The team championship was also a close struggle, with the "Gompers" team (David Hasegawa, Charles Ingerson, Robert Anderson and Larry Frye) of Lane Technical High School in Chicago scoring 23.5 out of a possible 32 points, edging out second place Woodrow Wilson High, Washington, DC (Allan Savage, Alex Sze, Gary Meltzer and Ed Friedman) and third place Evanston High in Evanston, IL (Harold Boas, Philip Wong, Jay Adler and Sidney Levin)by a mere half point. Tournament Directors were Bill Goichberg, Sanford Greene, assisted by Dave Kaplan and Bob Moran.
John Watson, Eugene Meyer and Elliot Winslow are all International Masters now, and John Jacobs and Allan Savage are both FIDE Masters (a title requiring the maintenance of a 2300 international rating for at least 24 games).
New York City 1970: The National High School Championship would be held five more times at the McAlpin hotel in New York City. Over 552 players participated the second time-- an increase of nearly 50% from the previous year-- making it the largest rated tournament ever held in the U.S. at the time. The geographic diversity went up this year as well, with schools from 26 states, some as far away as Washington and Alaska. Fifth-ranked Robert Newbold (2041) of Polytechnic High in Riverside, CA, defeated top-rated Eugene Meyer (2180) in the last round to take first with 7.5-.5. Finishing second was Craig Chellstorp of Highland Park, IL, with a tie for 3rd-9th among 7 players who scored 6.5-1.5: Nicholas Ocipoff of Bayside High in Queens, NY (who, though only ranked 17th at 1859 had been leading the tournament 6-0 until blundering away a won game to Newbold in Round 7); Juan Leon of San Ignacio High in Rio Piedras, PR; Andrew McDaniel of Walnut Hills, CA; Nicholas Maffeo of John Jay High, Brooklyn, NY; John Jacobs of Stuyvesant High, New York City; Eric Anderson of New Providence, RI High, and Phill Newman of St. Peter's High, Jersey City, NJ.
The exciting, see-saw struggle of the team championship closely paralleled that of the individual championship. Led by tournament front runner Nicholas Ocipoff, Bayside High School of Queens, NY led by 1.5 points over Roosevelt High of Des Moines, IA, and by 2 points over Brookline, MA and Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY. Disaster struck for Bayside in Round 7, however. Ocipoff lost to Newbold, and the rest of the team followed him to defeat as well. Brookline, meanwhile won 3 games to take over the lead with 20 points, a point ahead of Bayside, while Roosevelt was back at 18.5. Brookline only scored 2 points in the last round, and Roosevelt needed wins on all 4 boards to tie for first; Bayside needed 3.5 points to do likewise. Each team fell short by one draw on its top board (the exciting Bayside struggle, which decided the team championship, was the very last game of the tournament to end). Brookline held on to win the championship with 22.5, with Bayside in 2nd and Roosevelt finishing 3rd, each scoring 20-12.
The concomitant Novice Championship made its debut as well this year, with 4 unrated players tying for first with 7-1: John Cline, Hotchkiss HS, Lakeville, CT; Mark Russo, Roger Ewing HS, Trenton, NJ; John Benoist, Aquinas HS, Florisant, MO and Martin Finkelstein of Flushing HS, Queens, NY. Hotchkiss High of Lakeville, CT took the Novice Team Championship with 23 points. Amherst, MA High School finished 2nd with 21.5, and Roger Ewing HS, Trenton, NJ and Cardozo HS, Queens, NY placed 3rd and 4th, respectively, each with 21 points.
The Tournament Directors were Bill Goichberg, Sanford Greene and Bob Moran.
New York City 1971: 537 students from 26 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico competed in the 3rd annual National HS Championship, held once again at the McAlpin Hotel in New York: 334 in the Championship Section and 203 in the Novice. Noteworthy this year were appearances for the first time of schools from Kentucky, Nevada, Oregon and South Carolina. The 1969 and '70 National HS Championships had both featured a remarkable run for the top spot by an "unknown" local player far from the top of the wallchart. This year that tradition was upheld by Peter Radomskyj, a senior from Irvington, NJ rated 1892. After defeating top-seeded Ross Stoutenborough (2213) he was 6-0. Just as in the past two years, the end of the Cinderella story came in Round 7, this time when Radomskskyj was outplayed by the other 6-0 in the tournament-- fifth-ranked Larry Christiansen, a ninth-grader from Gage Junior High in Riverside, CA. Now a point ahead of the field, Larry drew with 3rd-ranked Robert Gruchacz (2122), the New Jersey Open Champion, to clinch the championship with 7.5 points. Christiansen was the first junior high student to win the HS championship. Ranked fifth at the start of the tournament at 2075; he was an A-player when he finished 21st in the 1970 National HS-- one of the most remarkable "just wait 'til next year" comebacks ever to be seen in national high school chess.
Four players scored 7-1, finishing 2nd-5th: Howard Gee, Bronx Science HS, Bronx, NY; Danny Kopec, Jamaica HS, Queens, NY; Jon Jacobs, Stuyvesant HS, New York, NY and Robert Gruchacz, St. Peter's Prep, Jersey City, NJ.
Evanston, IL Township High School was already measuring the team trophy for the trip back home, leading the field with 20.5 points to 19 for New York City's Stuyvesant HS and St. Peter's Prep of Jersey City, NJ. Disaster struck unexpectedly for Evanston in the last round, however, when all the lower boards lost, and Stuyvesant HS put on the steam to score 3.5 points, clinching the team championship with 22.5 points, a half point ahead of Evanston and St. Peter's (the same margin of victory seen in the first National High School).
In the Novice Section, Douglas Miller, a junior at Poly Prep in Brooklyn, scored 7 straight wins before drawing in the last round to win the tournament. Finishing 2nd-6th at 7-1 were: Tom Seamans, Nichols HS, Buffalo, NY; Joe McDermott, Concord-Carlisle HS, Concord, MA; Jaime Carbonell, Concord-Carlisle HS, Concord, MA; George Strelinger, Seward Park HS, New York, NY and Jeff Shooker of Bentley High in New York City. Concord-Carlisle HS in Concord, MA won the Novice Team Championship with 26.5 points, followed by Brooklyn's Poly Prep at 25.5. Suffern Junior High, Suffern, NY finished 3rd and Roger Ewing HS came in 4th, both scoring 20.5 points. Tournament Directors: Bill Goichberg, Larry, King, Eugene Meyer, Bob Moran, Mayer Riff.
Larry Christiansen has since become an International Grandmaster and finished first in both the U.S. Junior Championships in 1973-75 and the U.S. Championships in 1980 and 1983, in addition to winning many major open tournaments, including the New York Open, the World Open, the American Open and the National Open. Danny Kopec is an International Master rated over 2400.
New York, NY 1972: The 4th Annual National High School Championship again broke attendance records with over 639 players from 30 states: 324 in the Championship Section and 315 in the Novice. Craig Barnes, a senior at Berkeley, CA High School became the third straight Californian to win the National Championship. Rated second at 2192, his superior tiebreaks (including a draw against top-seeded Christiansen, and a win over strong expert John Jacobs) placed him ahead of two other players who also scored 7-1: defending champion and fellow Californian Larry Christiansen (2227) of Polytechnic HS in Riverside and Danny Shapiro of South HS in Great Neck, NY. Shades of tournaments past appeared in the last round to haunt Evanston, IL Township High School, which had been leading since their 4-0 sweep in Round 5. Unlike the previous year, when they had been out front all tournament only to collapse in the last round, this year they failed to falter. Bent on settling the score from last year, Evanston racked up a record 24 out a possible 32 points, to finish 2 points ahead of New York City's Stuyvesant High School, which beat them by a half point in 1971. Roosevelt HS from Des Moines, IA came in 3rd on tiebreaks over Bronx Science High in NY, both teams finishing with 21.5 points.
