USATE: Two Teams Perfect at the Top

Lively chitter-chatter filled the vast playing hall as over 1300 chess players headed to their boards. Left and right, teams huddled around the pairing sheets like vivacious waves of water, discussing their strategy for the round. The players gradually trickled in as the sounds of clattering pieces and beeping clocks echoing around the room. Above it all, director and organizer Steve Doyle entertained the crowd with his quick-witted activities.

“First one to the microphone with a two-dollar bill wins a prize!” “Twenty dollars to the first one who sings ‘Danny Boy’! The USATE, also known as the US Amateur Team East or World Amateur Team Tournament, is an annual event held in Parsippany, New Jersey where players play in teams of four and compete for the honor of being crowned the best team. But in the room, at that moment, it was clear why this tournament is also known as the Woodstock of chess.

Director Steve Doyle makes his opening announcements (courtesy Michael Somers)

Upon first arriving at the hotel, I encountered dozens of kids from Chess in the Schools (CIS), a non-for-profit program directed by Shaun Smith. Over the past several years, I have taught many of the CIS kids in chess camps and group lessons alike, which made it even more thrilling to see them in person!

With over 80 kids and 23 hotel rooms, they permeated the lobby with vigor and excitement. Although some of them have never played in USATE before and may have played less due to the pandemic, they received frequent training in their local events, lessons, and camps, causing many of them to not only be very enthusiastic, but also underrated. As Shaun said, “one of their 1500s was crushing an IM!”

To start off the first round, the Army and Navy teams conducted the flag ceremony, marching the U.S. flag down the middle of the hall, surrounded by hundreds of chess boards and players. Kicking off the tournament, FM Nathan Resika, whom I played before at the Marshall Chess Club, sang the national anthem. His clarion voice reverberated off the high walls, and as the Star-Spangled Banner’s concluding phrases gradually faded away, I thought about how lucky I was to be part of such a big event, bringing together great chess players from not only all over the country but also all over the world. The torrential applause that followed the opening ceremonies was the perfect way to start the games with a bang.

FM Nathan Resika sings the national anthem at the start of round 1, (courtesy Michael Somers)

One of my favorite events of the team tournament has always been the Army–Navy match, which was featured on the top board of round two. Dressed in the same suits in which they conducted the patriotic flag ceremony, they remained in their formal attire for the whole tournament! Their smiles and post-mortem discussions of the games after the round showed their unwavering enthusiasm for chess.

Just like in combat, the soldiers had varying levels of experience in the tournament: some were in their first year and others on the verge of graduation. As Midshipman Thomas Jennings of the Navy Team, who played in the tournament for two years stated elegantly, “I won't be here in the future, but one day someone will take up my spot with the same uniform.”

The celebrated Army vs. Navy battle on board 1 (courtesy Michael Somers)

The award for the best team name was given before the start of round four, and it is always a spectacle to watch. To intensify the selection, the players were asked to vote with their applause! A mere glance at the list of team names shows just how creative chess players can be. A few of the runners-up for the name contest: “Bacon Egg and Cheese En Passant” and “How did House of Windsor Promote to A King” were not only inventive team names, but also strong finishers in the tournament itself, winning first and fifth place, respectively.

These teams consisted of many familiar faces. “Bacon Egg and Cheese En Passant” saw Gus Huston on board one, Nathaniel Shuman on board two, Sumit Dhar on board three, and Ryan Peterson on board four while “How did House of Windsor Promote to A King” had Nico Chasin on board one, Ellen Wang on board two, Max Mattola on board three, and Asha Kumar on board four. Each of these incredibly strong teams boasted an average rating over 2175.

But the final winner for the team name, which won by a landslide in terms of applause volume was: “Hans Shoulders Niemann Toes,” an aptly crafted combination of a famous nursery rhyme and a reference to arguably one of the hottest topics of the chess world in the past year. “Hans Shoulders Niemann Toes,” with a strong 2196 average rating, also finished strongly in the tournament itself, taking fourth place.

