Our Fall classes will start September 12. The flyer can be found here: September - October 2010 classes.
Upcoming Events:
Our next event will be the Future Champions Chess Challenge, tentatively in early November. Stay tuned for details.
Chess Photos: Have some free time? Check out our: Chess Photo Pages
The September 2010 ratings are online. If your child's school has changed, please email me with the update. Click here to view the list: Western PA Scholastic Chess Ratings List
NOTE: The USCF releases "official" rating updates on a monthly basis. However, there is still a time lag because each month's list is prepared about 2 weeks before the 1st of the month. If you play in an event the day after the cutoff date, you could still have a lag of up to 6 weeks before it impacts on your official rating.
Honor Roll list is updated quarterly. The latest list is here: Western PA Scholastic Chess Honor Roll.
The Honor Roll lists the name and school for the top 15 players in each grade. Students must be currently active and have
played at least 10 rated games. Students in grades K & 1 start the year with a lower requirement of only 4 rated games,
which is gradually increased to 10 as the school year progresses. Out of town players who have played in one of our
scholastic events during the past year are also eligible for the list. To learn more about chess ratings, click here:
Chess Ratings Explained
Past News & Assorted Items:
Our summer schedule wrapped up with the 2010 Summer Chess Challenge, which took place at Pittsburgh Urban Christian School on August 28. This was our first event at PUCS, and the home advantage seemed to help because they took 1st place in the team championship! In the individual competition, Roman Cano was King of the Championship section, Robbie McKinstry won the 800-1174 section, Ivan Shuran was tops in the 450-799 section, and Christopher Shen defeated all his opponents in the Beginners section. Full results are here: Final results.
The 17th Annual Western PA Chess Championship took place on 6/12/10 at CMU. 146 participants tested their wits. Tops in the sections were: Claire Priore (Championship), Peter Chekan (Premier), Nikolai Makhov (800-999), Margaret Zhou (600-799), Semeion Robertson (6-12 Beginner), Jordan Alker (K-5 Adv Beginner), Raj Thimmiah (3-5 Beginner), and Leonid Matros (K-2 Beginner). Providence Heights Alpha was tops in the team competition. Full results are here: Final results.
The 2010 Northern Regional Chess Championship brought 135 contestants to St Sebastian school on 4/17/10. After many hard fought battles, these eight players took first in their sections: Alexander Yaskolko (Championship), Suvich Tachaplalert (Premier), Eishan Ashwat (800-999), Sean Herman (600-799), Erik Ovick (6-12 Beginner), Ethan Chi (K-5 Adv Beginner), Patra Hsu (3) (Grade 3-5 Beginner), and Anirudh Ramprasad (Grade K-2 Beginner). Congratulations to them and all the other contestants. Full results are here: Final results.
The 37th Annual Library Chess Finals was held on 3/27/10 at the Northland Library. Our 1st place champions this year are Jack Mo in the Senior Division and Ruthvik Panda in the Junior Division. A photo report is online here: 2010 Library Finals Photo report. Full round by round results here: Final results.
The 2010 Pittsburgh Scholastic Championship was held 2/27/10 at Brashear High School. 137 players fought for the title of City Champion. Tops in the Championship section was Jack Mo. Other first place winners were: Advanced: Logan Dick, Grade 6-12 Intermediate: William McCarthy, Grade 6-12 Beginner: Devin Dougherty, Grade K-5 Intermediate: Evan Wang, Grade K-5 Adv Beginner: Stefan Stratimirovic, and Grade K-5 Beginner: Zion Thomas. Canonsburg Middle School topped the team competition, edging out second place Colfax Elementary by 1/2 point. Full results here: 2010 Pittsburgh Scholastic Championship Results.
The 16th Annual Fox Chapel Chess Championship was played on 1/30/10. This tournament was only open to schools in the Fox Chapel area. 45 players participated. Fairview Elementary Elementary delivered a powerful performance to snatch the coveted team championship with 14 out of 16 possible points. First place finishers were: Roman Cano (Championship), Julia Lynch (Intermediate), Zachary Creinin (Grade 3-5 Beginner), and Justin Choo (Grade K - 2 Beginner). Congratulations to them, the other prize winners, and all the participants. For the full results, click here: 16th Annual Fox Chapel Championship Results.