No one player was ever leading the Novice Section throughout the tournament, and in the end five players finished with 7 points. Tiebreaks placed Sexe Pollack, a senior from East Meadow, NY HS in 1st; followed by Ron Martignoni, Massapequa HS, NY; Rene Ducret, Hotchkiss (Lakeville, CT) HS; Bruce Steffek, Massapequa, NY and Ron Sperber of Roosevelt HS, Yonkers, NY. Pollack (1209) was the first rated player to win the Novice Section. Massapequa, NY High School scored 26.5 points to run away with team championship, followed by 1970 champions Hotchkiss HS of Lakeville, CT with 23.5 and Lake Forest, IL High at 23. Tournament Directors: Bill Goichberg, Larry King, Joe Lux, Bob Moran, Phil Newman, Tim Purdy, and Jerome Bibuld.
Chicago, IL 1973: To the delight of dozens of midwestern schools which had made the trek to New York City for the last four years, the 5th Annual National High School was held in Chicago. It was held concurrently with the first National Junior High Championship at the LaSalle Hotel. The two tournaments drew 1,074 players-- a new U.S. record-- including a record 810 for the High School. The humongous Championship Section, with 485 players, was the largest single section of any tournament ever held in the world. A familiar face reappeared to top them all, when top-ranked Larry Christiansen (2377) of Poly Tech HS in Riverside, CA repeated his 1971 victory, winning his first 7 games before drawing 2nd-ranked Mark Diesen (2235) of Winston Churchill HS in Potomac, MD, who finished second on tiebreaks with 7-1. Following Diesen on tiebreaks with 7 points were: Joe Begovac of Austin Prep., Detroit, MI; Bruce Diesen (no relation) of Esko, MN; James Bricher, Cottage Grove, OR High School; Danny Shapiro, South HS, Great Neck, NY and John Conner, Evanston, IL.
In 1971, Evanston, IL Township High School squeaked by to finish second in the team championship after leading the tournament for 7 rounds. In 1972, they blew away the competition to win by a record two points. This year, they were out of first place for 6 rounds. But after sweeping 4 games in round 7, they were in the lead by a point, and they repeated their first place finish with 22.5. The comeback of the tournament, however, went to Cleveland Heights, OH High School. In 26th place after 4 rounds, they scored 13 points in the last 16 games to end up with 22.5 points, placing 2nd on tiebreaks. In the closest team finish to date, four schools ended up with 22 points: Archbishop Malloy, Queens, NY (3rd on tiebreaks); Mamaroneck, NY High (4th); Hindsdale, IL HS (5th) and Cleveland, OR High School.
Fred Lindberg of South Shore High, Chicago scored 7.5-.5 to win the 325 Novice Section, followed, in tiebreaks, by 5 players scoring 7-1: Donald Bric, Moundsview, MN; Brad Fillippone, Episcopal Academy, PA; Vernon Cheng, New Trier East, IL and Ronnie Kelly, South Shore HS, Chicago, IL. Tournament Directors: Bill Goichberg, Larry King, David O'Shana, David Rohde, Bill Smythe, Harold Winston, Mike Zacate.
Mark Diesen went on to win the World Junior Championship and became an International Master; Danny Shapiro is a FIDE Master and a Senior Master.
New York, NY 1974: The 6th National High School returned to its point of origin: New York City's McAlpin Hotel, this time with over 713 players in tow-- the 2nd-largest showing yet, but without the Junior High Championship (the National Junior High was held separately from the High School). The High School Championship section was "smaller" than 1973, with 478 players (down from 485). This year's winner was decidedly smaller as well: 14-year-old Michael Rohde of South Orange, NJ Junior High. Rohde, the first National Junior High Champion, was the youngest player to win the National HS title. Rated 7th at 2108, Mike won his 1st 7 games before drawing top-ranked Peter Winston in the last round to clinch the title. Five players scored 7-1: Paul Jacklyn (2231-- the Central Islip, NY 6th grader who nearly won the first HS Championship in 1970 when he was rated 1885); Ed Babinski (2147), NJ; Richard Sutton (1854), IL; Ron Henley (2117), TX and Paul Clarke (2069), IL. Perennial powerhouse Evanston Township, IL High School scored another 24 points to win the team championship for an unprecedented third time. Brooklyn Tech HS finished 2nd with 22, and 3rd-6th went to Two Rivers, WI's Washington High School, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, MD High School; Philadelphia Central HS and Omaha, NE Central HS, who each scored 21.5 points.
Top-rated (1398) Steve Loux of Bay High, OH, scored 7.5-.5 to win the 235-player Novice Section (Under 1400). Richard Conn, Douglas Photiadis and Richard Meisner, all of NY, finished 2nd-4th with 7-1. Scarsdale, NY High School came from way behind (2.5 points behind 1st in Round 5) for a last-round triumph in the Novice Team Championship, winning with 23 points. St. Raymond's HS in NY City finished 2nd with 22.5, while Manalpan, NJ High rounded out 3rd with 21.5. Tournament Directors: Bill Goichberg, Larry King, Joe Lux, David Rohde, Scott Rosendale and Barbara Taylor.
Mike Rohde went on to win the U.S. Open, and the U.S. Class, National Open and World Open Championships. Ron Henley has won the U.S. Action Chess Championship. Both players received the International Grandmaster title. Phil Jacklyn won the NY State Championship in 1974.
New York, NY 1975: Back in New York City for the last time, the High School Championship drew 534 players for its 7th running: 282 in the Championship (nearly half the number of the last two years), and 252 in the Novice Section. This year's edition was the strongest yet, with 3 Masters and 12 Experts competing to succeed 1974 Champion Mike Rohde, who missed this year's tournament to play in the Lone Pine International Tournament. Just as he had done in 1969, Phil Jacklyn (now ranked 3rd at 2222) was leading the tournament after 5 rounds with a perfect score. This would be his final moment of glory in the high school nationals, however, as he lost in round 6 to top-rated Mark Diesen (2309), who, in turn lost his last round game to Tom Costigan (2073) of Philadelphia. It remained unclear to the end who the actual winner would be, as 11 players were tied for 1st with 6 points after 7 rounds. Only 4 would emerged unscathed by upsets to finish with 7-1. The best tiebreaks among them belonged to John Fedorowicz of NJ, and he was awarded the championship trophy. Following John in tiebreaks with 7-1 were: Tom Costigan, Michael Lau (1899) of NY City and Ken Potts (2046) of NJ. Evanston, IL High School, winner of the team championship for an amazing 3 years in a row, didn't have the same magic this time, finishing in 14th place. University High of Los Angeles, with 1 Expert and 4 Class-A players, was the favorite to win the team title but got off to a slow start. They shared the lead in Round 4 with the surprising Boston Latin team (whose Board 1 was only rated 1785). Four quick wins in the last round set things right for University HS, however, and they piled up 24 points to win the championship. Stuyvesant HS of NYC returned to 2nd with 22, while Boston Latin edged out University City, MO, 21.5 points a piece.
Fred Bucholz (OH) won the Novice Section on tiebreaks over Charles Bevilacqua (NY), both scored 7.5. Tiebreaks for 3rd-5th, each 7-1, went to: Hal Medrano (NY); Freddy Rodriguez (NY) and Donald Curtis (OH). Guilford HS of Rockford, IL took the Novice Team Championship on tiebreaks over St. Raymond's of the Bronx, NY; both scored 22 points. James Madison HS (WI) finished 3rd with 21. Tournament Directors: Bill Goichberg, Larry King, Joe Lux, David Rohde, Michele Sauer.
