12975430   43 PATEL, KUVAAL     NV L---5 W--52 L--15 L--27 W--53 L--26  2.0
13516103   44 PATEL, SAHIL      NV L--21 W--41 D--19 D--40 L--13 L--24  2.0
13130854   45 WU, HERMAN        NV L---9 L--53 D--51 D--54 D--52 D--46  2.0
13514285   46 BREEDING, EDDIE W NV L--12 L--36 W--47 L--25 D--50 D--45  2.0
13513475   47 HIRALES, YOVAN    NV L--18 L--28 L--46 L--55 B---0 B---0  2.0
13683856   48 PAN, LUCAS        NV W--26 D---5 L--21 L--19 L--36 D--41  2.0
13677021   49 THUMMALA, TARUN   NV U---0 L--26 W--41 W--53 L--18 L--27  2.0
13415171   50 CRUDEN, CAMERON   NV L---7 D--33 L--29 D--39 D--46 L--28  1.5
13683820   51 SARNO, ELLIOT     NV L--23 L--38 D--45 L--24 L--41 W--53  1.5
13683835   52 VAYNER, ALEXANDER NV L--25 L--43 W--56 L--22 D--45 L--39  1.5
13514305   53 KAMBOJ, SANA      NV L--17 W--45 L--10 L--49 L--43 L--51  1.0
13525071   54 YEAGER, JOHN, IV  NV L---4 L--35 D--39 D--45 U---0 U---0  1.0
13654755   55 SHAH, SIMRAN      NV U---0 L--20 L--37 W--47 L--28 L--35  1.0
13683841   56 SORENSON, MADELEI NV L--15 L--27 L--52 D--41 U---0 U---0  0.5

