New Rochelle Chess Students Win National Awards

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Members of the Columbus Elementary School Chess Club are national champions after taking first place in their division in the U.S. Chess Federation’s National Elementary Championship in Nashville, Tennessee. The prize was one of six national awards — including two individual first-place wins — that the team members won in the competition, which took place from May 9 to 12. Eleven Columbus students participated.

The championship games brought together 2,252 chess players from 46 states, according to a spokesman. They competed on 700 teams in 16 sections.

Columbus earned first place in the K-6 Under 1000 section with five team members participating. They played seven rounds over three days to win the hard-fought prize. The team members were Constantine Zelatis, Dylan Minchez, Ignacio Valencia, Dylan Solovyev, and Aidan Rodriguez.

Zelatis won an individual award, coming in fifth place, winning six of the seven rounds. Minchez also won an individual award, coming in 25th place after winning five of the seven rounds. All of the Columbus students on this section of the team were awarded wall plaques for coming in first place, in addition to their team trophy.

“This was huge,” said Mark Hegenauer, the chess team faculty coordinator. “It’s one of the moments you always dream of.”

In the first event on Thursday, the Columbus chess players competed in 11 rounds of Blitz (speed chess). Zelatis won first place for chess players rated under 1000 and Minchez also came in first place for chess players rated under 800. The Columbus team earned seventh place in the nation for Blitz chess.

Four students competed in the K-5 Under 900 section. They were Naolin Concha, Joel Salick, Giovanna Murgia and Gianna Murgia. They came in 29th place in their section.

Giulianna Murgia and Ashley Corazao competed in the K-3 Under 700 section.

Hegenauer said the chess club is “a grassroots program” that went up against teams from 46 states, including some with much larger numbers of players to give them an edge in sections in which the top performers are chosen. Traveling to Nashville and emerging with such success was a testament to the chess players, and the immense support system around them, he said.

Even aside from prizes and awards, Hegenauer said, the devotion to chess and the trip to the nationals helps students in all aspects of life.

“Chess really teaches you that when you feel you have a good move, look for a better move,” he said. “When you think there’s only one solution in life, there’s not.”

Photo caption: Front row, from left: Ashley Corazao, Aidan Rodriguez, Constantine Zelatis, Ignacio Valencia, Dylan Solovyev, Dylan Minchez and Naolin Concha. Back row, from left: Giulianna Murgia, Gianna Murgia, Giovanna Murgia and Joel Salick.

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