John Fedorowicz, now a Grandmaster, has won several very strong tournaments, including the New York Open, the National Open, the World Open and the U.S. Open Championships.
Cleveland, OH 1976: The 8th Annual National High School Championship ventured again from the familiar McAlpin Hotel in New York City, this time to Cleveland, Ohio. Over 512 participated this time, including 5 Masters. Despite the record strength of the tournament, it was 11th-rated Richard Kaner (2052) of Two Rivers, WI who finished clear first with 7.5-.5 to win the 255-player Championship Section. This event would be characterized as the "Tournament of Upsets." It was the first time that one of the 7 top-rated players had failed to win the title. Top-rated Mike Rohde (2343), 1974 High School Champion, fell victim to Kaner in a decisive game in Round 6. Earlier, defending champion John Fedorowicz suffered the upset of the tournament when he lost to Joseph Fang (1863) of MA. With 2 rounds remaining, the 10 top-rated players were all but eliminated. Iowa's Walter Morris (2077) could do no more than draw against tournament pace-setter Kaner in their last-round game, ceding first to the latter. Rohde won his final two games to place 2nd with 7-1, the only one of the 6 top-rated players to score more than 6 points. Also scoring 7-1 were 3rd-place Greg Small (1965) of FL and 4th-place Jake Meskin (1974) of NY.
The team competition produced another remarkable result. The competition was so close that the winning score was 2.5 less than 1975 and the lowest ever for the National High School. In the last round, the five contenders for first, as if suddenly opposed to the prospect of being national champions, all turned in minus scores, not one scoring more than 1.5 points that round! Thanks to a clutch performance by its 11th-ranked player (Greg Wunsch, 1110), Washington High School, the 12-player contingent from Two Rivers, WI, deadlocked with defending champions University High of Los Angeles at 21.5 points each, but squeaked to victory with 4 extra tiebreak points. South HS of Great Neck, NY displayed no such aversion to winning in the last round, and swept 4-0 to finish in a surprising 3rd with 21 points, just ahead of the higher-rated Stuyvesant (NYC) and Boston Latin. Washington High of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, despite its relatively isolated location (90 miles north of Milwaukee) in a city of just 13,700, becomes the first school to win both the national individual and team high school championships.
An Ohio player won the 257-player Novice Section for the third straight year as Charles Miller's tiebreaks (Mansfield HS) beat out Dave Veschi's (Warren Hills, NJ), both players scoring 7.5-.5. Third on tiebreaks went to fellow Ohioan Linn Applegate, over Randy Applequist of IL (7 points each). Mansfield High (OH) won the Novice Team with 25 points, followed by Whitney Point (NY) at 24 and Regis High (NYC) with 23.5. Tournament Directors: Bill Goichberg, Joe Lux, Bill McElyea and Sri Srikantia.
Cleveland, OH 1977: The Ninth National High School returned to Cleveland, with 494 players. In the past 8 years, only once did either the top-rated player or a Master finish first (Larry Christiansen did both in 1973). The winner has usually been an Expert, as no one under 2000 has ever won (1976 was the only time it was won by a player ranked lower than 7th at the start). There is, however, an old National High School tradition of the "Cinderella A-Player," an unknown player who has the tournament of his life only to fade at the end. This curious custom started at the first National High School in 1969, when Paul Jacklyn needed a last-round draw to win on tiebreak, but lost to John Watson. Nick Ocipoff was 6-0 when he blundered a winning position to jettison the title the following year. Peter Radomskyj had defeated the top-rated player to go 6-0 before losing to Christiansen in 1971. In 1976, Jake Meskin was 6-0 before he lost to Rich Kaner. Every time, the player who defeated the "Cinderella A-Player" went on the win the tournament himself. This year, 14-year old Bill Adam of Syracuse, NY was cast as Cinderella. Top-rated Yasser Seirawan (2364) was upset in round 3 by Chris Richmond (1809) of Burlington, VT, throwing open the path to the championship to Adam. After upsetting 2nd-rated Steve Odendahl (2217) he needed but a last-round draw on Board One with 6th-ranked Jim Thibault (2134) of Salem, MA. Jim sacrificed a piece for a crushing attack. Adam defended doggedly, only to be outplayed in the endgame. Thibault's victory gave him 7 points and the best tiebreaks to capture the championship. Once again, the clock had struck twelve for Cinderella.
Mitchell Goldberg (1713) of the Bronx, NY made a tremendous dash for victory as well, turning in 3 straight upsets to finish with 7-1, and second on tiebreaks. He was the only Class B-player to ever tie for first place. Third Place on tiebreaks went to an A-player, Eli Jaffe (OH), also 7-1.
The top-rated Burlington High School (VT) team, led by Richmond, started slowly but blazed to victory with 4 wins in Round 8 to garner 23 points--the second year in a row that the National Champions hailed from outside a major city. Crescenta Valley (CA) High School had been pacing the field only to finish 2nd with 22. Led by Goldberg, red hot Bronx Science High School (NY) was tied for 16th place in Round 4, and then proceeded to do nothing less than win every game they played to lead the tournament with 19.5 going into the final round! They finally ran out of gas in the last round, scoring only 2 points to finish in 3rd with 21.5-- a remarkable drive nevertheless.
For the 4th year in a row, another Ohio player, Prashant Balwally of Fairmont West High School won the Novice Section, this time finishing clear first, 7.5-.5. Greg Davis (PA) placed 2nd on tiebreaks over David Crabtree (IN), with 7 points each. Bermudian Springs nearly blew a 1.5-point lead going into the last round, but still won the Novice Team Championship on tiebreaks with 24 points over Fairmont West HS (OH). Plant High (FL), James Madison High (WI) and Austin Prep (MA) finished 3rd-5th on tiebreaks with 22.5 points. Directors: Bill Goichberg, Joe Lux, Bill McElyea and Sri Srikantia.
Yasser Seirawan, despite finishing a disappointing 6th on tiebreaks (6.5-1.5), went on to become one of the country's top-rated Grandmasters, winning virtually every major American tournament, including the U.S. Championship, the U.S. Open, NY Open, American Open and World Open.
Philadelphia, PA 1978: The National High School celebrated its 10th anniversary in Philadelphia for the first time, with 692 players-- the largest turnout since 1974. Eighth-ranked Greg Small (2114) of Florida, the 3rd-place finisher in 1976, won the 311-player Championship Section, scoring 7-1. Unlike the previous year, Bill Adam of Syracuse, NY came through in the clutch last round, also finishing with 7-1, in second place on tiebreaks. Rounding out the 7-1 contingent were Tom Brown of Arizona and defending champion Jim Thibault of Massachusetts. Crescenta Valley High School, last year's runner-up, won the team championship on tiebreaks over Urbana University HS of Illinois. Each school had 21 points, the lowest winning team score yet-- 1.5 points shy of the previous year's 3rd-place team finish. Cooper High School of Minnesota took 3rd team with 20.5-11.5.
The drive for five (years) with an Ohio winner ended prematurely when Charlie Said-Nejad of Pennsylvania swept the 381-player Novice Section 8-0, posting the first perfect score in National High School history. In Charlie's wake at 7-1 on tiebreaks were: Stanley King (OH), Thomas Daniels (PA), Mark Petersen (IL), Hanno Beck (PA), Kenneth Ashkin (PA) and Stanley Ng (NY). In contrast to the record low final scores of the Championship Section, the Novice Section was awash in points. Brooklyn Tech won the Novice Team Championship with a whopping 25-7 (a new record high score), followed by East Tech HS (OH) and Plant High (FL), both at 23.5. Tournament Directors: Bill Goichberg, Joe Lux, Lazaro Munoz and Polly Peterson (Wright).
