A memorable weekend came to a close on Mother's Day in Baltimore, MD, as the final two rounds of the National Elementary School Championship concluded and national champions were crowned.
Both the K-6 and K-1 sections boasted a solo champion, while the K-3 had two co-champions and the K-5 ended up with four. Nine other sections also produced a total of 13 winners and co-winners. New York schools won the team championship in all four championship sections, as well! Now, onto the action.
In the K-6 Championship, top-seeded Nathan Yan bounced back from a third round draw to claim sole first.
![Nathan Yan](/sites/default/files/styles/1080px_wide_scale/public/media/images/2023nes_baltimore_k6_nathan_yan_caroline_king.jpg.webp?itok=4p9nA2dH)
Yan defeated then-leader Oscar Izzy Williams in the sixth round, meaning that a win in round seven would clinch the tournament. Yan obliged and took home the championship.
![Rohan Rajaram took home a deserving second place (photo Caroline King)](/sites/default/files/styles/1080px_wide_scale/public/media/images/2023nes_baltimore_rd_7_rohan_rajaram_caroline_king.jpg.webp?itok=XP3B9Hiy)
On board two, Rohan Rajaram knew that he needed a win to claim share of first in case Yan drew or lost. While Yan won, Rajaram still produced a fantastic game and took home second place.
The K-5 Championship boasted one leader headed into the final day of play, but four emerged as co-champions with a 6/7 score. Sharash Radhakrishnan won first on tiebreaks, with Krishna Rallabandi, Anson Leong, and Andrew Wu taking second through fourth respectively.
![K-5](/sites/default/files/styles/1080px_wide_scale/public/media/images/2023nes_baltimore_k5_andrew_wu_anson_leong_krishnan_rallabandi_caroline_king.jpg.webp?itok=9T_eXPmT)
The turning point in this event came in round six, when Rallabandi defeated then-leader Vihan Jammalamadaka to blow things wide open for the field.
![Rallabandi](/sites/default/files/styles/1080px_wide_scale/public/media/images/2023nes_baltimore_rd_7_krishna_rallabandi_caroline_king.jpg.webp?itok=-VM-70tO)
The game was thrilling, with Rallabandi coming from behind to navigate complications to earn the win.
In the K-3 Championship, seven players shared the lead after five rounds, but only two managed to win both Sunday games to share top honors. Ted Wang and Lev Shangin are our co-champions, with Wang taking first place on tiebreaks.
![Wang](/sites/default/files/styles/1080px_wide_scale/public/media/images/2023nes_baltimore_rd_7_ted_wang_caroline_king.jpg.webp?itok=6RNmdHFB)
Playing an opponent rated over 100 points higher in the final game, Wang managed to out-strategize his opponent from a quiet opening and hold on to bring home the gold.
Finally, after starting with a perfect 6/6 in the K-1 Championship, Asher Kirschbaum drew his final round game and, after the dust settled, was the outright champion.
![Asher Kirschbaum](/sites/default/files/styles/1080px_wide_scale/public/media/images/2023nes_baltimore_k1_asher_kirschbaum_caroline_king.jpg.webp?itok=M_PrAh78)
With numerous lead changes and Exchange sacs in the final rounds, the event was a success by any metric. Between rounds, though, all the buzz was about the bughouse, as GMs Maxim Dlugy and Benjamin Finegold teamed up once again to entertain and dazzle.
After a weekend of tandem simuls, lectures, and blitz, everybody got a chance to meet the Guest Grandmasters. One (update: now identified!) player even took down GM Dlugy in a game the veteran coach described as "amazing."
![Dlugy](/sites/default/files/styles/1080px_wide_scale/public/media/images/2023nes_baltimore_dlugy_blitz_jack_scheible.jpg.webp?itok=IvgzNx30)
All results and pairings are available here, and prior coverage of our scholastic events are available here.
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