ICA K-8 Championships - Samuel Heil wins Grade 6-8 Title

The results are in from Rockford!

Samuel Heil won the 109-player Grades 6-8 section with an undefeated 6½-½ score.  Phillip Parker-Turner, Joey Bikus, Andrew Fei, and Ryan Toepfer tied for second with 6-1.

Crostsable here!  Matthew Wiewel directed for Bubbacat Chess, assisted by Mike Zacate.

(Pardon my telegraphic style: tax season.)

Letter from Mike Zacate

Mike will receive a lifetime achievement award from the U.S. Chess Federation in Orlando this weekend.  Unfortunately, he won't be there, as his wife Betty is recovering from a broken leg.  As is typical for Mike, he's more interested in the future than in personal honors.  Here's a letter he wrote this week.

USCF Scholastic Chess Committee and interested scholastic chess individuals:

There is a plan under discussion between the Illinois Chess Association (ICA) and the Chicago Public Schools. This plan has been in development for several years and progress followed by, and contributed to, by officers of the ICA and members of the Illinois scholastic chess community. Scholastic chess in Illinois has been on a rise in Illinois for a number of years thanks to individuals whose volunteer efforts do not end as their children age, high school programs, and several companies providing chess instruction for pay. As a result, scholastic chess in Illinois has developed on a sustained basis in areas such as Rockford, Bloomington-Peoria area, northern Chicago suburbs, western Chicago suburbs, and, to a lesser extent, the southern Chicago suburbs (eastern Chicago is Lake Michigan). Thanks to some companies and the efforts of a few individuals in Chicago elementary and high schools there is some scholastic chess active in Chicago. Thanks to the companies (I know of three) chess at the elementary level has been on the rise even while chess at the secondary level has been waning. The recent growth of elementary chess in Chicago shows the potential for exponential growth if only a structure capable of managing it and (most important) providing a sufficient number of individuals to instruct and sponsor the students existed. The Chicago Public School system has such resources to enable the scale of growth other parts of the state have had.  

The proposal being shown to the USCF that the ICA is developing with Chicago officials will provide the chess expertise to an interested bureaucracy to develop scholastic chess in Chicago to an unprecedented level. The ICA has offered to provide an instructional foundation that can sustain itself. As part of the plan, the ICA will help raise the funds needed for the initial training that will jump start the program. Once operational the program can become self sustaining within the Chicago system. Part of the beauty of the program is that it does not replace existing individual or company endeavors. Rather the ICA/Chicago plan will not only supplement and complement it, but will make much more in demand for the services of existing companies.

Developed through the input of numerous, highly experienced scholastic organizers, the plan has been endorsed (and/or sponsored) by Illinois’ top rated players, many of the private [z]one chess providers operating in Chicago, the Illinois Elementary School Association, the Illinois Chess Coaches Association, the Chicago Public Schools’ Chess Association, the U.S. Chess Trust, and the Youth Chess Foundation of Chess. Not developed in a vacuum, the plan is based on the successful programs in Philadelphia, New York, and other cities tailored to fit Chicago. The potential for gain to chess and to the USCF commands that the USCF support the plan with input and endorsement.

Yours in chess,

Michael E. Zacate

"The Father of High School Chess in Illinois Is My Dad"

Mike Zacate is profiled by his daughter Betsy Dynako on the Illinois Chess Association website.

First Illinois Elementary School Association championship results!

Mike Zacate reports at the Illinois Chess Association website!

Forty-three teams at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington

And the winner is...

Whitney Young High School wins the 2010-11 IHSA Team Championship!  In the final round Saturday at the Peoria Civic Centery, Whitney Young beat last year's champion, Niles North, 39-29.  (Scores on the higher boards in these eight-player matches are worth more: I'm guessing that board one is worth 12 points and board eight is worth 5 points.)

Congratulations to coach Paul Kash's team: Michael Auger, Sam Schmakel, Charles Swan, Kessidy Chan, Donovan Harris, Mark Waechter, Cristian Pena, and Brian Mei!

Here are the top teams, ranked in team tiebreak order:

1	7.0	161.5	Chicago (Whitney Young)
2	6.0	159.6	Skokie (Niles North)
3	6.0	155.8	Hinsdale (Central)
4	6.0	139.3	Urbana (University)
5	6.0	133.5	Lincolnshire (Stevenson)
6	6.0	133.1	Glenview (Glenbrook South)
7	6.0	132.6	Evanston (Twp.)
8	5.0	135.5	Chicago (Northside)
9	5.0	125.1	Aurora (Illinois Math and Science Academy)
10	5.0	117.8	New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central)
11	5.0	115.9	Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West)
12	5.0	104.6	Naperville (North)
13	5.0	104.0	Naperville (Neuqua Valley)
14	5.0	100.2	Winnetka (New Trier)
15	5.0	97.1	Bloomington (H.S.)
16	5.0	93.5	Glen Ellyn (Glenbard South)
17	5.0	91.3	Darien (Hinsdale South)
18	5.0	86.2	Mt. Prospect (Prospect)
19	5.0	85.7	Naperville (Central)
20	5.0	81.1	Orland Park (Sandburg)
21	5.0	79.0	Bradley (B.-Bourbonnais)
22	5.0	78.4	Buffalo Grove
23	5.0	77.7	Oak Lawn (Richards)
24	5.0	68.0	Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)
25	5.0	64.4	Aurora (Waubonsie Valley)
26	5.0	62.2	Hoffman Estates (H.S.)
27	5.0	54.1	Maple Park (Kaneland)

Here are the winners of the top board prizes (I've also listed all perfect scores):

Board 1
Gauri Manoj, Glenbrook South, 7-0

Board 2
Josh Dubin, Adlai Stevenson; Kaleb Schwaiger, Mahomet-Seymour, 7-0

Board 3
Ali Huseen, Andrew HS, 6½-½

Board 4
Paul Kim, New Trier; Adam Youman, Northridge Prep, 7-0

Board 5
Sean McKenzie, Lincoln-Way Central, 6½-½

Board 6
Yasheen Jadidi, New Trier, 6½-½

Board 7
Cristian Pena, Whitney Young; Shawn Beamon, Marshall, 7-0

Board 8
Brian Mei, Whitney Young; Kevin Midlash, Hinsdale Central; Jake Marshall, McHenry, 7-0

All these young players did well, but Illinois chess was the real winner. I'm not sure of the final headcount, as some teams had alternates, but there were more than 128 teams and more than 1028 players this weekend!  Proud daughter Betsy Dynako notes on her Facebook page that her father, Mike Zacate, founded this event 44 years ago.  It's been recognized by the IHSA for 37 years!

Vince Hart tells us that Zacate received a standing ovation before the final round.

Oh, and here are the final standings.