Philadelphia, PA 1979: Philadelphia again hosted the 592 players in the 11th High School National Championship. It was held concurrently once again with the National Junior High Championship (which drew a record 275 players). James Rizzitano of Needham, MA and Joel Benjamin of Brooklyn, NY both shared the Winners' Circle of the 270-player Championship Section at 7-1, and Rizzitano was awarded the title on tiebreaks, becoming only the second player to win the National Junior High (1976) and the National High School (Michael Rohde was the first, in 1974). "Rizz" also became the second Master to win the title (following Larry Christiansen in 1973). This was, in fact, the first time that both co-champions were Masters. Following Benjamin were 7 players with 6.5-1.5. On tiebreaks were: Robert Sulman (NY), Jonathan Yedidia (PA), Mike Wiseman (IN), Roderick Basa (VA), Michael Wilder (NJ), Paul Rosenberg (MI) and Russ Wada (CA). The record strength this year was evidenced by the 4 Masters and 7 Experts who competed.
The team competition was very tight-- the top seven teams were separated by only one point! Corvallis, OR High School won it clear, however, with 20.5, while Bowie, MD High School won on tiebreaks over New York City's Stuyvesant High School, both with 20 points. Charles ones (WV) took first with 7.5-.5 in the 322-player Novice Section, followed by the Florida duo of Ron Baker and Karl Skjersaa with 7-1. Cony High School (ME) scored 3 key points in the last round, but Bermudian Springs (PA) did even better with 3.5 points, to tie for the Novice Team Championship. Cony won on tiebreaks, and Plant High School (FL) similarly beat out Ohio's Hawken HS on tiebreaks, with 22 points each. Directors: Bill Goichberg, Richard Gardener, Carol Jarecki and Joe Lux.
It's no exaggeration to say that the 1979 winners were later propelled to chess stardom. Jim Rizzitano became an International Master, winning the National Open in 1988. Jonathan Yedidia is a FIDE Master rated over 2500 USCF. Grandmaster Michael Wilder won the U.S. Championship in 1988 and the first U.S. Action Championship in 1988. Joel Benjamin also became a Grandmaster, winning the U.S. Championship a year before Wilder. He also finished first in virtually every major American tournament, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Class, National Open, American Open, North American Open, New York Open, World Open, etc. He is also the 1997 U.S. Champion.
Philadelphia, PA 1980: Both the 12th edition of the National High School and the 8th annual National Junior High began the new decade in Philadelphia with a total of 871 youngsters-- 582 of them in the High School. It would be another 17 years before both nationals were again held concurrently.
Top-rated Joel Benjamin of Brooklyn's James Madison High School had already won the first National Elementary Championship in 1976 as well as the 1978 National Junior High Championship. But his quest for the "Triple Crown" fell short last year when he was narrowly edged out of first place on tiebreaks by Rizzitano. This year posed no such obstacles, and a last-round draw with Michael Wilder (NJ) clinched the Championship for Joel with 7.5 points. Wilder, who finished 7th in 1979, took second on tiebreaks with 7-1 over Jon Schroer (NY) and Mark Orfalea. Fairmont West High School of Ohio won its first National Team Championship with an impressive 23.5 out 32 points, 2.5 ahead of 2nd-- the 2nd-largest margin of victory to date. Munster HS of Indiana edged out Marquette HS of Wisconsin on tiebreaks, with 21 points for each.
Dennis DeCoste of Bourbonnais High School (IL) posted another perfect score to sweep the Novice Section, followed by Ron Seaney at 7.5-.5. Four others tied for 3rd at 7-1, on tiebreaks: Richard Lin, Brian Smith, Lorenzo Hawkins and John Grunzweig. The TD's: Bill Goichberg, Ira Riddle, Martin Jacowitz, Carol Jarecki and Chris Yaure.
Jonathan Schroer achieved the International Master title in 1984.
Philadelphia, PA 1981: 620 players returned to the 13th Annual National High School Championship. Thirteen proved to be a lucky number for Joel Benjamin of Brooklyn, NY, as he became the first player to win back-to-back national championships. Benjamin, who was then an International Master, successfully defended his title with 7.5 points, the same score he won with in 1980. Four players tied for 2nd-5th in the 386-player Championship Section with 7 points. On tiebreaks: Maxim Dlugy (NY), Karl Yee (CA), Jose Marcal (CA) and Mark Samuelian (MA).
Led by Benjamin, James Madison High School of Brooklyn, NY threatened to repeat the incredible performance of 1976's Washington High School in Two Rivers, WI-- winning both the national individual and team championships. The Brooklynites' dreams for the glory nearly came true, but New York City's powerful Stuyvesant High School squeaked past them at the very end, winning the team championship by a mere half point, 21.5 to 21.
Michael Pustilnik of New York City turned in the third successive sweep of the High School Nationals in as many years, winning the 234-player Novice Section 8-0. Tournament Directors: Bill Goichberg, Ira Riddle and Fred Townsend.
Max Dlugy received the Grandmaster title when he won the World Junior Championship. He has also won many American tournaments, including the U.S. Action Championship, the New York Open, National Open, American Open, North American Open and the World Open.
Philadelphia, PA 1982: The 14th running of the High School Championship in Philadelphia attracted 639 players. Top-rated Sandeep Joshi (2394) won the individual title in the 382-player Championship Section on tiebreaks over a strong contingent of fellow Masters: David Glueck (2299) of Cincinnati, OH; Simon Yelsky (2240) and John Litvinchuk (2254), both from Brooklyn. All four finished with 7 points. Joshi, 1980 National Junior High Champion, was the fourth consecutive Junior High Champion to win the High School Championship as well (following Michael Rohde, Jim Rizzitano and Joel Benjamin).
This was the second time that the individual winner also played on the winning team as well. And this was the first time that one school, James Madison HS of Brooklyn, had two players tie for the individual championship-- Yelsky and Litvinchuk (the bottom boards also count in the team contest-- Madison HS finished 9th in the team standings!) The lead changed hands several times in the team competition, but Boston Latin High School, led by Joshi, surged late in the tournament to field 24 points, tying the record high score. Thomas Carr Howe HS of Indianapolis, IN also finished with 24 points, but were edged into second place on tiebreaks. Marshall University HS of Minneapolis, MN took 3rd.
Peter Arden of NYC's Hunter HS beat out the 7-0 front runner, Kenneth Groth (PA) in the last round to win the 257-player Novice Section. With 7-1, Groff took 2nd on tiebreaks over Mark Bloom, Shyh-Shium Wu and Harold Clapper. The lead changed hands many times in the Novice Team Championship as well. Hollidaysburg, PA High School swept Round 7 to move into 1st and held their lead to finish with 25.5 points, pushing ahead of Proall Junior High (NY) and Bishop Eustace HS (NJ). The TD's were Bill Goichberg, Alan Benjamin, Jess Goodman, Carol Jarecki, Ira Riddle and Don Thompson.
David Glueck and Simon Yelsky became strong Masters, and John Litvinchuk achieved the FIDE Master title as well.
Trevose, PA and San Jose, CA 1983: In an attempt to "fix" an already successful format for the National High School Championship, the USCF Delegates (the Federation's ultimate policy-making body) elected to experiment with a new tournament format touted by some scholastic organizers and coaches. In what proved to be one of the most regressive changes ever made to the National Scholastics, the National High School was split into two separate tournaments: the National Individual and the National Team Championships. The effort to highlight both aspects of the championship had a dramatic effect on the tournament. The turnout for the High School Individual Championship, held in Trevose, PA collapsed to 126 players-- an all-time low.
The competition was none-the-less stiff, but top-rated Patrick Wolff of Belmont, MA ceded only one draw, to 2nd-rated Danny Edelman in Round 5 and knocked off the undefeated tournament leader, Mark Green, to clinch the first high school individual-only championship, 5.5-.5 (the tournament was also shortened to 6 rounds). Green, of St. Thomas High (MN) took 2nd on tiebreaks (5-1) over Hoainhan Truong, Howard Daniels and George Kinsler.
