Ward Elementary in New Rochelle to Host Chess Tournament

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The National Scholastic Chess Foundation’s Grand Prix Chess series comes to William B. Ward Elementary School in New Rochelle on Saturday, Dec. 10.

This will be the fourth event in the NSCF’s 18 tournament season. Last week at Columbus Elementary had 115 players from across Westchester County with the host school winning the team prizes in the Booster and Reserve sections and third place in Primary Novice, according to organizers.

NSCF tournaments are organized by a combination of grade and ability level so that every child has a similar opportunity to win.

NSCF chess events are organized using a round-robin system where all students play all four rounds (three in the Future Masters section). Students who had perfect scores for the day included Scarlett Chen from Seely Place Elementary School in Scarsdale who won the Primary Novice individual top prize, Kieran Normoyle from Hutchinson Elementary in Pelham who won Primary, Sophie Surguladze from Main Street School in Irvington in the Booster section and Alexander Xiao Xiao Heelan from Prospect Hill in Pelham who took top honors in the Reserve section.

In addition to trophies for the event, competitors also earned Grand Prix points which accumulate towards awards based upon performance over the entire year.

“Anyone can have a great event and take home a tournament trophy. The Grand Prix Awards recognize the persistence and determination of our chess players over an extended period of time,” said NSCF's Sunil Weeramantry. “By presenting these awards during a tournament we hope to inspire new players to see that in chess, as in life, there’s not always an immediate reward. You have to work hard, and often for some length of time, before you realize your goals.”

Registration for the tournament is $40 in advance or $50 on the day of the event. Group rates are also available with a $5 savings per child. Parents can register their child online by visiting nscfchess.events4chess.com. William B. Ward Elementary School is located at 311 Broadfield Rd., New Rochelle, NY 10804

Photo caption: cut-line: Scarlett Chen from Seely Place School in Scarsdale and Sophie Surguladze from Main Street School in Irvington display their trophies. Photo credit: Courtesy.