At the conclusion of the marathon known as “Saturday at Nationals” (three games!), some section leaders stand alone, others are perfect along with one other, and three sections have between four and six players knotted at the top of the standings. Let’s dive in closer, and check our team updates as well.
12th Grade
IM-elect Gus Huston will try to break the spell that IM Max Lu holds over him (along with five draws, Max is 3–0 lifetime against Gus in standard rated games). They are the only two perfect scores among the high school seniors.
Not as close is the team race, as Dalton has sprinted ahead of Stuyvesant by two points (13/15 to 11/15). Sitting in third with 10/15 is the lesser-known Florida school, John Ferguson High School.
11th Grade
IM Nico Chasin leads a group of four players at 4½/5 on a Sunday when the hungriest junior (or maybe the one with the fewest AP classes to study for!) might have the advantage.
Stuyvesant (12½/15) leads Columbia Grammar Prep School (CGPS) by just a half-point. Hunter looms two points off the lead with 10½/15.
10th Grade
Top seed FM Bach Ngo has a full handful (five) co-leaders at 4½/5 going into round six.
With a 12/15 score, Livingston HS (NJ) and American Heritage School (FL) hope to maintain their lead over powerhouse Stuyvesant (NY), which sits in a close third a half-point back with 11½/15, but any of the three could earn the coveted title of National Champion by day’s end.
Ninth Grade
IM-elect Brewington Hardaway is among a half-dozen freshmen who have surrendered only a draw after five games.
The 107-move battle between Zhao and Hardaway lived up to the hype. Both players were in time trouble as early as move 25, and this is truly a three-result game until the end.
CGPS (12½/15) is a full point ahead of Stuyvesant (11½/15), who has the upset-minded Buccholz HS of Florida (11/15) and Bob Jones HS of Alabama (10½/15) tailgating in their rearview mirror.
Eighth Grade
Third-seeded master Nikash Vemparala and Will Moorhouse (both perfect at 5/5) are likely slugging it out over the 64 squares as you read this update (check the stream!). However, they know that a peaceful finish could allow as many as three players to catch them before the final round begins.
Just a point separates Hunter (11½/15), Success Academy Midtown (11/15) and Lincoln MS of Florida (10/15).
Seventh Grade
Master Andrew Jiang has played (and won) on the top board for five straight games, leaving him ahead of six players by the slimmest of margins. A determined opponent or a careless mistake, and we could see a game of leapfrog at the top of the leaderboard.
Like the eighth grade section, team standings are tight! Top-scoring Millburn MS of New Jersey (12½/15) leads CGPS by a half-point with Speyer another half-point back in third place.
Sixth Grade
After round six, there will no longer be two perfect scores at the top as Kyle Wang and Oliver Ohly face off Sunday morning on board one of their section.
Success Academy Midtown (11½/15) leads Hunter (11/15) by a half-point.
Fifth Grade
WIM Megan Paragua and Tariq Yue (each with 5/5) lead 4 players who sit at 4½/5.
Speyer (12/15) is in front in the fifth grade team competition, but PS77 Lower Lab (11½/15), Dalton and Oak Hall (each with 11/15) and two teams at 10½/15 are nipping loudly at their heels!
Fourth Grade
Three perfect scores top fourth grade: Linxi Zhu, Santhosh Ayyappan, and Ryan Ratcliff. Zhu displayed impressive positional understanding on the white side of a Sicilian Najdorf, playing for thematic strategic breaks until his opponent gave him a more direct opportunity for a tactical finish.
Like Speyer’s fifth grade team, the fourth graders also lead with a 12/15 score ahead of a tight field containing Oak Hall, Dalton, Anderson, and PS77 Lower Lab.
Third Grade
Sasha Schaefer stands alone at 5/5, but seven players at 4½/5 are hoping for a Sunday stumble by the leader.
Oak Hall (13½/15) has a comfortable lead over PS77 Lower Lab and Hunter (both at 11/15).
Second Grade
Ian Singh’s perfect score not only has him sharing the lead with Aiden Li, Sriansh Katta, and Zhihan Xu, but it is also a huge reason that Speyer has a seemingly insurmountable three-point lead.
I have seen large leads like this disappear in a single round, so check back for my Flash Report at the conclusion of the event tonight to see if they cruised to victory or cracked under the pressure that Sundays can bring at US Chess Scholastic Nationals.
First Grade
Pre-tournament top-seed Darren Wu has company at the top, as Mustafa Muhammad, Emily Tang, and Rajiv Honmurgi also have perfect scores.
The team race could come down to the final game as Oak Hall and Speyer lead at 11/15, but Trinity (NY) and PS77 Lower Lab are just a point behind at 10/15.
Kindergarten
Two players rated in the 700’s (Suraj Jani and Matthew Wang) are hanging tough with 1363-rated Mehmet Yilanli, but there will surely be two challenging games on Sunday for these underrated prodigies.
Youth powerhouse team Oak Hall (12/15) is up by a field goal over Trinity (NY) which sits on 9/15. Dalton and Speyer (8/15 each) are looking to make a final-day push.
Make Room in the Trophy Case!
For those keeping score, Speyer is on top by itself in the team standings in three grades, Oak Hall in two, and the two powerhouse schools share the lead in another section! PS77 Lower Lab looks strong this year in four grade sections, with the usual NY suspects ready to grab more than a single title should they get hot while the leaders misstep.
Friends & Family Tournament
Jackie Liu (brother of player Nick Liu) won all four games and a $200 gift certificate in the rated Friends & Family tournament. Combined, the brothers won the trophy for top Brother/Player Team. An undefeated 3½/4 gave Sakthi Sivasamy 2nd Place and a $140 gift certificate, plus, with help from her son Rithin Jehin, they won the Mother/Player trophy. Full results here.
Note: As the section finish, use the Winners tab instead of Standings.
Away from the board on Saturday
Girls Room
The most happening spot outside the tournament hall was definitely the Girls Room. Every seat was taken in a tandem simul by GM Irina Krush and WIM Carolina Blanco in the late morning, pizza for the teen girls at lunch time, and a life-sized chess game in the afternoon.
The Altons (Krista and Arthur) continue to bring their positive energy and encouraging words, while Kimberly Doo greets with a smile and is quick with a camera. Many girls consider the Girls Room the highlight of the weekend.
Safe Play History and Vignettes
US Chess Director of Operations Ranae Bartlett worked with Managing Editor Melinda Matthews to create an engaging and interactive presentation to help attendees better understand this important new initiative.
First, a history of the development of this program was laid out clearly in a slide show. Then, a flow chart explained the process of dealing with a possible safe play violation. Finally, a series of vignettes tested the attendees’ familiarity with the definition of a safe play violation.
Dr. Martha Underwood assisted with explanations. The team was quick to thank the art department of US Chess (Art Director Natasha Roberts and Graphics Assistant Nico Esaltare) for their help in making the presentation attractive and pleasing to the eye. Committee member Brian Yang also contributed to the creation of the presentation.
Coming approximately 6-7pm Eastern on Sunday – FLASH REPORT with final results!
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