What started in Centralia on Feb. 4 at the Southwest Washington high school and middle school chess championships is continuing now with further tournaments in Clark County.
This season on Oct. 14, 102 players from more than 38 public and private schools, along with a large contingent of home-schooled students, gathered at Firm Foundation Christian School’s new facility in Vancouver for the first SW Regional Chess Qualifier of this school term.
The 102 players competed in three sections:
Section first to third grade
First place: Bohan Le, top third grade, Bonny Slope Elementary, Portland.
Second place: Kane Ramirez, third grade, William Wiley Elementary, Richland.
Third place: Aarav Kandar, third grade, Fisher’s Landing Elementary, Vancouver.
Top first grade: Arad Bakhtmand, Dorothy Fox Elementary, Camas.
Top second grade: Finn Einarson, Ordway Elementary School, Bainbridge Island.
Section fourth to sixth grade
First place: Aiden Wong, top sixth grade, Liberty Middle School, Camas.
Second place: Austin Damrau, top fifth grade, Pioneer Valley Elementary, Spanaway.
Third place: Kevin Jannsen, sixth grade, Liberty Middle School, Camas.
Top fourth grade: Ronen Nagpal, West Mercer Elementary, Mercer Island.
Section seventh to 12th grade
First place: Soham Sharma, top seventh grade, Lakeside Middle School, Seattle.
Second place: Jack Sears, top ninth grade, Prairie High School, Battle Ground.
Third place: Luke Sears, top 11th grade, Prairie High School, Battle Ground.
Top 10th grade: Edward Tang, Camas High School, Camas.
Top eighth grade: Caleb Vavilin, Cam Academy, Battle Ground.
The community volunteers sponsoring the event are planning two more tournaments in Vancouver this school year: Jan. 27, 2024 and May 4, 2024. Information for the events will be posted at NWChess.com.
