On May 18, each Westerville middle school sent their building Chess Club champion to participate in the Middle School Chess Tournament, hosted by Blendon Middle School. Families, friends, and staff eagerly watched the round-robin matches.
Matches were timed and took place in a three round, double elimination format. Placing first in the district was Robert B. (8th grade, Genoa) with second place earned by Adam Kaiser (7th grade, Heritage). Anthony Vilardo, (8th grade, Blendon) and Xiaowen Li (6th grade, Walnut Springs) took third and fourth, respectively.
Retired teacher and chess coach Marvin McDaniel served as the judge. He shared chess strategies after each match, and spoke of the powerful academic and social merits of chess in one’s life. Gabrielle McCrea, a Walnut Springs alumni who had won the tournament consecutively during the past two years, returned as a supporting judge and honorary guest.
Chess college scholarships are available and a list of Ohio chess camps, clubs, and tournaments can be found at Ohio Chess Association at http://ohchess.org/.