HSD State Chess Championships

Author: Larry Dickinson, HSD Chess Coach

HSD had an outstanding showing at the State Chess Championships, hosted at South Meadows Middle School and Witch Hazel Elementary School on April 25 and 26. 

Eight HSD schools qualified and participated, with excellent results across both team and individual divisions.

Team Results

• 6-8th Division
  • South Meadows - 2nd Place at State
    • Jordan Whiting, Om Patel, Neel Patel, Elijah Nelson, Aaron Dickinson, Ben Pho, Everest Zada
• K-5 Division
  • Brookwood - 2nd Place at State
    • Kenan Bkour, Yousef Bkour, Ivan Castaneda, James Pierce, Sebastian Jimenez, Valerie Dickinson, Vetaly Ortega Salazar
  • Atfalati Elementary – 3rd place at state
    • Arda Hayrettin , Nikola Pindjurov, Moumitha (Aarushi) Tharun , Jameson Bemis , Bella Hong, Marcus Olea,  Colin Fastabend

Individual Results

• Atfalati Ridge Elementary School
  • Arda Hayrettin - 3rd Place at State
  • Axl Arun - 3rd Place at State
• Tamarack Elementary
  • Sharanya Pingale - 2nd Place at State
  • Nivaan Singhal - 3rd Place at State
• Hilhi
  • Gunner Jenson - 2nd Place at State
  • Laynden Clause - 2nd Place at State

A special thank you to Chess for Success for supporting so many of our schools through funding, coaching materials, chess boards, and tournament organization. Their support continues to make opportunities like this possible for our students. 

The impact of chess across HSD has been significant this year, with nearly 500 students in the area from Kinder through 8th grade participating and growing through the game. 

With six tournaments held across the district, including school events, regionals, and the State competition, students had multiple opportunities to test their skills in a competitive but supportive environment. These events give players a chance not only to compete, but also to learn how to handle pressure, recover from losses, and build confidence through effort and improvement. 

As the program continues to grow, so does its impact helping students build skills that extend far beyond the chessboard. Go HSD Chess!