Checkmates and Checks: How a D.C. Tournament Helped Local Students Land College Scholarships

Photo courtesy Phil Carney.

On the final weekend in March, D.C.-area students gathered at the Stead Park Recreation Center for the Charles Carroll Carter Capital Chess Classic, a free-to-enter K-12 tournament run by Silver Knights Chess Academy with free lunch and a $10,000 college scholarship prize fund generously provided by Friends of Stead Park.

The tournament’s 81 competitors included players from each of D.C.’s eight wards, and more than 35 schools from all over the city were represented. Twenty local students of varying ages and grade levels went home with a share of the prize fund.

Nathan Feinberg, a young player competing in his first-ever tournament, arrived with low expectations. “When I walked into the building, I thought I had no chance of getting any scholarship money at all,” he said.

The young challenger struggled with self-doubt after losing his first game, but a victory in the second round helped shift his mindset. He went on to win both a trophy and a scholarship.

“When they announced my name, they also said I was the only person there who got a trophy and it was their first tournament,” he said. “I was also the youngest person there to get a trophy, which made me feel very confident in the future of my chess career.”

Feinberg has yet to decide what he wants to study down the line, but he hopes to stay sharp by playing chess as long as he can.

Another scholarship recipient, Ethan Bahcall, put together a winning sequence that remained on organizers’ minds days after the tournament was over:

Lenox Serrette, one of the weekend’s biggest winners, took home a $2,000 check. Though he wished the time control on his games was a bit more liberal, he had a great time as both a competitor and spectator.

“The tournament environment was very inviting and open for a wide range of chess players,” he said. “My favorite part was walking in and seeing so many people trying out chess and doing something new.”

Scholarship winner Lenox Serrette holds his check. Photo by Phil Carney.

Scholarship winner Lenox Serrette holds his check. (Photo courtesy Phil Carney)

Serrette has big plans for how he’ll put his scholarship money to use. “Receiving the scholarship made me feel accomplished and prepared for my future, knowing that I have $2,000 of college funds to my name. I’ll use my scholarship money to study animal sciences, biology and chess because I want to be a veterinarian and an IM when I grow up.”

Fellow winner and scholarship recipient Ethan Crawford, who also walked away with $2,000 to put towards his college education, was grateful to Friends of Stead Park for ensuring participants stayed fed throughout the competition.

“I appreciated the food and drinks that were provided,” he said. “Since there was very little time between rounds — a testament to the TDs' commitment to being on schedule — it was immensely helpful to not have to rush outside to find food.”

Though he found the whole event to be well run and beneficial to the D.C. chess community, the biggest highlight of his weekend was one of his games. “My favorite part of the tournament was game four, which included one of the best attacks I've ever played on the board. It was one of those games where I saw the effort I put into practicing and studying chess get rewarded ten-fold.”

Ethan Crawford intends to use his winnings to fund his studies in the UK. (Photo courtesy Phil Carney)

Like Serrette, Crawford already knows how he’ll use his winnings: to help fund his dream of studying physics at Durham University in the UK, where he plans to remain an active chess player.

“As someone planning to study abroad, scholarships can sometimes be difficult to find, so I was excited that I’ll be able to fund my love of studying physics with my love of playing chess. I have heard that Durham has a relatively vibrant chess scene, so I’m looking forward to experiencing it in a few months' time. And hopefully this tournament win will be just one of many!”

Calvin Voiland, who hopes to use his winnings to study geography, was wowed by the physical size of the check he received. “The check was actually bigger than me — you don’t get the opportunity to have something like that happen much in your life! It felt amazing.”

Though receiving such a large check was certainly a memorable moment, Voiland said the sense of community he felt at the tournament was actually the biggest highlight of the event.

“My favorite part was that some people from my school came, so I got to spend time with them between games, and I also liked that [the organizers] gave out a free lunch,” he said. “I’ve [played in] a lot of tournaments where I didn’t know anyone, so it was nice to have friends to talk to. My friends Miles and Xiang were really supportive, and I tried to be supportive for them, and we made a good team.”

One of Voiland’s games stood out as an example of the impact mental resilience can have on a player’s tournament performance, according to Silver Knights Coach Luke Everett.

”Calvin's round three win shows the importance of continuing to fight when you are in a difficult position,” said Everett. “He lost a key central pawn on move 16, but he stuck around and waited for his chance to strike back. He didn't have to wait very long; on move 20, Black made a mistake and allowed Calvin's bishop back into the game. After that, Calvin won his pawn back and outplayed his opponent in a very nice four-rook endgame.”

Take a look through the game below, with annotations by Everett:

Voiland’s mother Katherine Mann said her son is no stranger to Silver Knights-run events. “Every year, Calvin attends at least one summer chess camp with Silver Knights, and we try to do as many in-person Silver Knights tournaments as possible. Calvin has been playing chess since he was four years old, and we are so grateful to live in an area that just abounds with opportunities and love for chess.”

Mann had a feeling this tournament in particular was an important one for her son to take part in.

“I'm an artist, and the family was visiting me at an artist residency in Hudson, NY, and we actually cut the residency short and drove back to D.C. the night before just so Calvin could attend this tournament. We knew it would be special! I really appreciated that the tournament was specifically for D.C. students and had players from every ward — the scholarships show a true support and belief in D.C. kids.”

Jhaylen Ruley was the sole representative of his ward to win scholarship money and was proud to emerge victorious. “The tournament was great,” he said. “It was a lot of fun. I liked that they had free lunch, and I got to compete against top talent in my hometown.

“I had a rating of 848 going into the tournament and was able to beat kids rated over 1100. It felt good to win, especially being the only kid from Southeast D.C. and Ward 8. Chess is often overlooked east of the river. I'm just here to change the narrative.”

Consider the narrative changed: Ruley went home with some new hardware and a $1,250 check for his college fund. (Photo courtesy Krista Ruley)

Ruley said his scholarship winnings will help him bridge the financial gap that so often holds promising students back from pursuing higher education. While he hasn’t decided which college he’d like to attend just yet, he is certain about one thing: he wants the school he ends up at to have a chess team he can join.