One of the defining characteristics of the World Amateur Team Tournament is its friendliness towards players of all rating levels, with masters and newcomers often on the same team. One of the requirements is that the average rating of the four players in a team can’t exceed 2200. Coupled with the “Amateur” adjective in the title, it might seem surprising to find even a single grandmaster on a team, let alone two! But that is exactly what the team “Never Gonna Give Yoo Up” did. (No, “Yoo” is not a typo; the team is making a reference to both the famous “rick roll” song by Rick Astley and the young GM and top chess player Christopher Yoo.) Led by Grandmasters Brandon Jacobson and Andrew Tang on the top two boards, the 2188-average team was backed up by Pedro Espinosa on board three and Julia Schulman on board four.

Brandon told me that he first played in USATE when he was around nine years old, and more than a decade later, he is back as a college junior. Some traditions never change! Julia, whose published rating is 1272, faced an uphill match every game, but that didn’t stop her from giving it her all. The streamer, who recently picked chess back up six months ago after a break, said that being lower rated motivated her to try harder against tougher opponents. One of the top teams to begin with, “Never Gonna Give Yoo Up” was also one of the two teams who ended the tournament with a perfect 6-0 score, losing to the top team only on tiebreaks.

“Master Hawks” team, winning the top high school award. From L to R: Jack Levine, Davis Zong, Kiren Nasta, Ian Nicholson. (courtesy of the subjects)

Despite the casual nature of the tournament, the games were far from relaxed. During round five, our team “Master Hawks,” a Hunter College High School team composed of your humble reporter on board one, Kiren Nasta on board two, Jack Levine on board three, and Ian Nicholson on board four, faced a very close matchup against the Woodpeckers, with each board less than 100 points apart in rating. After around four hours, each of the top three boards had drawn, and the result of the match hung in limbo.

Depending on how the last game ended, all three results were still possible, and to aggravate the pressure, both players on board four were approaching severe time trouble. When I next checked in with my team, we received the good news! Apparently, the game came down to the wire, with both sides having less than 15 seconds on a five-second delay, and Ian won a piece under time pressure: a clutch win and a clutch point that helped us ultimately win the top high school award. Now that is some truly nail-biting tension!

The final round was essentially the climax of the action, a clash of the titans, with all the top teams duking it out in spectacular battles. On the top board, “Never Gonna Give Yoo Up” faced “How did the House of Windsor Promote to a King,” while board two saw “Bacon Egg and Cheese En Passant'' play the top seed of the tournament “Welcome to the Dojo,” the latter having the highest possible allowed rating average of 2199.

“Bacon, Egg, and Cheese En Passant” (Left) versus “Welcome to the Dojo” (courtesy Michael Somers)

“How did House of Windsor Promote to a King” (Left) faces off against “Never Gonna Give Yoo Up” (Right) (courtesy Michael Somers)

While some years had 5½/6 as the winning score, this year’s Amateur East tournament saw not one but two perfect scores! Both “Bacon, Egg, and Cheese En Passant” and “Never Gonna Give Yoo Up” went 6-0, but the former prevailed on tiebreaks. Congratulations to “Bacon, Egg, and Cheese En Passant” for winning the 2023 Amateur East!

Looking around the playing hall and seeing the vast scale of the tournament, it is impossible not to appreciate the hard work of the organizers and directors. USATE has not only provided a chess haven for more than half a century and risen in popularity to over a thousand of the country’s passionate chess players, it is also an event that influences its entire host town! Not only were all the hotels in a ten-mile radius booked due to popularity, Steve Doyle also mentions that they had to call the nearby Wendy’s to acquire more food so as to not run out of food to feed the chess players!

The overall tournament winners from L to R: Ryan Peterson, Sumit Dhar, Nathaniel Shuman, Gus Huston (courtesy of NJSF)

As GM Michael Rohde puts it, the US Amateur Team East tournament is, “like the Woodstock of chess.” Many people consider USATE not only to be a chess competition, but also an opportunity to meet old and new friends alike, which is one of the biggest things that motivates so many players to come back to this event year after year.

Having played in the event for the first time before I turned ten, and having won the award for top future team (under-ten), elementary school team, and (now) high school team, it has been amazing to check in with my chess friends and marvel at how much has changed with time as well as how much our enthusiasm for chess has remained with time. In Steve Doyle’s words, “You don’t grow old when you play chess; you grow old when you stop playing chess.”

To conclude, here’s one more game from a player who could hardly be considered an amateur. GM Mark Paragua was one of the few players to go 6-0 on board one. Here’s one of his more entertaining victories.