Here is a picture of the winning Fairview team:
On 1/2/10, 217 players from PA, OH, and WV kicked off a new decade of chess at the 12th Tri-State Junior Open at CMU. Despite the cold weather, the competition was pretty heated in all sections. First place winners were: Championship: Aaron Tian, Premier: Jonathan Botek, 850-1049: Peter Chekan, 700-849: Jordan Keitel, 550-699: Vittorio Migliuolo, 6-12 Beginner: Nikolai Makhov, K-5 Adv Beginner: Leah Fetting, 3-5 Beginner: Jordan Alker, and K - 2 Beginner: Vivian Li. The team competition was tight, with Canonsburg Middle School powering their way to yet another 1st place! Full results are here: Full results.
The 11th Annual Catholic Schools Chess Championship was held 12/19/09 at St Louise de Marillac. First place winners were: Advanced section: Michael El-Kadi, Grades 5-12 Beginner: Antonio Watkins & Anthony Kuntz (tied with 4-0), Grades 3-4 Beginner: Nicholas Minshall, and Grades K-2 Beginner: Matthew DiMarsico. In the team competition, Providence Heights Alpha earned 1st place for the 4th year in a row! Full results are here: Full results. Here is a photo of the Alpha team:
Kicking off the new school year was our 2009 Future Champions Chess Challenge with 162 players at Allderdice HS. David Donohoe scored first place in the Championship, followed by David Brickeen in the Premier. Other firsts were: Justin Ferri - 700-999, Nicholas Minshall - 500-699, Matthew Gereke - 6-12 Beginner, Evan Wang - K-5 Adv Beginner, Prateek Jukalkar - 3-5 Beginner, and Pranav Dantu - K-2 Beginner. Top team was Canonsburg Middle School. Full results are here: Results.
The Summer 2009 Scholastic Chess Challenge was held on 8/22/09 at Holy Child School in Bridgeville. 132 students participated in 7 sections. First place winners were: Anthony Priore (Championship), Soureesh Moturi (Premier), Jonathan Wang (700-899), Brian Kaplan (500-699), Alexander Taylor (5-12 Beg), Joshuah Musher (K-4 Adv Beg), and Matthew DiMarsico (K-4 Beg). Top team was Providence Heights Alpha. Full results are here: Results.
The 16th Annual Western PA Scholastic Championship took place at CMU on 6/13/09. 184 players participated. Five time US Champion and famous author Grandmaster Larry Evans entertained and instructed the players between rounds. That evening, he also gave a simul at the Pittsburgh Club Chess against several of the top Scholastic players in the area and several adult players. At the tournament, winners of the various sections were: Daniel Priore (Championship), Byron Li (Premier), Karthik Narayanan (850-999), Jonathan Wang (650-849), Joseph Wang (450-649), Jordan Keitel (6-12 Beg), Victoria Mbogo (Grades 4-5 Beg), Nivetta Thamilarasan (Grades 2-3 Beg), and Prathiksha Sivakumar (Grades K-1 Beg). Marshall Elementary took 1st place honors in the team championship on tiebreaks over Providence Heights Alpha. Full results can be viewed here: Final results.
The 2009 Northern Regional Chess Championship was held at St Sebastian School in the North Hills on 4/4/09. Topping the field of 143 players were: Anthony Priore (Championship), Clark Chen (Premier), Maria Hoffman (775-949), Isaac Mbogo (625-774), Michael Niggemyer (500-624), Nathan Schartner (6-12 Beginner), Alexander Paski (4-5 Beginner), Joseph Wang (2-3 Beginner), and Devin Xiao (K-1 Beginner). Providence Heights Alpha topped the team championship. Congratulations to them and all the other winners and participants. Full results can be viewed here: Final results.
Memorable Moments from the Past
The 2008 Future Champion's Chess Challenge was held 10/25/08 at Allderdice High School. Top team was Community Day School. Here is a photo of the Community Day School team:
The 15th Annual Western PA Scholastic Championship was held 6/14/08 at CMU. Here are some photos:
The Pittsburgh Youth Chess Dragons at the 2006 PA State Championship:
The Pittsburgh Youth Chess Dragons triumph at the PA State Chess Championship in Carlisle! We have won
1st place Club Team trophy in the K-3 Open for 5 years in a row! We also took 1st place Club team in the K-6 Open,
K-6 Under 800, and K-9 Under 1000. We were tied for 1st in the K-12 Under 1300, but finished 2nd in that section
on tiebreaks. The Pittsburgh Youth Chess Dragons are teams put together by Jerry Meyers, composed
of students from his various classes.