The first National High School Team-Only Championship was held in San Jose, CA, with 200 players representing 50 teams. Under the revised format, teams were paired against teams (similar to the Pan American Intercollegiate tournament), playing four boards vs. four boards. Though 1980-81 High School Champion Joel Benjamin had graduated, Brooklyn's James Madison High School (coached by Joel's dad, Alan Benjamin) managed to actually add to its depth, fielding a formidable squad of three Masters, Simon Yelsky and John Litvinchuk (who both tied for first in the previous year's National High School Championship), and Stan Rozenfeld, along with Mark Kurtzman. They powered their way to a perfect 8-0 First Place finish, 2 whole match points ahead of defending champions Boston Latin High School, who finished at 6-2, winning on tiebreaks over Munster, IN High School.
Connetquot HS, of Bohemia, NY won the Novice Team-Only Championship, 7.5-.5. Gunderson HS of San Jose, CA finished 2nd, 6-2; followed by Northwest Christian of Spokane, WA, 5.5-2.5. Directors (individual): Ira and Polly Riddle, Al Breaux, Jess Goodman, Chris Yaure; (team): Bill Goichberg.
Patrick Wolff, now a Grandmaster, won the U.S. Junior Championship in 1987 and the U.S. Championship in 1992.
Philadelphia, PA and Buena Park, CA 1984: The same format which produced a record low turnout for the High School in 1983 was continued for another year, resulting in a new record low turnout in 1984. The National High School Individual Championship was held in the West for the first time, and 108 players participated-- the smallest National High School Championship ever. Joseph Waxman, a 16-year-old from Beverly Hills, CA holds the unique honor of turning in the first perfect score in the 16-year history of the National High School Championship, winning the title 6-0. Adam Lief of Glencoe, IL placed second on tiebreaks over Matthew Ng of San Francisco. Both scored 5.5-.5.
The second National High School Team-Only Championship occurred in Philadelphia, with over 400 players representing 107 schools attending. Stuyvesant High School of NY City (Oleg Barenboim, Vadim Roytenberg, Zoran Kurtovic, Jonathan Goldman) shared first team honors with George Washington High of Philadelphia (Jeff Moore, Yale Cohen, Brett Singer, Boris Rubin). Both teams finished 7-1, but Stuyvesant took the title on tiebreaks. Defending champions James Madison High School of Brooklyn, NY finished in 3rd on tiebreaks over San Francisco High School, each scoring 5.5-1.5.
Monmouth HS of Tinton Falls, NJ scored 6.5-.5 to win the Novice Team Championship, and tiny Cony HS, in Augusta, ME finished 2nd with 6-1.
The Tournament Directors (individual): Ben Nethercot; (team): Bill Goichberg, Alan Benjamin, Ira Riddle.
St. Louis, MO 1985: The High School Championship re-visited the midwest for the 17th edition in St. Louis. After two disastrous years with the National High School split into two separate tournaments, the USCF delegates returned the format to the traditional individual tournament with team prizes, and the turnout returned to traditional levels as well-- 468 players this year. The tournament was not entirely returned to pre-1983 format, however-- the event was shortened to 7 rounds. Danny Edelman, the 1984 National Junior High Champion and now a sophomore from New Rochelle High School, NY won all his games to capture the individual championship. Due to the fiddling with the tournament format in recent years, Edelman has the interesting distinction of being the second player in National High School history to win the event with a perfect score and the first player to score a perfect 7-0! (Joe Waxman scored 6-0 in the modified and doubly-shortened 1984 edition). Dan also joined the elite group of youngsters to win both the National Junior High and High School Championships (Rohde, Rizzitano, Benjamin and Joshi were the other double winners), but Edelman is the only player also to win both the National K-8 and K-9 Championship Divisions of the National Junior High Championship (in 1983 and '84, respectively).
Three tied for 2nd-4th, with 6.5-.5 (on tiebreaks): Ron Burnett of Nashville, TN; Billy Colias of Munster, IN and Issa Youseff, Ysplanti, MI.
Defending champions Stuyvesant High School of NY City kept their title, narrowly defeating Pulaski, VA High School 20 to 19.5. Los Alamos, NM High School was but one more half point back, in 3rd place with 19 points.
The Junior-Varsity Section (now open to Under 1500) ended in a tie between Thad Hall of Norcross, GA and Rod McBane of Akron, OH. Both scored 6.5-.5, but Hall took first on tiebreaks. Beckmar HS, Lillburn, GA bested the J-V teams with 21.5 points, while Killian HS of Miami, FL placed 2nd on tiebreaks over Firestone HS of Akron, OH (21 points each). Robert Sutter was the Chief Tournament Director.
Ron Burnett and Dan Edelman both became International Masters, and Dan also had the unique opportunity to view scholastic chess from another perspective, as the USCF's Scholastic Coordinator.
King of Prussia, PA 1986: Back in the Philadelphia area, the High School Championship fielded 667 players. Danny Edelman repeated in his quest for victory, this time as co-champion (his fourth consecutive national scholastic triumph). Although Edelman had not lost in an incredible 26 consecutive national championship games, this year Vivek Rao, a 15-year-old Senior Master not only shared the Winner's Circle with Danny with 6.5 points, but received the First Place trophy by virtue of his superior tiebreaks. This was Rao's first national championship. Five players tied for 3rd-7th with 6 points. In tiebreak order, they are: Stuart Rachels, Birmingham, AL; Adam Foster, Potomac, MD; Evan Turtel, Melville, NY; Adam Colby, Tucson, AZ and Harold Colton, Short Hills, NJ.
If there was any doubt as to just how powerful the team from University High School in Tucson, AZ was, it was certainly dispelled quickly. Not only did they win the National High School Team Championship by a whole 2 points, but they followed up with an victory in the National Junior High Championship-- an unprecedented double-victory. Philadelphia's George Washington High School finished second with 20 points, while tiny Cony High, from Augusta, ME took third with 19.
The newly re-re-named Novice Section (still Under 1500) saw James Young of Terre Haute, IN High School score a perfect 7-0 to clinch first, while Randy Slepion of Philadelphia had 2nd all to himself with 6.5. However, no less than nine players tied for 3rd-11th! In rating order: Mike MacKeridge, Ann Arbor, MI; John Miller, Salesian, DE; George Grant, Akron, OH; David Fisher, Eatontown, NJ; Shawn Eyster, Bermudian Springs, PA; Matt Norby, Cleveland Heights, OH; John Price, Raleigh, NC; Luke Foster, Flint, MI and Tim Youngblood, Atlanta, GA. Kearsley HS of Flint, MI captured the team honors with 22 points, followed by Monmouth Regional High School, Tinton Falls, NJ in 2nd with 21 and Monroe, MI High School with 20 points for 3rd team.
The staff: Bill Goichberg, Alan and Phyllis Benjamin, Bruce Bowyer, Sophia Gorman (Rohde), Steve Immitt, Ed Karapcik and Murray Schechter.
Stuart Rachels became an International Master who won the U.S. Junior Championship in 1988 and tied for first in the U.S. Championship in 1989. Evan Turtel, the 1984 National Elementary Champion, is now a Master. He holds the record for being the youngest player to defeat a Master in a tournament game (he had just turned 9).
Pulaski, VA 1987: The High School Nationals was on the move again-- in the South for the first time and with great success too, as the Pulaski, VA event drew 672 players, the largest turnout since 1978. This year would also mark the beginning of another National High School tradition: the rains. The thunderclaps which greeted the participants were not of applause just yet-- this was real thunder! As if to test the mettle of the players, the elements let loose, soaking everyone to the skin but dampening the spirits of no one.