K-5 Results

 USCF ID PAIR       NAME        ST   1     2     3     4     5     6   TOTAL
-------- ---- ----------------- -- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
12931319    1 BALDYGA, MICHAEL  NV W--38 W--18 W--10 D---2 W---9 W---3  5.5
13072226    2 MARTINEZ, MATTHEW NV W--39 W--23 W--16 D---1 W---8 W--11  5.5
12898026    3 HIGA, JOSHUA ZEN  NV W--28 W--12 W--22 W---5 W---7 L---1  5.0
13478741    4 MASON, SAMUEL REE NV W--43 L---5 W--39 W--27 W--22 W--13  5.0
13654740    5 SEID, RAYMOND     NV W--25 W---4 W--21 L---3 W--16 W---7  5.0
12975095    6 ARTEAGA, REBECCA  NV L--29 W--34 W--27 D--17 W--24 W--21  4.5
13072295    7 MARTINEZ, ISAAC C NV W--35 W--17 W--33 W---9 L---3 L---5  4.0
13240142    8 KOLOSKY, C J      NV W--52 L--13 W--37 W--18 L---2 W--25  4.0
13397413    9 MUNOZ, RYAN       NV W--15 W--45 W--13 L---7 L---1 W--17  4.0
13131025   10 BANERJI, NEIL     NV W--40 W--26 L---1 W--19 L--13 W--24  4.0
13358280   11 PRESSLER, CHET    NV W--31 L--27 W--28 W--29 W--12 L---2  4.0
12911734   12 LEE, SYDNEY       NV W--49 L---3 W--35 W--46 L--11 W--29  4.0
12929846   13 SAMSON, ERIC G    NV W--44 W---8 L---9 W--33 W--10 L---4  4.0
12967781   14 MURRY, CHARLES (" NV W--48 L--33 W--45 L--16 W--31 W--22  4.0
13245683   15 SHER, MAX         NV L---9 W--51 L--18 W--44 W--27 W--23  4.0
12852390   16 KANAREK, MICHAEL  NV W--42 W--29 L---2 W--14 L---5 D--18  3.5
12979297   17 SACHS, PARKER     NV W--47 L---7 W--30 D---6 W--34 L---9  3.5
13101230   18 MARTINEZ, MATTHEW NV W--32 L---1 W--15 L---8 W--30 D--16  3.5
12845083   19 GRIGORIEV, MICHAE NV W--20 L--21 W--36 L--10 D--35 W--34  3.5
13358274   20 MATHEW, MANOJ     NV L--19 W--38 L--25 W--39 D--45 W--35  3.5
12891424   21 MC GARRY, NICKOLA NV W--30 W--19 L---5 L--24 W--37 L---6  3.0
12895080   22 GIBSON, KATHRYN   NV W--36 W--24 L---3 W--25 L---4 L--14  3.0
12924022   23 KOZICH, KAITLIN   NV W--50 L---2 L--29 W--42 W--28 L--15  3.0
12895082   24 VIOLA, ANTHONY    NV X---0 L--22 W--41 W--21 L---6 L--10  3.0
12879934   25 PIEDRA, LARISSA   NV L---5 W--31 W--20 L--22 W--46 L---8  3.0
12904302   26 O'CONNER, KYLE    NV W--51 L--10 L--46 L--34 W--36 W--41  3.0
13516130   27 ADRANGI, ARASH    NV W--46 W--11 L---6 L---4 L--15 W--42  3.0
12878432   28 KROPP, EMERSON    NV L---3 W--42 L--11 W--41 L--23 W--46  3.0
13514270   29 TA, JONATHAN      NV W---6 L--16 W--23 L--11 W--33 L--12  3.0
12921815   30 MAURI, DOMINIC    NV L--21 W--50 L--17 W--32 L--18 W--45  3.0
13093966   31 LUCARELLI, TYLER  NV L--11 L--25 W--51 W--38 L--14 W--37  3.0
13400795   32 MORENO, MARCOS    NV L--18 L--35 W--52 L--30 W--39 W--38  3.0
12904303   33 SAN MARTIN, LEONA NV W--41 W--14 L---7 L--13 L--29 H---0  2.5
12911846   34 TRUJILLO, NICHOLA NV H---0 L---6 W--44 W--26 L--17 L--19  2.5
12932386   35 HIGA, JANE T      NV L---7 W--32 L--12 W--43 D--19 L--20  2.5
13514201   36 WILKINS, AUSTIN   NV L--22 W--47 L--19 D--45 L--26 W--44  2.5
12919574   37 ROSE, MICHAEL     NV L--45 W--43 L---8 W--40 L--21 L--31  2.0
13245751   38 MANCUSO, ROMAN    NV L---1 L--20 W--48 L--31 W--43 L--32  2.0
12933724   39 RANSOM, RYAN      NV L---2 W--49 L---4 L--20 L--32 W--47  2.0
13280347   40 MROQUE, ANGAD     NV L--10 L--46 W--50 L--37 L--42 W--51  2.0
12933736   41 ROMAN, SERGIO     NV L--33 W--48 L--24 L--28 W--51 L--26  2.0
13092393   42 RANSOM, CAREENA   NV L--16 L--28 W--47 L--23 W--40 L--27  2.0
13415150   43 OLIVER, ELIJAH    NV L---4 L--37 W--49 L--35 L--38 W--50  2.0
13445783   44 WOODSON, MARK     NV L--13 W--52 L--34 L--15 W--48 L--36  2.0
13688173   45 GREENAWALT, DAKOT NV W--37 L---9 L--14 D--36 D--20 L--30  2.0
13683814   46 VEERAPPAN, ARAVIN NV L--27 W--40 W--26 L--12 L--25 L--28  2.0
13099458   47 TRUJILLO, MIYANNA NV L--17 L--36 L--42 W--49 D--50 L--39  1.5
13632211   48 THOMPSON, MADISON NV L--14 L--41 L--38 D--50 L--44 W--49  1.5
13245677   49 ADAMS, JULIANA    NV L--12 L--39 L--43 L--47 B---0 L--48  1.0
13516118   50 SACHS, PEYTON     NV L--23 L--30 L--40 D--48 D--47 L--43  1.0
13688188   51 GAZALA, ELIRAN    NV L--26 L--15 L--31 X---0 L--41 L--40  1.0
13317886   52 MARTINEZ, CHRISTO NV L---8 L--44 L--32 F---0 U---0 U---0  0.0

