Meteors Chess Travels to DC for National Championship

Mr. George Dzuricsko, chess moderator, led our delegation of Meteors Chess to the National High School Championship of Chess in Washington, DC over the weekend of March 31 – April 2, 2023.

“Our team experienced a new level of chess play at the national championship,” said Dzuricsko. “It was also a great experience to see our nation’s capitol and to visit some of the historic monuments as well.”

The US National High School Championship of Chess is a major chess tournament for high school students in the United States. It is organized by the United States Chess Federation (USCF) and typically takes place annually over a weekend in April.

The tournament attracts top high school chess players from across the country, with both individual and team competitions held in different sections based on rating and grade level. The tournament format is typically a seven-round Swiss system, with time controls varying based on the section.

The top-performing individuals and teams in each section receive trophies, prizes, and recognition for their achievements. The US National High School Championship of Chess is considered one of the most prestigious high school chess events in the country and attracts hundreds of participants each year.

This year’s chess team, led up front by four seniors, Henry Z, Elijah J, Jermaine R, Alex X,  and freshman board 1 Dylan R, Board 6 Aaron P, and Boards 7 and 8 Jocelyn A, and Angel B had a year to remember. The chess team finished the regular season in the Catholic Chess Conference in 4th place with a 5-3 record, starting the regular season 4-0, while going 2-1 in conference tournament play to finish 2nd amongst the conference. In online tournament play the Chess Meteors finished undefeated in the COCL including a win over Taft High School. 

Individually senior Jermaine R finished first overall in individual points in the regular season with a record of 7-0-1, going undefeated on the season. This resulted in him winning a trophy for overall first place for the entire conference, individually! Sophomore Jocelyn A showed her growth placing first in the individual open tournament at the Chicago Prep Bowl going undefeated across 4 rounds. Seniors Elijah J, Jermaine R, Alex X and Henry Z finished their final season with impressive results.

The Meteor Chess team capped off an excellent and competitive season with a 5th place finish out of 20 teams at state sectionals, qualifying for state. At state the Meteor team went 3-4, playing competitively in their first in person appearance in years. 

On March 30th through April 2nd eleven students from the Meteor Chess Team participated in the United States Chess Federation National K-12 Tournament in Washington, D.C.

In the Under 1200 Section, Senior Elijah Jones earned 4.0 points, and Senior Henry Zhao earned 3.0 points.

In the Under 800 Section, Senior Jermaine R earned 5.5 points, Freshman Dylan R and Sophomore Jocelyn A each earned 4.0 points, and Junior Maverick G earned 3.0 points. As a group, De La Salle Chess placed 15th out of 67 teams.

In the Unrated Section, Senior Alex X earned 5.0 points, Freshman Aaron P earned 4.5 points, Junior Julian F earned 4.0 points, Junior Grayson C earned 3.0 points, and Angelo C earned 2.0 points. As a group, they placed 11th out of 40 teams. 

Congratulations to those who won individual and team awards.  Way to go, Meteors!