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Morgan Park Academy Varsity Chess Team Headed For IHSA Finals

Morgan Park Academy Warriors qualified for a berth in the state finals by upsetting Lincoln Park High School in Chicago Sectional.

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Lorraine Swanson, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Morgan Park Academy's varsity chess team: Front row (L to R): Andrew Mcclendon, Chase Cannonie, April Liao, Joshua Sun. Back row: Sean Sutton, Kaleb Bandele, Josh Kirksy, coach Michael Villanueva.
Morgan Park Academy's varsity chess team: Front row (L to R): Andrew Mcclendon, Chase Cannonie, April Liao, Joshua Sun. Back row: Sean Sutton, Kaleb Bandele, Josh Kirksy, coach Michael Villanueva. (Morgan Park Academy)

CHICAGO — Morgan Park Academy’s varsity chess team is set to compete at the 2023 state finals after placing second among Class 1A schools at the Chicago sectional tournament Jan. 28 and Jan. 29.

Led by a strong senior class, the Warriors finished 16th in a sectional tournament populated primarily by much larger schools. They qualified for the state finals by upsetting Class 5A Lincoln Park in their opening match, thanks to wins by four seniors: Josh Kirksy on the No. 1 board, Joshua Sun (No. 2), Kaleb Bandele (No. 3), and Andrew Mcclendon (No. 5).

The team’s sectional lineup also included seniors Sean Sutton and April Liao and sophomore Chase Cannonie, while seniors Tom Gu and Alex Huff, junior Seth Turner, and sophomore Tyler Rodarte contributed during the regular season.

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The IHSA state finals will be held Feb. 10 and Feb. 11, 2023, at the Peoria Civic Center.

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