Dec. 14, 2010

 

Dear Sloan Creek Chess Enthusiasts:

 

We want to congratulate our two chess teams for pulling through huge victories at the 2010 National Championships in Florida!  Our guys were put into "Open" sections based on grade only.  In other words, there were absolutely NO divisions according to ratings nor strength nor experience of players.  Strong players played even stronger players and less experienced players played strong or even stronger players.  The whole group of 7th graders played in the same section with all the 7th graders in the nation (and Puerto Rico) that came to participate.  And likewise, the whole group of 8th graders played in the same section with all the 8th graders in the nation (and Puerto Rico).

 

Our top honors for our team goes to the 7th Grade Team:  Stewart Cannon, Jared Cooper, Hunter Joiner and Kerry Joiner who now officially rank 10th in the United States in the 7th grade!  (At the Jr. High Nationals in April, the first three ranked the 20th place team in the United States).  At this National Championships, they competed in a category of 14  7th grade teams.   A huge congratulations goes to our 7th grade team!

 

Our 8th grade team:  Jacob Dobson, Hunter Jackson, and Calvin Liu earned the status of 14th place team in the United States out of 18 teams! 

 

We also have a very noteworthy accomplishment by Calvin Liu who won the 2nd Place trophy in his class.  Although he competed with various strengths and ratings of 8th graders in the 8th grade section, he was also grouped into what was called the "Unrated Class."   In that unrated class were all the other 8th graders who were new* to chess competition.  In this National Championships, Calvin received 2nd Place Trophy!  Congratulations Calvin! 

 

We camped out, analyzed, played chess, talked chess and thought chess for at least 10 hours each day!  Attached is a power point slide of some of our experiences. 

 

A gracious Thank You goes to our sponsors:  LISD Chess Program, 6th Grade Medieval Masquerade volunteers, Davidson's Care Care, Rodenbaughs, Creekview Orthodontics, and Peak Advisory Group for financially supporting our trip.  We also want to give a very special Thank You to faculty sponsor, Mrs. Shawnea' Jackson, for her endless chaperoning, constant helpfulness, and sincere caringness. 

 

Sincerely and happy checkmating,

--Tricia Dobson

 

*New meaning that they have never competed or lacked the established rating from competing in USCF tournaments.