Monroe School K-1 Chess Team to Complete in National Championship

The Monroe School Chess team will be competing at the national level following a first place finish at the State Chess Championship in March. The kindergartners and first graders will go to the SuperNationals (K-12) National Championships in Nashville, Tennessee during the weekend of April 5-7. Team members include David Zimmerman, William Kusak, Harry Hughes, Evie Galassi, Patrick Burke, Rebekah Sandy, John Waldo, Paige Gallwas, and Willem Marginean. First grader Zimmerman was named Co-State Champion finishing with 6.5 of a possibly seven points.

Monroe School’s Grade 2-3 and Grade 4-5 team did well, also, each finishing fifth overall. Fifth grader Zamaan Qureshi led his team in points and finished 10th in the state. 

To prepare for the state event, students practiced an hour a day once per week. Preparation for the national stage increased to 90 minutes once a week, plus meetings during their lunch periods. Rudy Enriquez of ChessInfinity is the team’s coach; he also coaches students in Madison and Oak Schools in District 181. “The Monroe team won by a wide margin,” Enriquez noted, which he explained is unusual in state-level competition with more than 40 teams vying for the title. The SuperNationals event, which takes place only once every three years, will welcome over 5,200 players, with 49 states represented. 

When asked what they are looking forward to about the trip to Nashville, the five, six and seven year-olds highlighted meeting new people, getting souvenirs and staying in a hotel. Students say they have been playing between one and three years and enjoy chess for a variety of reasons. “It stretches your brain and makes you grow,” says Marginean. Sandy and Zimmerman agreed, noting that chess “helps you learn” and is “educational.” Kusak likes that chess helps you “brainstorm and plan” and Burke says that chess is “just really fun.”

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Caption: The Monroe School kindergarten and first grade chess team will be competing in the National Chess Championship in Nashville, Tennessee April 5-7. Team members include David Zimmerman, William Kusak, Harry Hughes, Evie Galassi, Patrick Burke, Rebekah Sandy, John Waldo, Paige Gallwas, and Willem Marginean. (Not pictured: Paige Gallwas)