Rochester Community Education celebrated National Chess Day on October 14th by hosting a youth chess tournament. More than 60 students in grades K-8 participated. Players in the Advanced division received an official rating from the United States Chess Federation thanks to volunteers from the Rochester Chess organization. Between rounds, students enjoyed playing with a unique 8-by-8 foot chessboard. The oversized chess pieces were pumpkins of various shapes. At the end of the afternoon, players took home an assortment of pumpkins, trophies, and medals.
Advanced (Gr. K-8) (23 participants)
1st Place (4 of 4 possible points)
Rishab Jain - 5th grade, Aspen Academy
Tie for 2nd Place (3 of 4 possible points)
Joshua Wang - 8th grade, Kellogg Middle School
Andrew Merkel - 8th grade, Kellogg Middle School
Isaac Gommels - 7th grade, Schaeffer Academy
Samuel Blocksome - 7th grade, Dakota Middle School
David Li - 7th grade, Kellogg Middle School
Tie for 7th Place (2.5 of 4 possible points)
Wilson Wang - 6th grade, John Adams Middle School
Judah Rigles - 7th grade, Kellogg Middle School
Johan Myburgh - 8th grade, Kellogg Middle School
Noah Mannix - 7th grade, Stewartville Middle School
Novice (Gr. 3-8) (25 participants)
Tie for 1st Place (4 of 4 possible points)
Logan Anderson - 4th grade, Franklin Elementary
Catherine Li - 6th grade, Kellogg Middle School
Tie for 3rd Place (3 of 4 possible points)
Yuhao Shi - 5th grade, Jefferson Elementary
Hari Sriram - 3rd grade, Folwell Elementary
Chris Gorcyznski - 4th grade, Chatfield Elementary
Dylan Ramos - 8th grade, Kellogg Middle School
Beginner (Gr. K-2) (14 participants)
1st Place (3 of 3 possible points)
Owen Chen - Kindergarten, Irving Pertzsch Elementary
2nd Place (2.5 of 3 possible points)
Eric Wang - 2nd grade, Washington Elementary
Tie for 3rd Place (2 of 3 possible points)
Jacob Wang - 2nd grade, Washington Elementary
Vedanth Buragadda, 1st grade, Folwell Elementary
Zachary Weerheim - 2nd grade, Montessori at Franklin Elementary
Tie for 6th Place (1.5 of 3 possible points)
Kira Haranichyna - 2nd grade, Montessori at Franklin Elementary
Grayson Collins - 2nd grade, Rochester Central Lutheran School
Benjamin Riester - Kindergarten, Pinewood Elementary
Sarah Kebede - Kindergarten, Overland Elementary