Chess Program
Chess News
USM Players Win at Scholastic Chess Tournament
USM hosted its fifth annual Scholastic Chess Tournament on November 22. More than 150 students from over 40 Wisconsin schools attended. USM was represented in the tournament by 37 students from all three divisions and took home four individual and three team trophies.
In the K-3 section, eight USM students competed in a field of 31 players and won the first place team trophy. First-grader Hadi Najeeb and second-grader Matthew Cooper both won four of their six games and were awarded the third and fourth place individual trophies, respectively. Place medals were awarded to second-graders Jack Glusman (8th place), David Mock (12th), and Grace Petzold (15). Participation medals were awarded to first-graders Gabriel Gonzales, Jordan Puetz, and Danavi Wollin.
In the K-6 section, 20 USM students competed in a field of 71 players and won the second place team trophy. Fifth-grader Yaseen Najeeb won five of his six games and was awarded the fourth place individual trophy. Place medals were awarded to five USM students who won four of their six games: sixth-graders Andrew Buchanan (9th place), John Venable (10th), Charlie Burton (11th), and Sam Schlesinger (19th); and fifth-grader Michael Kearney (14th). USM was also represented by second-grader Isabella Ilchenko; third-grader Ishan Rodman; fourth-graders Arianna Adusumilli, Matthew Mason, Amer Mohiuddin, and Andrew Puetz; fifth-graders Max Dossioukov, Steven Hogan, Vinay Jain, Osman Mohiuddin, Aaron Petzold, and Saji Rodman; and sixth-graders Dakota DeIrueste and Robert Mason.
In the K-12 section, nine USM students competed in a field of 39 players and won the first place team trophy. Fifth-grader Sasha Velikanov won all of his games and was awarded the first place individual trophy. A place medal was awarded to senior Saptarshi Ghose (5th place). USM was also represented by eighth-graders Kern Khanna and Bradley Schlesinger; freshmen Sara Filali and Jackson Marlin; sophomores Drew Ivarson and William Stearns; and junior Alex Yerukhimov.
For the first time ever, all of the sections at USM's tournament were USCF-rated, requiring all players to have USCF membership. USM's Chess Club subsidized a portion the cost of USCF membership for 50 new USCF members competing at the tournament.
Chess Team Successful Locally and Abroad
The chess team did a great job at the Junior Open in Oshkosh on November 7 and 8. This is a tournament open to anyone 21 and under. USM sophomore James Bowen tied for third place in the open with 4 out of 5 wins. Also in the open were junior Alex Yerukhimov with 3 points and eighth grader Bradley Schlesinger with 2.5.
In the reserve section, sixth grader Sam Schlesinger took first place for his rating class of 900-999 with 2.5 points out of 5. Additionally, sophomores Drew Ivarson, Jacob LeBowitz, and Will Stearns each won two games.
Coach Lange tied for first in Class D in the Veterans Tournament, which was for people over age 21.
Alexander (Sasha) Velikanov, a USM fifth grader, competed in the World Youth Championships in Vietnam. Sasha was in the Open 12 section for people ages 12 and under. Out of 94 players, Sasha took 35th with 6 out of 11 points. His team took third place out of 18 countries!
Congratulations to all players!
USM's Chess Program Continues To Thrive!
The USM Chess Program has enjoyed great success in recent years. There are now more than 100 Lower, Middle and Upper school students involved in the program. USM chess has had strong showings at recent local, state and national tournaments.
First and foremost, however, chess at USM is designed to be fun. Thanks to strong parent volunteer involvement, excellent chess instructors, and dedicated faculty, our Chess program includes:
- An after-school chess club that meets on Wednesdays from mid-October to mid-February.
- Chess classes that are offered at the school, after school.
- Additional chess instruction for students competing at tournaments.
- Participation in Saturday tournaments hosted at USM and other area schools.
- Our Upper School's chess team activities, which include 8 dual meets every year in the City of Milwaukee High School Chess League and the annual City Chess Championships.
- Weekend tournaments around the State, attended by Upper School and some LS and MS students.
- State Scholastic Championships in March in Oshkosh, where USM fields teams comprised of students from all three divisions.
- Spring National USCF Championship Tournament, with students from all three divisions competing.
- Camps and chess classes in USM's Summer IDEAS program.
USM's Chess Club meets on Wednesdays after school from mid-October to February in the middle school dining room. Any student in SK through 12th grade who is interested in attending may do so. The club features chess play and other chess activities, some instruction and various special events, including a year-end party and prize drawings.
The following websites can provide further information:
www.uschess.org, www.wisconsinscholasticchess.org, www.wischess.org
Questions can be directed to Fred Lange, Upper School Math Department Chair and head of the chess program, at 414.540.3449 or flange@usmk12.org. |