K-8 Results

 USCF ID PAIR       NAME        ST   1     2     3     4     5   TOTAL
-------- ---- ----------------- -- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
12879937    1 LEE, RICHARD      NV W--13 W---9 D---6 W---5 W---3  4.5
12923063    2 MERCURIO, PHILIP  NV W--19 W--17 W---4 L---3 W--13  4.0
12839630    3 REISCH, WESTON CO NV W--14 W--18 W---8 W---2 L---1  4.0
12854430    4 LEE, AUSTIN       NV W--20 W--10 L---2 W---6 W--15  4.0
13117750    5 SARAN, ISHAN      NV W--25 W--15 W---7 L---1 W--11  4.0
12861304    6 BANKS, CHRISTOPHE NV W--27 W--16 D---1 L---4 W--12  3.5
12901898    7 HENDRICKSON, EDWA NV L--24 W--21 L---5 W--29 W--18  3.0
12902845    8 VENKATESH, VIVEK  NV W--21 W--29 L---3 L--12 W--19  3.0
12893181    9 KOZICH, JONATHAN  NV W--28 L---1 L--13 W--24 W--20  3.0
12975398   10 STANTON, HARRISON NV W--30 L---4 L--15 W--23 W--17  3.0
12786972   11 KROPP, SEBASTIAN  NV L--29 W--24 W--20 W--17 L---5  3.0
12933720   12 VEERAPPAN, RAMAN  NV L--15 W--27 W--22 W---8 L---6  3.0
13397428   13 MUNOZ, KENNY      NV L---1 W--28 W---9 W--16 L---2  3.0
12975424   14 BUYACHEK, MATTHEW NV L---3 W--23 L--17 W--28 W--24  3.0
13661663   15 NOWLIN, SAMUEL DE NV W--12 L---5 W--10 W--18 L---4  3.0
12902846   16 VENKATESH, ANITA  NV W--26 L---6 D--24 L--13 W--25  2.5
12900628   17 CARNATE, JONATHAN NV W--22 L---2 W--14 L--11 L--10  2.0
12870448   18 NGUYEN, VANVAN    NV W--23 L---3 W--29 L--15 L---7  2.0
12870476   19 GUARNIERI, STEVEN NV L---2 L--22 W--26 W--27 L---8  2.0
12870474   20 PIEDRA, LIANA     NV L---4 W--30 L--11 W--22 L---9  2.0
12878431   21 KROWICKI, OSCAR   NV L---8 L---7 L--23 W--26 W--28  2.0
12975115   22 DE LA CALZADA, NO NV L--17 W--19 L--12 L--20 W--29  2.0
13514264   23 LITWIN, TREVOR    NV L--18 L--14 W--21 L--10 W--27  2.0
12928420   24 CROSS, SPENCER NE NV W---7 L--11 D--16 L---9 L--14  1.5
12904301   25 O'CONNER, CODY    NV L---5 D--26 L--27 W--30 L--16  1.5
13672066   26 GARCIA, JAMES     NV L--16 D--25 L--19 L--21 W--30  1.5
12816594   27 KROPP, REMINGTON  NV L---6 L--12 W--25 L--19 L--23  1.0
12831424   28 WILDER, JOSEPH    NV L---9 L--13 W--30 L--14 L--21  1.0
13672051   29 CULLINGS, ETHAN   NV W--11 L---8 L--18 L---7 L--22  1.0
12914406   30 JANGA, BHAVANA    NV L--10 L--20 L--28 L--25 L--26  0.0

