This year’s tournament took place on April 25 at the convention center in Spokane WA.  Compared to a typical chess tournament, this was much bigger with over 1000 participants.  The competition was also stronger.  Of the 4100 elementary students who played rated games this year, only about 1600 qualified for the championships.  Almost all of the top players in the state, including many with high national rankings, came to play.

The venue was more spacious than previous years, helping make for a smoothly run tournament with good chess-playing conditions. Fortunately, the weather cooperated allowing for opportunities to get some fresh air and sunshine.

The format of the championships was similar to previous years, where players play only within their grade.  Team scores are determined by adding up the top five individual scores from each school. The team competition is always one of the most carefully watched competitions – at least by the coaches.

For the first time, Overlake fielded a team of 5 players which was just enough for the team competition.   The team performed superbly, finishing with 15.5 points and the 13th place trophy.  To put this finish in perspective, there were over 172 different teams represented in combined team section that Overlake was competing in.

Jack Sather won all of his games and is a Washington State chess champion for 6th grade.  In the 4th round, Jack defeated the highest rated player (1725) in the entire tournament, a former state champion himself.  Jack followed that upset with a 5th and final round win over another former state champion.  Jack's performance rating for the day was a whopping 2125! and his official rating climbed to 1621.  He was awarded a huge trophy for his effort.

Ian McPherson started the tournament in a familiar position on one of the top boards.  Playing sharply, he handily won his first two games. He suffered only single loss to the overall 3rd place finisher, a player that was well under-rated and surprised many.  Ian finished with 3 1/2 points and the 21st place trophy in a section that had a 130 participants.

Trevor Marcus blazed out of the gates by scoring a 380 point upset victory in the first round!  His only losses were to two 1400+ rated players, both of which finished in the top 10.  Trevor was the highest finishing player with 3 wins.  He finished in 26th place and just missed getting on the podium by a single spot.  He improved his rating  by over 75 points.

Aditya Uppala and Clovis Wong each finished 2 points, providing significant lift to the team score.  Interestingly Aditya and Clovis each had a loss to a player that will be attending the Overlake School next year.  That player joined our group and it was a great way to get know some of his future classmates.  This was a good sign that our chess team will continue to be competitive going forward.

Overall, it was a great day with plenty of memorable moments.  Well done chess players!