LS Students make BB&N History in National Chess Tournament

Four 3rd graders recently made BB&N history as they took third place in the United States Chess Federation’s National Scholastic K-12/Collegiate Championship. Max Wiegand, Tristan Young, Will Nemirovsky and Issay Matsumoto (all ’17) traveled to Houston to compete in the national competition where they beat out many of the top chess programs in the country.

“Each boy managed to upset their opponent in the last round and that’s what carried them through,” said Beebe Wiegand (P’17 ’20). “They should be so proud of themselves.”

In the team competition, BB&N was third out of 25 teams. The first and second place finishers were the Horace Mann School of NY and the Hunter College School of NY, both perennial top contenders. The teams BB&N beat out included the Columbia Grammar School of NY, The T. H. Rogers School of the host Houston area, and the many-time national champion Dalton School of NY.

Out of 158 of the top third-graders from around the country, Max Wiegand took 12th place overall with a score of five wins, one draw, and only one loss in the seven-round event. Nic Trieu ’14, competing individually, had five wins and two losses to finish 22nd overall in the sixth grade category.

“I've coached at probably 10 Nationals and this was my most satisfying experience as a chess coach for a variety of reasons,” said Senior Master FIDE Trainer Lou Mercuri, who traveled with the team to Texas. “The fact that we worked together this fall made it a true team experience.”

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