On April 28-30 the 18th Annual All-Girls National Chess Championship was held in Chicago. The event was sponsored by the Kasparov Chess Foundation, The Renaissance Chess Foundation, and the United States Chess Federation and determines champions in different age sections. There were 471 players from 35 different states participating in this event.
The Oak Hall Girls Team from Gainesville, FL won the Under-8 Championship in a very competitive field. During the 6 round event, only one point separated the top three teams. With one loss and one draw in the last round, Oak Hall needed Emma Flores to win against her higher-rated opponent from the New York Dalton School in order to clinch the title. Late in the 2+ hour-long game, Emma found herself in a losing position that seemed hopeless but managed to fight her way to an amazing comeback victory! That win gave the Eagles the point they needed to finish with 11 ½ points and edge out New York PS77 Lower Lab (11 points), and New York Dalton School (10 points).
The team was anchored by 2nd grader Celine Chen who finished in 7th place overall with 4.5 points. Emma Flores finished 17th overall (1st Place rated Under-500) with 4 points. First graders Nora Thomas, Catalina Mcmillen, and Leighann Hood finished with 3 points each. Myka Solberg scored 2 ½ points and Ayuna Phillips 2 points. The team victory earns Oak Hall its 3rd national chess title this year and 21st in the club's 26-year history.
Sophie Li (3rd grade) won the individual Girls Under-10 section with a perfect 6/6 score! This was an improvement on her performance last year where she placed 2nd. The girls were greeted with a well-deserved celebration at the school and were featured on CBS 4 News for their accomplishments. Great job!
Some players coached by the Endgame Chess Academy participated in this event.