K-12 Results

 USCF ID PAIR       NAME        ST   1     2     3     4     5   TOTAL
-------- ---- ----------------- -- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
12907432    1 KOSBAB, ALEX      NV W--12 W---3 W---9 W---2 W---8  5.0
12879937    2 LEE, RICHARD      NV W--26 W--11 W--21 L---1 W--10  4.0
13565041    3 BARD, JACOB       NV W--25 L---1 W--23 W--11 W---9  4.0
12717117    4 DUAN, DANIEL      NV X---0 W--19 L--10 D---5 W--15  3.5
12898026    5 HIGA, JOSHUA ZEN  NV W--23 D---8 W--15 D---4 D---7  3.5
12870478    6 HERNANDEZ, SANDRA NV W--19 D--15 L---8 W--24 W--12  3.5
12902934    7 FOSHEE, DAVID     NV W--28 L--21 W--22 W--13 D---5  3.5
13632666    8 HALL, MYLAN D     NV W--17 D---5 W---6 W--10 L---1  3.5
12923063    9 MERCURIO, PHILIP  NV W--20 W--13 L---1 W--14 L---3  3.0
12839630   10 REISCH, WESTON CO NV X---0 W--14 W---4 L---8 L---2  3.0
12895873   11 HUANG, CHARLES JI NV W--22 L---2 W--18 L---3 W--19  3.0
12893454   12 PERRON, ALEXANDER NV L---1 W--28 W--25 W--21 L---6  3.0
13632583   13 HALL, MARTEZ DAMI NV W--16 L---9 W--24 L---7 W--21  3.0
13676728   14 LOCKARD, JASON PA NV W--24 L--10 W--16 L---9 W--17  3.0
13117750   15 SARAN, ISHAN      NV W--18 D---6 L---5 W--16 L---4  2.5
12901897   16 KOWALSKI, KEVIN   NV L--13 W--27 L--14 L--15 W--23  2.0
12933710   17 SANACORE, ADAM    NV L---8 L--23 W--20 W--18 L--14  2.0
13677413   18 ANGELES, JAN-MICH NV L--15 W--26 L--11 L--17 W--27  2.0
12873841   19 HALL, TRAVAN L    NV L---6 L---4 W--26 W--27 L--11  2.0
13676295   20 HOUGHTON, NICHOLA NV L---9 L--24 L--17 W--26 W--25  2.0
13675752   21 LAYMAN, GREGORY J NV W--27 W---7 L---2 L--12 L--13  2.0
13661663   22 NOWLIN, SAMUEL DE NV L--11 W--25 L---7 L--23 W--24  2.0
13673838   23 SNOW, ADAM MICHAE NV L---5 W--17 L---3 W--22 L--16  2.0
12786532   24 MILLER, KEVIN     NV L--14 W--20 L--13 L---6 L--22  1.0
12858401   25 MILLER, JEREMY    NV L---3 L--22 L--12 W--28 L--20  1.0
13245751   26 MANCUSO, ROMAN    NV L---2 L--18 L--19 L--20 W--28  1.0
12933721   27 WU, WESLEY        NV L--21 L--16 W--28 L--19 L--18  1.0
13676300   28 PAYUMO, NICHOLAS  NV L---7 L--12 L--27 L--25 L--26  0.0

Nevada Boasts K-2 National Champ!

Richard Lee and Michael BaldygaUp against tough competition from schools with a long tradition for playing the game, nine pupils from The Meadows School held their own at the U.S. Chess Federation 2005 National K-12/Collegiate Championship Dec. 2-4 in Houston.The five-member second-grade team finished second in the nation for its grade level, in a field that boasted 21 teams. In the team competition, the three highest scores determine the team’s score. The Southern Nevada team finished a half-point behind the 11-member second-grade team from New York City’s Dalton School, where Josh Waitzkin was once a student. Waitzkin’s journey to his first national championship was portrayed in the 1993 movie “Searching for Bobby Fischer.” The Meadows team also finished ahead of Hunter College Elementary School in New York, which offers a chess course as part of its curriculum.

The second-grade team members are Michael Baldyga, Alex Agrawal, Parker Sachs, Beau Capanna and Asia Thomas.

In addition to the second-grade team trophy, several other pupils from The Meadows School achieved individual accomplishments at the tournament. The individual competition consisted of each player competing in seven rounds, one game per round.

Michael Baldyga, 8, won the second-grade championship, which had 116 entrants. He was the first pupil from The Meadows School to win a national title in chess since Patrick Hummel won his fifth straight championship in 1999. Michael’s brother, Alexander, also finished first in the under 1,000 (points) kindergarten level and 12th in the nation in the overall kindergarten level.

Alex Agrawal also did well in the second-grade level, tying for 11th in the nation.

Richard Lee, 12, tied for second in the sixth-grade level competition, which had 166 players.

Dan Conver, The Meadows chess team coach, began coaching children at the school 10 years ago. Conver said chess players Richard and Michael, in particular, have “unlimited potential.”

Christina Baldyga, Michael and Alexander’s mother, credits Conver for the chess team’s success. “He is a really amazing coach,” Christina said. “He spends so many hours with the kids and gets them motivated.”

Richard, who began playing chess four years ago after it was suggested to him by his parents, Duncan and Irene Lee, plays because he finds it fun and “I like to win.”

The Lees thought their son might be interested in chess because it would be a challenge.

Michael has been playing chess for almost three years, ever since Christina and Mark Baldyga signed him up for the chess program at The Meadows School.

