Students Attend National Chess Tourney

Antonis Loudaros, gifted teacher and chess coach at Elbridge Gale Elementary School, led a Palm Beach County delegation of 12 elementary school students to the National Elementary Chess Championship in Dallas, Texas held May 9 through May 12.

All students competed in the three-day, seven-game chess tournament, playing up to three hours per game. The Elbridge Gale K-3 team is competing in the open division as one of the top teams in the United States.

“Elbridge Gale Elementary School is the highest-rated chess team ever in Palm Beach County. Raghav Venkat, Antonio Selva, Timothy Chen, Marvin Gao and Maya Behura could also win individual national chess honors,” said Loudaros, who was named 2014 Chess Coach of the Year. “Marvin and Maya in K-1, Raghav, Antonio and Anthony in K-3, and Timothy in K-5 are all district, regional or state champions.”

Loudaros, who founded Palm Beach County’s first chess program during the 1987-88 school year, strongly believes that the chess delegation will return with top ten national awards.

For more information about the chess program, call Elbridge Gale Elementary School at (561) 422-9300.

ABOVE: Antonis Loudaros with Mallory and Mason Satterwhite.