595 at 2013 Illinois K-8 Championships

Bloomington-Normal Area Scholastic did their typically wonderful job hosting the 2013 K-8 Championships, held March 9-10 at the Bone Student Center on the Illinois State University campus.

It's tax season, so the congratulations are much briefer than they should be.

Individual results:

• Vincent Do of Thurgood Marshall in Rockford took the Junior High section with a 7-0 score.
• Edward Zhang of Hoffman Estates took the Elementary (grades 4-5) section with 6½-½.
• Aydin Turgut (1852!) of Decatur took the Upper Primary section with 6½-½.
• Aaron Gan of Sprague Half Day in Lincolnshire and David Zimmerman of Monroe Elementary in Hinsdale tied for first in the Lower Primary 6½-½.

Team results:

• Elementary: Grove Elementary, Normal
• Upper Primary, Avery Coonley School, Downers Grove (on tiebreaks over Benjamin Elementary of Bloomington)
• Lower Primary: Monroe Elementary, Hindsale
• Junior High: Thurgood Marshall, Rockford

Hmm, Chicagolanders, the Downstate kids more than held their own...

All Grade: team results

I'll be honest: I didn't even know this was a team event, too!  The top three finishers in each school determine the team results.  Full recap of prizewinners on the Illinois Chess Teachers website.

The All Grade is a premier event on the elementary calendar, and a relatively minor event on the high school calendar.  Still, it's impressive to see Benet Academy of Lisle finish ahead of Chicago's Whitney Young.  I would not have expected this, even though Zinski and Kranjc of Benet were the top two seeds, simply because of Whitney Young's depth.  Should be an interesting scholastic season!

K-1

1. McKenzie (Wilmette)
2. Indian Trail (Highland Park)

2nd Grade

1. Indian Trail (Highland Park)
2. Metcalf (Normal)
3. Wheaton Christian Grammar (Wheaton)
3. Avery Coonley (Downers Grove)

3rd Grade

1. Benjamin Elementary (Bloomington)
2. Indian Trail (Highland Park)
3. Decatur School (Chicago)

4th Grade

1. Ramona (Wilmette)
2. Dr. Howard Elementary (Champaign)
3. Avery Coonley (Downers Grove)

5th Grade

1. Dr. Howard Elementary (Champaign)
2. Indian Trail (Highland Park)
3. Alexander Graham Bell (Chicago)

6th Grade

1. Dunlap Middle School (Peoria)
2. South Loop (Chicago)
3. Prairie School (Barrington)

7th Grade

1. Dunlap Middle School (Peoria)
2. Wheaton Christian Grammar (Wheaton)
3. Thomas Middle School (Arlington Heights)

8th Grade

no team results

High School

1. Benet Academy (Lisle)
2. Whitney Young (Chicago)
3. Richwoods (Peoria)