Champions Crowned in Baltimore at National Elementary School Championships

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.

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California's Nathan Yan emerged victorious in the K-6 Championship (photo Caroline King)

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.

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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.

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Three of the K-5 Co-Champions: Andrew Wu (L), Anson Leong, Krishna Rallabandi (not pictured: Sharath Radhakrishnan) (photo Caroline King)

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. 

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Krishna Rallabandi took down the leader in round six to blow the K-5 Championship wide open (photo Caroline King)

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. 

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Ted Wang won the K-3 Championship on tiebreaks after his last round upset win (photo Caroline King)

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. 

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The North Carolinian was all smiles after his clear first in the K-1 Championship (photo Caroline King)

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."

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GM Maxim Dlugy poses with Rocco Degeese after the latter toppled the GM in an "amazing" game (courtesy Jack Scheible)

All results and pairings are available here, and prior coverage of our scholastic events are available here.