Silver Knights Chess

38 Chessplayers took part in the November Crush chess tournament at Radnor Elementary School on November 17.  (See the USCF rating report HERE.)

Owen Sugg and tournament newcomer Jeffrey Zhou tied for 1st place in the K-3 section with 3.5/4.  Jeffrey took the top trophy due to better tiebreaks, as Owen had to take a half-point bye in round 3.  The top school team was Whitemarsh Elementary, powered by the Miklaucic brothers, Nicholas and Jack. Whitemarsh scored 5.0 points, beating out Evergreen Elementary by half a point.

In the K-8 section, William Giguere of Abington Junior High went 4-0 to take first place, including a last-round upset of top seed Julian Lurie. The top team was Hillside Elementary School, with 6.0 team points, beating Sandy Run Middle School by a point to take the prize.

View the USCF rating report HERE.

42 players competed today in the October Blast chess tournament at Goodnoe Elementary School in Newtown, PA.  In the K-3 section, 2nd-grader and top seed Max Polichuk (rated 795) went 4-0 to capture first place.  It was a well-earned victory, as Max has come close to winning several tournaments recently but until today couldn't quite get over the hump.  The top K-3 school team trophy went to Newtown Elementary on tiebreaks over Whitemarsh Elementary.  Both schools scored 5.0 team points.

In the K-8 section, 4th-grader Roger Yu (692) of Newtown Elementary went 4-0 to win first place, gaining a remarkable 300 rating points in the process!  Roger took out the 1st and 3rd-rated players in the tournament, by far his best result to date.  In between rounds, Roger dazzled the Pennsylvania state champion, IM Bryan Smith, with his encyclopedic knowledge of different opening variations.  Much like in the K-3 section, the team competition ended in a tie, with Our Lady of Good Counsel beating out Newtown Elementary on tiebreaks.  Both schools 6.5 points.

For the second consecutive tournament, Joe Mucerino (2062) won the Open section, easily going 4-0.  Several masters have tentatively committed to attending the November 17 tournament in Radnor, so perhaps Joe will have more competition next time!

40 Chessplayers gathered at Radnor Elementary School on October 20, 2007, to compete in the October Wave tournament.  (See the USCF rating report HERE.)

Kevin Zhou, a 1st-grader from Eagleville Elementary, won the K-3 section.  Kevin went 4-0, taking out the top two seeds in rounds 3 and 4 for a well-deserved victory.  The top school team was Ithan Elementary School, boasting three of the top six players in the section and scoring 8.5 team points.

In the K-8 section, 8th-grader and 2nd seed Albert Starominsky defeated top seed Steven Chen in the last round for first place and a 4-0 score.  The team prize was won by Sandy Run Middle School with 5 points.

20 players participated in the 1^st annual Greater Pocono Scholastic Championship at Pocono Mountain East High school in Swiftwater, P.A.  The K-12 Open section was won by teammates Alex Belkin and Henry Luo of Pocono Mountain East.  Alex and Henry drew each other in round three, and finished with undefeated scores of 3.5/4.  The K-12 under 1000 section was won by Anthony Ciarlante III with a score of 3.5/4. William Thompson scored 3/4 to finish 2^nd.  The team prizes were won by local schools, Pocono Mountain East for the K-12 Open and Swiftwater Intermediate for the K-12 Under 1000.

It was a great tournament and we look forward to a bigger and better event next September!