Chess Team brings home trophies from season opener

By Todd Andrews, Chess Team Coach

USN's Chess Team started off the 2019-2020 scholastic season with a great start at the Overbrook City Championship Qualifier on Saturday, September 21st.

 

In the K-3 Primary Division, Preston Chan ’29 earned one of the two coveted spots that got him in the 2020 Nashville City Championship that takes place in January. Only six students that live within a 50-mile radius of the Nashville Chess Center get to participate in this event at each level, so that is a huge accomplishment. Preston was joined by Reese Mehr ’30 to make up the Primary team, and they nearly placed finishing sixth with only half a team. In order to get a team score, they add up the top four scores from each school, so we hope to see a complete team at the next event! 

 

In the K-6 Elementary Division, we also had two team members nearly place with Kevin Mehr ’28 and Will Nichols ’28 heading up that squad. 

 

Our K-6 Middle-Tennessee Champions from last year were forced to all move up into the K-9 Junior High Division, and they did not miss a beat. Trophy winners Stewart Hall ’25 and Evan Hauser ’25 led the team to a second-place finish only behind the Alabama Junior High State Champion team that traveled up from Madison, Alabama, making USN the top finishing Nashville squad. Rounding out the team were Collin Chan ’25, Connor Harris ’25, and John Bivens ’25. Great job on the result and — even more impressive — getting a full team to show up.

 

In the K-12 High School Division, lone wolf competitor Kunaal Saggi ’21 played some solid chess to tie for fourth overall (eighth on tie-breaks). 

 

Our next big event will be the second qualifier held at Meigs Magnet on Saturday, October 26.