The Elbridge Gale Elementary School chess team earned numerous top honors at the U.S. Chess Federation-rated 2014 South Florida Regional Scholastic Chess Championship held recently in Miami.
In addition to bringing home trophies, the Elbridge Gale team now qualifies to compete in the Florida Scholastic State Championship in Orlando from March 14 to March 16. The team is coached by Antonis Loudaros.
The Elbridge Gale team’s youngest players earned a close second in the K-1 Team Division, with high scorers Logan Memberg, Cristian McDaniel, Veenya Oodal and Varshini Venkat leading their kindergarten and first grade team members. Individually, Memberg and McDaniel placed third and fourth respectively.
Second-grade and third-grade players achieved first place in both the K-3 Team Open and Under 500 Rating team sections, with highest combined scores from Antonio Selva, Raghav Venkat, David Selva and Brandon Lee in the Open Division and Tyler Schmaling, Jackson Colombier, Nicolas Bolaños and Sophia Antoni in the Under 500 Team Division.
Selva won first place and Venkat won third place in the individual K-3 Open. Schmaling won third place, while Colombier and Bolaños placed ninth and 10th respectively in the Under 500 in individual play.
Competing against the greatest number of scholastic teams, fourth and fifth graders claimed third place in the K-5 Team Open and in the K-5 Under 800 Rating team sections.
High scores from Vansh Varak, Szander Brenner, Austin Lee and Patrick McCue combined to place in the K-5 Team Open, while high scorers Kieran Abesamis, Tyler Hoffman, Jack Berman and Ethan Nelson placed in the K-5 Under 800 Team Division.
Varak won ninth place and Brenner won 10th place in the individual K-5 Open. Abesamis won sixth place in the Under 800 Individual Division.
Organized by the Florida Scholastic Chess League and sanctioned by the Florida Chess Association, the South Florida Regional Scholastic Chess Championship is played annually, followed by the North Florida Regional tournament.
Results of both events qualify teams and individual players to compete in the annual Florida State Championship.
For more information about the Elbridge Gale chess team, call Loudaros at (561) 422-9300.
