Middle School Tournament 2008
On Saturday September 28, forty-eight Berkeley Chess School students in grades 6-8 descended on Hillside School to play in the Middle School Championship. Players came from all around the Bay Area, and the strength of the field was extraordinary. Twenty players had USCF ratings over 1000. Elizabeth Shaughnessy welcomed everyone, told them about the great successes of players who have come through the program in the past, and proclaimed “This is the next great group!”
The five rounds flew by, with BCS coaches going over games with the players in between rounds, and games of bughouse erupting periodically. When the dust settled, the top ten finishers were:
John Clara (scored 5/5, grade 8 at King Middle School in Berkeley)
Eric Chen (scored 4/5, grade 6 at Jenson Ranch in …)
Steven Cooklev (scored 4/5, grade 8 at Joaquin Moraga in Moraga)
Anuj Patel (scored 4/5, grade 8 at Jefferson Middle in Tracy)
Tommy Gonda (scored 4/5, grade 7 at Edna Breuer in Oakland)
Jimmy Yan (scored 4/5, grade 7 at Albany Middle in Albany)
Tudor Muntean (scored 4/5, grade 6 at Los Ceros in …)
Danny Stoll (scored 4/5, grade 7 at Hickman in Berkeley)
Anthony Chen (scored 4/5, grade 6 at Gale Ranch in …)
James Ren (scored 3.5/5, grade 8 at Albany Middle in Albany)
Tie-breaks were decided by the “Modified Median” method, which compares the strength of opposition.
A best game trophy was also offered, and about thirty scoresheets were submitted. Charged with the task of pouring through these games was super-sleuth David Petty. He was generally pleased with the quality of the games, and one stood out. In the final round on board one, to decide who the champion would be, John Clara and Eric Chen played an exquisite game with both sides defending well and attacking well…
The Caissa Prize was won by Siedah Moorish as the best scoring girl-player. Seven girls participated. All in all, it was a huge success. Many parents remarked at how exciting it was. And Elizabeth Shaughnessy reminded everyone to go the the State Championships in Stockton December 6 and 7. If three or more players in the same grade at the same school compete, then they may earn team trophies as well.
The next BCS tournament is a Quad on October 25 10-1:30pm at Hillside School.