“I am really happy for Michael,” Christina said. “He works very hard.”

In addition to their coaching sessions with Conver, both Michael and Richard play chess against adults with the Clark County Chess Club that meets at University Medical Center.

“Richard has been playing there for eight or nine months, and he is not intimidated,” his father said.

Richard enjoys playing against the adult chess players in the club.

“It’s fun because sometimes I beat them, and they’re better than me,” Richard said. He will compete in the North American Open tournament at Bally’s at the end of this month.

Michael’s mother believes he also has benefited from the experience against adult players.

“The time playing with the adults has taught him to take his time and think of his strategies,” Christina said.

Other Meadows School pupils who participated in the tournament were Cameron Brown, who competed in the seventh-grade level, and Kathryn Gibson, who competed in the fourth-grade level.

Report by Madelon Hynes, Las Vegas Review Journal, December 20th, 2005

2001 Inner-City Games of Greater Las Vegas

During the summer, hundreds of children benefited from chess lessons as part of the Inner-City Games of Greater Las Vegas. Qualification tournaments were held at three schools and t-shirts were awarded to the winners.At the end of July, the finals were held at Rancho High School. 120 children showed up and medals were awarded to the top three players. The Chess Jester (Brad Zentmyer) provided entertainment. Many parents watched and the event was covered by the local papers and television stations.

Special thanks to Greater Las Vegas Inner-City Games and Executive Director Jack Mannion and the staff.

2001 Pressman All-America Chess Team

Two Nevada Chess Players Earn Spots

Congratulations to Philip Wang (age 17, rating 2325) of Reno and Patrick Hummel (age 16, rating 2410) of Las Vegas on qualifying for the 2001 Pressman All-America Chess Team sponsored by the Pressman Toy Corporation of New York, NY.

The complete text of the U.S. Chess Federation press release follows:

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 25, 2001
Press Release #5 of 2001
Contact: Tom K. Brownscombe
(845) 562-8350, ext. 130

2001 PRESSMAN ALL-AMERICA CHESS TEAM

The U.S. Chess Federation has announced the names of the junior players who have qualified for the 2001 Pressman All-America Chess Team. The 25 players on this year’s team have met age and rating criteria that place them in the top one percent of more than 46,000 of their fellow scholastic and youth members.

The Pressman Toy Corp., of New York, N.Y, sponsors the Pressman All-America Chess Team each year. This year marks the ninth consecutive year of corporate sponsorship for the annual team contest. Each team member will receive an official 2001 Pressman All-America Chess Team jacket, plus a special Certificate of Achievement.

Age 17 Minimum rating 2300
David C. John 2332 Houston, TX
Philip Wang 2325 Reno, NV

Age 16 Minimum rating 2250
Vinay Bhat 2498 San Jose, CA
Patrick Hummel 2410 Las Vegas, NV

Age 15 Minimum rating 2200
Dmitry Schneider 2463 Hastings on Hudson, NY
Daniel Fernandez 2294 Coconut Creek, FL
A.J. Steigman 2284 Coral Springs, FL
Matthew Hoekstra 2280 Charlotte, NC
Samson Benen 2229 New York, NY

Age 14 Minimum rating 2150
Aaron Pixton 2320 Vestal, NY
Daniel Rensch 2245 Payson, AZ
Asuka Nakamura 2183 White Plains, NY

Age 13 Minimum rating 2100
Joshua Friedel 2152 Goffstown, NH
Ruixin Yang 2102 Tallahassee, FL

Age 12 Minimum rating 2000
Hikaru Nakamura 2300 White Plains, NY
Igor Schneider 2081 Hastings on Hudson, NY

Age 11 Minimum rating 1875
Noah Pang 1920 Cambridge, MA
Max Enkin 1909 Peabody, MA
Laura Ross 1907 Forest Hills, NY
Hana Itkis 1882 Fair Lawn, NJ

Age 10 Minimum rating 1750
Noah Belcher 1887 Bloomingburg, NY
Teddy Coleman 1760 Scarsdale, NY

Age 9 Minimum rating 1650
Aleksandr Dementiev 1653 Decatur, GA

Age 8 and Under rating 1550
Fabiano Caruana 1582 Brooklyn, NY
Michael Thaler 1558 New York, NY