The 2003 Tri-State Junior Open, with 379 participants, was the largest local tournament ever held in
Western PA!! Here's how the main playing room looked at the start of the 1st round:
1) History
2) Academic Benefits
Focusing - Children are taught the benefits of observing carefully and concentrating. If they don’t watch what is
happening, they can’t respond to it, no matter how smart they are.
None of these skills are specific to chess, but they are all part of the game. The beauty of chess as a teaching tool is that it
stimulates children’s minds and helps them to build these skills while enjoying themselves. As a result, children become
more critical thinkers, better problem solvers, and more independent decision makers.
3) Educational Research
4) Social Benefits
Grace Dorohovich, 2007 Grade 6-12 City Champion, and Ben Molin, 2007 Grade K-5 City Champion!
Happy Dragons from K-3 Open & K-6 Under 800, and Randall Gough, 2005 PA Elementary Champion!
2005 K-6 Open Club Champions!
In past years, we were able to bring a number of special guests to Pittsburgh. One memorable visitor was Gregory Kaidanov,
who was the highest rated player in the US when he visited. To see more photos of Grandmaster Kaidanov and our other special
guest, click here: Annual Guest Speaker Program
Grandmaster Kaidanov's blindfold game against Gabriel Petesch was a highlight of his visit
Chess is a classic game of strategy, invented more than 1500 years ago in India. Legend has it that the ruler of India asked
his wise men to devise a way to teach the children of the royal family to become better thinkers and better generals on the
battlefield. Chess was the result. In the centuries since its invention, chess has spread to every country in the world. While
countless other games have died out, chess lives on. In the United States, it has received endorsements by many educators,
ranging from Benjamin Franklin to former U.S. Secretary of Education, Terrell Bell. In Western Pennsylvania, more than 70
schools and a dozen libraries offer chess programs, reaching several thousand students each year.
We have brought chess to the schools because we believe it directly contributes to academic performance. Chess makes
kids smarter. It does so by teaching the following skills:
Visualizing - Children are prompted to imagine a sequence of actions before it happens. We actually strengthen the
ability to visualize by training them to shift the pieces in their mind, first one, then several moves ahead.
Thinking Ahead - Children are taught to think first, then act. We teach them to ask themselves “If I do this, what
might happen then, and how can I respond?” Over time, chess helps develop patience and thoughtfulness.
Weighing Options - Children are taught that they don’t have to do the first thing that pops into their mind. They
learn to identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various actions.
Analyzing Concretely - Children learn to evaluate the results of specific actions and sequences. Does this
sequence help me or hurt me? Decisions are better when guided by logic, rather than impulse.
Thinking Abstractly - Children are taught to step back periodically from details and consider the bigger picture.
They also learn to take patterns used in one context and apply them to different, but related situations.
Planning - Children are taught to develop longer range goals and take steps toward bringing them about. They
are also taught of the need to reevaluate their plans as new developments change the situation.
Juggling Multiple Considerations Simultaneously - Children are encouraged not to become overly absorbed
in any one consideration, but to try to weigh various factors all at once.
These conclusions have been backed up by educational research. Studies have been done in various locations around
the United States and Canada, showing that chess results in increased scores on standardized tests for both reading and
math. A study on a large scale chess program in New York City, which involved more than 100 schools and 3,000 children,
showed higher classroom grades in both English and Math for children involved in chess. Studies in Houston, Texas and
Bradford, Pennsylvania showed chess leads to higher scores on the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the
Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.
In the schools, chess often serves as a bridge, bringing together children of different ages, races and genders in an activity
they can all enjoy. Chess helps build individual friendships and also school spirit when children compete together as teams
against other schools. Chess also teaches children about sportsmanship - how to win graciously and not give up when
encountering defeat. For children with adjustment issues, there are many examples where chess has led to increased
motivation, improved behavior, better self-image, and even improved attendance. Chess provides a positive social outlet,
a wholesome recreational activity that can be easily learned and enjoyed at any age.