Top-rated Vivek Rao (2510, the country's highest-rated 16-year-old), a junior at Gateway HS in Monroeville, PA became only the third player to win the individual championship more than once (along with Christiansen and Benjamin). In 1986 he shared the Winners' Circle with Danny Edelman, winning the title on tiebreaks. This time he fired off a perfect 7-0 score-- including an exciting, decisive last-round victory for all the marbles over 2nd-rated Danny Edelman. Brent Schwab of Lancaster, PA took clear 2nd with 6.5-.5. Three players tied for 3rd-5th with 6 points: Peter Yu, San Jose, CA; Kyle Miller, Santa Fe, NM; Kash Patel, San Jose, CA.
Bellarmine Preparatory School of San Jose, CA won its first National High School Team Championship convincingly with a final score of 21-7-- 1.5 points ahead of the field. Three schools shared 2nd-4th with 19 points (in tiebreak order): Pulaski County, VA High School; Stuyvesant HS, New York City; George Washington HS, Philadelphia, PA.
In the newly re-re-re-named Junior-Varsity Section, Doug Underhill of Butler, IN; Richard Ha of Evanston, IN and Brian White of Monticello, IN finished 1st-3rd on tiebreaks with 6.5 points a piece. Cherry Hill, NJ High School captured the Novice Team Championship with 22.5 points, followed by Miami Beach, FL High School with 22. Central Noble HS, Albion, IN; George Washington HS, Philadelphia, PA and North Fulton HS, Atlanta, GA finished in 3rd-5th place on tiebreaks, with 21.5 points each. Edward "Pete" Shaw was the organizer. Kenneth Keck, Jim Meyer, Vince Moore and Robert Singletary directed.
Albuquerque, NM 1988: Traveling to the Southwest for the first time, National High School Championship Number 20 drew over 807 players to Albuquerque, NM-- the most players in 15 years and the second-highest attended National High School yet. Also in attendance was a record supply of rain, for the second year. When the tournament ended, the city of Albuquerque had received its standard annual rainfall total-- in one weekend!
With upsets the rule, no less than 5 players began the last round with 5.5 points. Any one of them could have brought home the bacon with a victory, but after an amazing series of draws an unprecedented nine-way tie for the title ensued. Andy Fisher of Santa Fe, NM; Elvin Wilson of Philadelphia, PA; Oliver Tai of Cordova, TN; Henry Yu of Munster, IN; Jesse Kraai and Kyle Miller, both of Santa Fe, NM; James Schuyler of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY; Marc Jimenez of Mesa, AZ and Harold Yazzie of Tuba City, AZ finished 1st through 9th on tiebreaks with 6-1 each.
University High School of Tucson, AZ, the 1986 High School Champions, led Philadelphia's George Washington High by the slimmest of margins going into the last round: 18.5 to 18. When University scored 3 points in the last round, Washington needed to win every game to win the championship. Not this time, though, as Washington could also do no better than 3 wins, finishing 2nd for the 3rd time, half a point behind University, 21.5 to 21. Bellarmine Prep of San Jose, CA, the defending champions, had to settle for 3rd place this year, with 20 points.
History was made in the Junior-Varsity (Under 1500) Section, as not one, but two players finished with perfect 7-0 scores: Rich Sand of Cherry Hill, NJ High School and Nick Hyde of Cottage Grove, OR High School. Shane Southard of Lilburn, GA finished 3rd on tiebreaks over fellow 6.5-pointer Curtis Thompson of Tucson, AZ. The Kearsley High School team from Flint, MI scored an amazing 24-4 to easily win the Novice Team Championship. Cherry Hill, NJ High School was 1.5 points back in 2nd with 22.5, and University HS of Tucson, AZ finished in 3rd with 22 points.
Andy Nowak was the Chief Organzier. Harry Sabine and Bill Snead were the chief TD's, with John Chapman, Robert Singletary and Robert Tanner.
Knoxville, TN 1989: After a two-year absence, the high school championship made a spectacular return to the South/Midwest. The 1989 event drew 815 players, all undaunted by a third year of heavy rains. At long last the 16-year National High School attendance record of 810 players in Chicago was broken!
No nine-way tie this year, as top-ranked Alex Sherzer of the John Carroll School of Maryland scored a perfect 7-0 to win the individual championship clear. Oliver Tai of Memphis, TN University High School finished in clear second as well, with 6.5-.5. Coming back from a 5th-place finish in 1988, Woodrow Wilson High of Portland, OR scored 21-7 to win the team laurels. For George Washington High, of Philadelphia it was close, but no cigar-- again (remarkably, this was the fourth time George Washington came in second in the nationals). University High School of Tucson, AZ was 3rd.
Like 1988, the Junior Varsity saw two players win with perfect 7-0 scores: Tim Harger of Kearsley, MI High School and Chris Lim (OR). Philadelphia's George Washington High School won the Novice Team Championship with 23.5 points, followed by Karsley, MI High School.
Chester Crowley was the organizer. Chief TD Pete Shaw was assisted by Walter Brown, Jim Meyer, Warren Pinches and Robert Singletary. Sherzer, now a Grandmaster, won the U.S. Junior Championship that year and again in 1991, when he tied for 1st in the U.S. Action Championship.
Kansas City, MO 1990: The tournament's return to Missouri marked another record turnout in the midwest, this time far exceeding the first one in Chicago by nearly 100 players. The 22nd Annual National High School Championship in Kansas City, MO had over 901 players, making it the largest scholastic tournament ever held at the time. It was probably the most spacious one ever held, too, as the 42,000 square foot Market Center left over 46 square feet of playing space per person! They could certainly use some of that extra space to store their raincoats and umbrellas, since the rain was back again this year.
Alexander Feldman of Minnesota's St. Louis Park High School, won the individual championship with 6.5 points. Michael Lamon (Morse High, San Diego, CA); Brad Crawford (South High, Downers Grove, IL); David Fenster (Stuyvesant High, New York City); Anatoly Trubman (Bronx Science High, Bronx, NY); Jesse Kraai (Santa Fe, NM High School) and Simon Reeves (Stuyvesant) finished in 2nd-7th place on tiebreaks, each player scoring 6-1.
Stuyvesant High School of New York City is certainly no stranger at the Awards Ceremony of the team championship. They knew their way around this time as well, once again running away with the National High School Team Championship, this time by a whopping 2.5 points. Lowell High School in San Francisco was the runner-up with 19.5 points. East High School, Cherry Hill, NJ beat out Burnsville, MN High School on tiebreaks for 3rd-4th team, each school scoring 18-10, in another big dropoff from 2nd place.
This year the tournament was divided into three separate sections for the first time: Open, Under 1600 and Under 1300. The Under 1600 Section (Division II) produced a 3-way tie for first among Michael Szto of Boston Latin High School, MA (1st on tiebreaks); Danny Hankel, Marcos de Niza High, Tempe, AZ (2nd); and Tony Torio, Start HS, Toledo, OH (3rd). The Division II team championship rekindled some old rivalries, as Boston Latin won the title with 21 points over George Washington High of Philadelphia (2nd on tiebreaks) and Auburn High of Rockford, IL (3rd team), both scoring 20-8.
Only in its inaugural year, the Under 1300 Section (Division III) was visited with the spectacle of two more players scoring a perfect 7-0: Darren Key, of Paola, KS High School and Alex Eversole from Start HS in Toledo, OH. Tan Van (KS); Erin Wheat (MN); Andy Neller (IA); Pete Blanford (IL); Nolan Yeung (NC); John Crisen (AZ); Chip Lynch (KY); David Noble (MO); and Chris Benjamin (MI) finished 3rd-11th, with 6-1. Start High School of Toledo, OH won the team championship with 22.5, one point ahead of Gilbert, AZ High School, with 21.5. Three schools, Elbert County High, Elberton, GA; North Kansas City, MO High School and Kearsley, MI High School finished in 3rd-5th place in the teams standings on tiebreaks, each scoring 20.5.
