The United States Chess Federation - Meekins and Ong Lead High School; Matlin Leads All Girls

Meekins and Ong Lead High School; Matlin Leads All Girls

By Shaun Smith
April 18, 2010
In the tournament's longest day, the High School Nationals lived up to its reputation as one of the most difficult National Scholastic Championships to win. Almost every game in the K-12 Championship section went into the final hour of play, and many games went into the final minutes. With the players so closely matched, no player seemed to be safe. When the smoke cleared, Kris Meekins from Ohio and William Ong from Texas lead the way with perfect 5-0 scores. In round four, Meekins defeated Arizona's Nick Thompson and Ong defeated Michigan's James Canty III. James Canty III vs. William Ong Both winners were kind enough to share their games. 4358 4357 Kris Meekins vs. Nick Thompson The tournament leaders are followed closely by a group of players with 4.5 points (Shinsaku Uesugi, Adarsh Jayakumar, Eigen Wang, and John Hughes). With the tournament's top scorers paired together in round 6 and 7, the tournament promises some exciting action as we enter the tournament's final day. IS 318 from Brooklyn, NY and Stuyvesant lead the K-12 Championship team standings with 15 total points. The team competition is very close with several teams within a point of first place Current K-12 Championship Team Standings First Place - IS 318k (New York), 15 points Second Place - Stuyvesant HS (New York), 15 points Third Place - Bellaire HS (Texas), 14.5 points Fourth Place - Hunter College HS (New York), 14 points IS 318K is fresh off their first place finish in the K-8 Championship section. As they enter the final day, they will have their work cut out for them. But with all the upsets and the way their young students are playing, they have a great shot of holding on. They will have stiff competition from the schools directly below them who all have slightly higher rated teams. Hunter College HS is probably still a favorite to win as they have the top players and will likely receive great pairing in the last day. Eriberto Guzman I rarely cover the under sections during the event. However, I would like to note one performance from a student from the Chess-in-the-Schools program since I am helping coach him at the event. Eriberto Guzman from the Frederick Douglass Academy from Harlem, NY is currently 5-0 and offered to share his last round victory with CLO. 4356 All-Girls Nationals Update Anna Matlin Going into the final day Anna Matlin from New Jersey leads the 18 and under section with 3.5 out of 4 points. She is followed closely by Rochelle Ballantyne, Alexandra Botez, Lunaris Ruan and Danni Chen, who each have 3 points. The final day promises some exciting chess since several girls still have a shot at winning the title. Check CLO on Monday for a final tournament report with games and photos. Follow the results & pairings for the High School here and the All Girls here.