Big Turnout, Big Competition in March Kids Beginner Tournament

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By Ben Conover

The March Unrated Kids Beginner Tournament brought a total of 66 students to the world-famous Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis in hopes of winning their choice of an annual student membership to the Club or an annual United States Chess Federation (USCF) membership to compete in rated tournaments. After four rounds of brilliancies, blunders, and beginner battles, Evan Marion and Logan Huyette emerged as K-3 co-champions while returning competitor Aaradya (Adi) Diwan successfully emerged past the six-way tie for second place to capture the 4th-6th grade title.

Round 1 in the 4th-6th grade section saw chess club frequenters Adi Diwan, Abhiru Palhan, Alexander Alsiweati and Tommy Thuston secure wins over their respective first round opponents, bolstering their hopes for the coveted prize. The K-3 section saw a quick win from Sam Jerauld, son of Chess Club employee Brian Jerauld, along with wins from the eventual co-champions Evan and Logan. Returning competitors Sophia and Tammy Dilly each secured first round wins with hopes of going the distance in this month’s tourney. These big wins set the stage for an exciting tournament day. 

Round 2 saw Abhiru and Tommy meet in an early matchup of tournament favorites with Abhiru ultimately claiming a hard-fought victory. Another heavyweight battle saw Adi and Alexander match up with Adi securing a crucial victory en route to the title. Tournament newcomers Tatyana Schmidt and David Brooks each scored their second wins in Round 2, giving Adi some pressure at the top of the standings. In K-3, eventual co-champions Evan and Logan won their games over Chess Club members Anson Wang and Tammy Dilly respectively, giving them morale-boosting wins heading into the second half of the tournament. Lily Yanagimoto and Aryan Vinay were also able to secure two points out of two games to pressure the leaders at the top of the K-3 leaderboard.

Round 3 pitted Abhiru and Adi in a battle of chess club regulars, and Adi was able to maintain focus to capture the win. Both David and Tatyana won their 3rd round games leaving a three-way tie for first at the top of the 4th6th leaderboard. Tommy was able to bounce back from a tough second round loss to secure a third round win, leaving him still in the hunt for a share of the title. The K-3 section produce a four-way tie for first with Aryan, Evan, Lily, and Logan all winning their third round games. At this point in the tournament, the strong field of 66 now had only seven players with three points out of three games (3/3.

The Final Round paired Adi with Tatyana and David with Tommy. After many previous attempts to win the Kids Beginner Tournament, Adi was successful in winning his fourth round game and a share of title. David (3pts) valiantly fought against a strong game from Tommy (2pts) but ultimately was defeated, leaving Adi in clear first. Other results in the Round left the 4th-6th section with a six-way tie for second place. The K-3 section paired undefeated players Aryan and Evan as well as Lily and Logan in title-deciding matches. Evan and Logan were ultimately able to score difficult wins over Aryan and Lily to claim their shares of the title. In a surprising turn of events, Anuj Ketkar was able to steal second place after drawing his second round match by winning his 3rd and 4th games to finish with 3.5/4. The Dilly Sisters also finished with strong showings at 2.5/4.

With the dust settles, Adi, Evan, and Logan all walked away as tournament champions in one of the strongest beginner fields in recent memory. Thanks to all of the competitors and we hope to see another big turnout in the April Unrated Kids Beginner Tournament on April 19!

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