Ralph Bowman was the Chief Organzier.
Atlanta, GA 1991: The 764 players in the 23rd High School Nationals were treated to the Southern hospitality of Atlanta, Georgia for the first time. Not so hospitable was the weather forecast for yet another weekend of rain! Josh Waitzkin of New York City's Dalton School won this year's individual championship with 6.5 points. Waitzkin had previously tied for first in two National Junior High Championships. The depth of the tournament was evident by the fact that no fewer than seven players tied for 2nd-8th place with 6 points. In order of tiebreaks, they are: Jessica Ambats (NY); David Arnett (NY); Bill Calton (MI); Eric Smith (NY); Alan Bochman (NY); Nate Graham (MN); and Wenning Xing, OH. It was a veritable trophy fest for the New Yorkers as well: five of the top 8 finishers hailed from the Empire State.
The team championship was much closer than in recent years, with Cleveland Heights, OH High School nosing its way to victory with 20 points, only half a point ahead of both 2nd place (on tiebreaks) Madison Heights High School of Anderson, IN and East High School of Cherry Hill, NJ, which repeated their 3rd place finish from 1990.
Philip Dardik (CA) and Mish Muzundar (NJ) tied for 1st-2nd (in order of tiebreaks) in the Reserve Section with 6 points. Keith McMahan (TN); Cain Aaron (OH); James Lass (VA); Matt Parker (OH); Beth Merkel (IL); Fred Farah (MD); Jonathan Vermut (FL) finished 3rd-6th on tiebreaks with 6 points. The Reserve Team Championship brought back some old memories as Evanston, IL Township High School, winner of three team championships in the 1970's captured another title (in a lower section this time), scoring 21-7. Gilbert, AZ High School took 2nd team a half point behind Evanston at 20.5-7.5, followed by another Gilbert, AZ school: Ramsey High School, with 19.5 points. In a major departure from the previous two years, the Novice Section was treated to just one perfect score-- Scot Dove (GA)'s 7-0 sweep. Fellow Georgian Everett Chambers won 2nd place clear as well, 6.5-.5. It was not so clear with 3rd, though, as 8 players tied with 6 points): Alex Marchione (OH); Justin Vliestra (MO); Nathan Rommel (WA); Justin Bhansali (MO): James Rikard (OH); Les Smith (MI); Shannon Sweeney (IL) and Scott Schmidt (OH), in their respective tiebreak order. Crossroads School (MO) deadlocked with the hometown Elbert County High School (GA) at 22-6 for team honors, with Crossroads taking the better tiebreaks. Kearsley, MI Community High finished 3rd with 20.5. Thad Rogers was the Chief Organzier/Director.
Josh Waitzkin is the fifth player to win both the National Junior High and High School Championships, and only the second player to win all three national championships: National Elementary, Junior High and High School (Joel Benjamin also holds this honor). He has since finished first in the 1993 and '94 U.S. Junior Championships, as well as the 1995 U.S. Class Championships. Now an International Master, he is also the subject of the popular feature film, "Searching For Bobby Fischer."
Lexington, KY 1992: Next stop for the High School was Lexington, Kentucky-- the first time a national tournament has visited the Bluegrass State. This first impression was certainly a powerful one, as over 1,015 players turned out from 34 states-- a new record for the event. One very special guest that weekend was World Champion Gary Kasparov, whose presence lent encouragement and support to the players-- or simply helped them keep dry from another weekend of rain!
Lewis Eisen of Cherry Hill, NJ was the lucky player to receive the victory handshake from Kasparov. And deservedly so, as Eisen made quite an impressive comeback from 1991 (where he finished 25th with 5 points) to dominate the tournament convincingly this year, winning the national championship with a perfect 7-0. Josh Manion of Wisconsin placed clear 2nd with 6.5. Defending champion Joshua Waitzkin was joined by fellow New Yorkers Maxim Ryozen and David Arnett, along with Geoffrey Gelman of Virginia, in a tie for 3rd-6th, all 6-1.
Edward R. Murrow High School of Brooklyn expanded their absolute dominance of high school chess from New York State to the national level, winning the National High School Team Championship with 22 out of 28, a point ahead of their hometown rivals from the Dalton School-- the first time the top two high school teams came from the same city. East High, Cherry Hill, NJ extended their streak to 3 consecutive years of finishing third in the team competition.
Another perfect 7-0 for James Flaherty of Texas in the Under 1600 Section, followed by another 6.5 to clinch 2nd for Tian-Cong Ruan of Pennsylvania. The tie for 3rd at 6-1 extended to 10th place this time, and went, in order of tiebreaks, to: Kenyatta Pollard (OH); Aman Singh (WI); Douglas Stewart (MS); Ricky Frazier (IL); Stephen Smith (ME); Jeremy Hill (KY): Jeff Fox (NY) and Stanley Moreyno (IL). Franklin, PA Learning Center had the better tiebreaks over Kent Roosevelt High School (OH), as both schools tied for team honors with 20 points. Rufus King High (WI) took 3rd with 19 points.
The tournament's third perfect score went to Scott Mitchell of Missouri, who swept the Under 1300 Section 7-0. Fred Tolliver and Matt Jordan, both Illinois students, along with Dempsey Davis of Arizona took 2nd-4th, respectively, on tiebreaks, as each player scored 6.5 points. George Washington High School of Philadelphia continued their annual visit to the Winners' Circle, winning the team competition with 22.5 points. Over 1.5 points behind were Pendleton Heights, IN High School, who finished in 2nd on tiebreaks over Pine Crest, FL Preparatory (both schools scored 21-6).
The co-organizers were Larry Belly and John Cook. Harry Sabine was the Chief Director, assisted by Jim Meyer, Steve Dillard and Wayne Bell. Josh Manion received the International Master title in 1997.
Dallas, TX 1993: The 25th anniversary edition of the High School Championship saw the tournament visiting Texas for the first time, with entries topping 712. The new locale wasn't enough to break the "wet curse," however, and the tournament was drenched by rainstorms for the seventh year in a row!
National Master Alex Sidelnikov of Edward R Murrow High School in Brooklyn won the individual championship with 6.5 points. Shearwood McClelland (NJ), Paul Rohwer (NE), Mikulas Manik (CA) and Dan Benjamin (PA) finished 2nd-5th on tiebreaks with 6 points each.
Brooklyn's Edward R. Murrow High School repeated what had only happened twice before in the annals of National High School Team Championships: led by Sidelnikov's superlative 6.5-.5 first place finish, they won both the National High School Individual and Team Championships, scoring 23.5-4.5-- a phenomenal 84%! (Richard Kane and Washington/Two Rivers, WI High School won both in 1976, as did Sandeep Joshi of Boston Latin in 1981). The Brooklyn team's dominance was clearly evident by its unheard of 4-point margin of victory-- they could have all sat out the last round and still won first place! No school has ever been able to do this before or since. It was also the first time in 8 years that a school had won back-to-back national titles (New York City's Stuyvesant won in 1984-85). Philadelphia's Masterman HS was a distant 2nd with 19.5, themselves a whole 2 points ahead of Burnsville, MN HS's 17.5.
There was no shortage of trophies for the McClelland family of Teaneck, NJ. While Shearwood tied for 2nd in the Championship Section, sister Kimberly scored an identical 6-1 to tie for 1st in the Under 1600 Section! Tied for 2nd-5th at 6-1 were Nelson Yuen (PA), Richard Robinson (FL), Chris Lund (OH) and Clay Smith (VA). Ohio's Shaker Heights HS was the top team with 20 points, followed, on tiebreaks, by Iowa's Ankeny HS and Gilbert, AZ HS.
