Category: Scholastic
RESULTS OF THE ROCHESTER FEBRUARY SCHOLASTIC TOURNAMENT ARE IN!
Enclosed are the wall charts for the February Rochester Scholastic Chess Tournament, which took place on February 17 at Mayo Clinic. Thanks to Chief TD Matt Markland for directing a successful event and to the numerous volunteers who helped the event run smoothly. Special thanks go to coaches Matt Jensen, Justin Ricker, Jacob Arroyo, and Kevin Gaustad who analyzed games with the players between rounds. This immediate feedback helps players understand their mistakes and to improve more quickly. Congratulations to the 36 participants who all grew their brains by playing chess all day. 🙂 The players are listed in order of tiebreaks. The tournament has been rated by USCF: https://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202402171432-16371832
In Section Two, Logan Anderson (4th grade at Ben Franklin) finished with 4.5/5 points to earn first place. Logan improved on his results in the January Scholastic tournament, in which he finished tied for second and third place. Claire Niu (3rd grade at Jefferson) and Colin Severson (5th grade at Longfellow) finished tied for second and third places with 4/5 points each. Caleb Laber (4th grade at Ben Franklin) and Jack Connelly (10th grade at Mayo) tied for fourth and fifth places with 3.5 points
Section One was won by Joshua Wang (8th grade at Kellogg) who finished in first place with a score of 4.5/5. Jayan Jayachandran (12th grade at Century) finished undefeated in second place with 4 points. Chase Stenzel (8th grade at Byron) finished in third place with 3.5 points. Calder Nguyen (8th grade at Dakota), James Devlin (10th grade, home school), and James Hill (6th grade, homeschool) finished tied for fourth – sixth places with 3 points each.
FREEÂ 2024 FEBRUARY SCHOLASTIC (K-12)Â USCF-RATEDÂ SWISS CHESS TOURNAMENT ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17.Â
Five rounds of Game/30, d5s in a Swiss Style format will be played. No elimination. All participants will play 5 games. Membership in USCF is required (https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess). Participants will be required to record their moves and use a chess clock. Chess sets and clocks will be provided. Half-point byes are available for any round.
Chief Tournament Director: Matt Markland
Assistant Tournament Director: Dennis Mays
Parent/coach volunteers are needed. Contact Dennis Mays (dennismays101@gmail.com) for more information.
Trophies/medals will be awarded to the top finishers.
Site: Mayo Clinic Harwick Cafeteria, 201 Third Ave. SW, Rochester, MN.
Online pre-registration is required to reserve your spot in the tournament. Participation will be limited to the first 40 registrants.
Schedule:
Check in with the tournament director by 8:45 AM to confirm your participation:
Round 1: 9:15 AM
Round 2: 10:25 AM
Lunch Break: 11:35 AM
Round 3: 12:15 PM
Round 4: 1:25 PM
Round 5: 2:35 PM
Awards following Round 5 at approximately 4:00 PM
RESULTS OF THE 2024 JANUARY SCHOLASTIC CHESS TOURNAMENT ARE IN!
Forty-four students (K-12) competed in the 2024 January Scholastic USCF-rated Chess Tournament on Saturday, January 27. The event was sponsored by Rochester Chess, an educational nonprofit whose mission is to provide opportunities for youth and adults to play chess and receive chess instruction. The tournament has been rated by USCF: https://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202401278182.0-30755720.
Thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers for helping make this event successful! You are too numerous to name. 🙂
Stay tuned for more information on the next local scholastic tournament and the Minnesota State Scholastic Championship by subscribing to receive periodic updates at our site: https://rochesterchess.com/
The playing field was divided into 4 sections based on chess experience. Twelve students played in their first ever USCF-rated event!
Although there were individual winners in the tournament, in reality the competitors were all winners. They shared their passion for chess, met others who enjoyed the game, and most importantly improved their critical thinking skills by playing chess.
Super-talented Cole Lappi (9th grader at Century) won the championship section with a perfect 4-0. Isaac Gommels (7th grader at Schaeffer Academy) finished in clear second place with a score of 3-1.
Akhshar Vijayakumar (5th grader at Byron Middle School) and Chase Stenzel (8th grader at Byron Middle School) tied for first place in the reserve section with scores of 3.5/4.0.
Noah Mannix (7th grader at Stewartville Middle School) defeated all of his nearest rivals to finish undefeated 4./4 in the Bantam section. Caleb Laber and Logan Anderson (both (4th graders at Ben Franklin) finished tied for second place with scores of 3/4.
William Zhao (8th grader at Byron Middle School) easily finished with a perfect 4/4 score in the unrated section. Henry Frank (5th grader at Franklin Elementary) was close behind with a score of 3/4 in second place, losing only to the eventual winner.