James Clemens High School was the location for the 2018 City Chess Championship--the first grade-level championship for Madison. No city in Alabama hosts a grade-level championship, and we were thrilled to have kindergarten through high school students participate. Sponsored by Systems Products & Solutions, Inc., cash prizes of $50 to winners in grades K-2 and $100 to winners in grades 3rd-11 were given to the first place winners and medals to the top three finishers for each grade level. Final standings can be found here.
Time Controls: The time controls for all age groups was longer than any tournament we hold all year. It is designed to help our kids prepare for the Elementary Nationals where the time control is Game 90/d5. As the tournament progressed, more and more competitors were able to adjust and use their allotted time better. Grades K-3rd used Game 45/d5; Grades 4th-6th used Game 60/d5; and Grades 7-12th used Game 90/d5.
Kindergarten Section
Seven students competed in the Kindergarten section. This was so exciting to see our youngest students competing in their first rated tournament. Congratulations to award winners Brantley Davis (1st & $50), Ryan MacLearn (2nd), and Daksh Sunil (3rd).
1st Grade Section
Eight first graders competed in a close competition. Noah Hsu ended the day with a perfect score of 4 points and won the $50 1st place prize. Samasara Rajbhandari and Emma Kuang came in 2nd and 3rd respectively with 2.5 points. Tyce Crosswy also had 2.5 points and narrowly missed out on an award on tie breaks.
2nd Grade Section
Ten students competed in the Second Grade Section which was one of the most unpredictable sections. Viraat Veeravali won 1st with 3.5 points and $50, and Laya Gowder and Samuel Bae tied with 3 points and came in 2nd and 3rd respectively on tie breaks.
3rd Grade Section
Thirteen students battled for the top spot in the Third Grade Section that ended with the three highest rated players making the top three. Landon Drummond and Andrew Nguyen tied for 1st and split the $100 prize between them. Aadi Saxena placed 3rd.
4th Grade Section
The Fourth Grade Section was our largest section with 16 students competing with a time control of Game 60/d5. Karsten Wallace won 1st place and $100 with a perfect score of 4 points. Four students tied with 3 points, but on tie breaks Caroline Wang won 2nd and Nirvana Rajbhandari won 3rd and received medals. Narrowly missing an award and also achieving 3 points were Patrick Dowd and Ethan Van.
5th Grade Section
The Fifth Grade Section had ten competitors with some of the highest ratings of any elementary section. Geon Park won 1st place and $100 with a perfect score of 4 points. Oviya Gowder won 2nd place with 3 points. Two students, Zachary Calinsky and Owen Lang, tied with 2.5 points and even drew with each other in a head-to-head match up. On tie breaks, Zachary won 3rd place.
6th Grade Section
Seven students competed in the Sixth Grade Section. Rishi Sethuraj and Aasim Musani tied for 1st with 3.5 points and split the cash prize winning $50 each. Third place went to Henry Holland who achieved 3 points.
7th Grade Section
The Seventh Grade Section was one of our most unique sections in the tournament in that five of the six competitors were female! Victor Lundy and Constance Wang tied for 1st with 3.5 points and split the cash prize winning $50 each. Third place went to Puja Chopade.
8th Grade Section
Ten students competed in the Eighth Grade Section. Om Badhe had a perfect score of 4 points and won 1st place and $100 prize. Three students tied with 2.5 points: Jenson Wilhelm, Edward Calinsky and Aubteen Pour-Biazar. On tie breaks, Jenson won 2nd and Edward won 3rd.
9th-12th Grade Section
The 9-12th grade sections were merged for pairing purposes. but awards were given by grade level. The Ninth Grade Section winners were: Joshua Lin (1st-$100), Will Bao (2nd), and Alex Edwards (3rd). The Tenth Grade Section winners were: Michael Guthrie (1st-$100) and Aneesha Ankam (2nd). The Eleventh Grade Section winners were: Tyler Wessling (1st - $100) and Julian Olvera (2nd). No seniors competed in the event.