For the fourth consecutive year, it took nothing less than a perfect 7-0 to win the Under 1300 Section. This time it was Rhode Island's Bladimir Mercedes big chance to be perfect, as he swept the field to victory. Daniel Rivera (TX), Ryan Clark (NC) and Bill Irwin (IN) took 2nd-4th on tiebreaks, half a point behind. A triple tie at 21.5-6.5 was broken by tiebreaks for 1st-3rd team: Parkway Central HS (MO); Hope HS (RI); and Albuquerque, NM Academy.
Luis Salinas and Steve Alden were the organizers. Bill Snead was the Chief Director, assisted by Chester Crowley, Carol Jarecki, Alan Kantor, Tim Redman, Don Ruark, Robert Tanner, Richard Weaver and Polly Wright.
Dearborn, MI 1994: The National High School set a new attendance record three separate times in the midwest. This was no time to break with tradition, and a record turnout of 1,026 players showed up for the tournament in Dearborn (a suburb of Detroit), Michigan, topping the previous record set in 1992 in Knoxville, the only other time that this event drew over 1,000. One other remarkable tradition that would also remain unbroken was the "wet tournament rule," which requires the high school tournament to be rained upon mightily wherever it is held-- just as it has been for every year since 1987!
This year's high school championship was not only the biggest in the tournament's history, it was by far the strongest too, with no less than 15 Masters and 20 Experts, reflecting the growing depth of young talent in the country. Alex Kalikshteyn (2475) of Brooklyn, NY, who finished in 6th place in 1993, scored a perfect 7-0 in the 214-player open section to bring another national championship trophy back to Edward R. Murrow's display case (if there is any room left from last year). Charles Gelman (2241) of Falls Church, VA placed 2nd on tiebreaks over Andras Erdei (2279) of Pennsylvania. Both finished with 6.5.
The word dynasty does not completely describe Edward R. Murrow High School's preeminence in high school chess-- complete hegemony is more accurate. After repeating as New York City and State Champions several times, the Brooklynites began to look for more competition elsewhere. They entered their first National High School in 1992 and promptly finished at the top, just one point ahead of the field this first time. But Murrow didn't just win the tournament this time, they completely demolished the competition! In 1993 they had actually clinched first with one round to go (racking up a record 23.5 out of 28 points)-- an unprecedented achievement! This year their margin of victory was not as big-- they only won by 3.5 points. Since they had not actually already won the tournament after the sixth round, there was still hope left for the two others, Philadelphia's Masterman High School and San Francisco's Lowell High School to emerge victorious-- if Murrow lost all its last round games! This possibility was quickly dismissed by the only school to ever field a team of Masters on all four Boards, and Masterman and Lowell settled for finishing ahead of the rest of the tournament with 19.5, tied for 2nd-3rd. With its latest triumph, Murrow High School enters the record books a number of times: 1. One school winning both the individual and team championships (previously achieved in 1976 and 1982); 2. One school winning three consecutive championships previously done in 1972-75); 3. One school winning both the individual and team championships for two years in a row (never done before).
Grant Sitta of Canyon Middle School in San Marcos, Texas tied with Zack Nelson of Auburn High School in Rockford, Illinois, 6.5-.5 each, in the 247-player Under 1600 Section. Ben Kiersz (PA), Dan Hart (IL), Nathan Woods (AZ) and Peter Mueller (IL) finished 3rd-6th with 6-1. Illinois' Auburn High School won the team contest with 21.5 points. Gilbert, AZ High placed 2nd with 19. St. Gregory High, Tucson, AZ and Lane Technical High School of Chicago finished 3rd-4th with 18 points each. The gargantuan 565-player Under 1300 Section was the largest section in any National High School tournament thus far. It was hardly unexpected, therefore, to see two players scoring 7-0 (the only surprise was that there weren't others). Alex Palanker of George Washington High in Philadelphia, PA and David Brelitch of East Grand Rapids, Michigan Middle School both won all 7 games to share first. Daniel Wucherer (MI), Piotr Dudek (RI), Trevor Meyerowitz (NM) and Venimin Yukhananov (PA) finished tied for 3rd-6th with 6.5-.5 Philadelphia's George Washington High School took top team with 23.5 points. Deer Isle, ME High placed 2nd with 21.5, and Rohde Island's Hope High School finished 3rd with 21.
Organizer: Pete Nixon. Chief TD: Robert Singletary, assisted by Mike Bond, Jay Carr, David Calton, Jim Meyer, Don Ruark, & Jennifer Skidmore.
Rosemont, IL 1995: To the midwest once more, and once more to the record books. The 27th National High School drew over 1,285 players from 33 states and D.C. to Rosemont, Illinois, just outside of Chicago-- an all-time record in the place where the first record turnout occurred over 22 years before. A new milestone was set this time as well: the appearance of the sun for the first time in eight years!
New Yorkers David Arnett and Dalton School teammate Nawrose Nur finished 1st-2nd in the 270-player championship section, tied at 6.5-.5 each. For Nur, this victory also culminated a scholastic career filled with national titles. He has also previously won the National Elementary and Junior High Championships (joining a select club which previously included only Joel Benjamin and Josh Waitzkin), in addition to the 11th Grade Championships, as well as the World Under 10 Championship. Adrian Keating-Clay (PA); Geoffrey Gelman (VA); Donny Ariel (NY); Jim Dean (IN); Shearwood McClelland (NJ) and James Todd (AZ) finished 3rd-8th, tied with 6 points.
New York City's Dalton School finished first in the national team championship with 22 points. Dalton is the fourth school to win both the national individual and team championships simultaneously (Washington HS, Two Rivers, WI; Boston Latin HS and Murrow HS, Brooklyn share this accomplishment), and the second school to have two players tie for 1st (as did James Madison HS, Brooklyn). But Dalton is the only school in the history of the National High School to take both the first and second individual places and to win the team championship. Another New York City powerhouse, downtown rival Stuyvesant High School, ended a five-year hiatus from the Winners' Circle to take 2nd Team honors with 20.5. Philadelphia's Masterman took 3rd with 19.5.
Routan Pierre of Illinois scored 7-0 to win the 271-player Under 1600 Section. Brian Peterson (AZ) placed 2nd with 6.5. Gennady Ioffe (IL) and Marc Scott (MO) finished 3rd-4th, tied with 6 points. Illinois Math and Science HS, George Washington HS of Philadelphia and Albuquerque Academy (NM) were 1st-3rd in the team competition, tied at 20 points each.
The behemoth 744-player Under 1300 Section was the largest section of any USCF tournament, ever, with more players than the entire tournaments of 18 previous high school nationals, and nearly twice the size of the first National High School in 1969! In such a leviathan it is an accomplishment just to find your pairing and get to your board, let alone win a game! Yet two players, Bronson Gentry of Detroit, Michigan and Aaron Laatsch of Wisconsin won all 7 games to share first. John Michaeau (KS); Lloyd Gentry (MI) and Chris Burris (OH) finished 3rd-5th, tied at 6.5. Finney High School of Michigan was the top team with 23 points, followed by East High, Shawnee Mission, KS with 22.5. Auburn High School (IL), Long Beach (NY) High School and Stony Brook (NY) High School finished 3rd-5th, tied with 21.5. Al Losoff and Ken Lewandowsky were the organizers, Tim Just was the Chief Director.
Somerset, NJ 1996: 1,096 players descended upon Somerset, NJ, 30 miles southwest of New York City, to mark the National High School's reappearance in the northeast for the first time in ten years-- the second-largest turnout yet. Three scholastic veterans, each a Master, finished in 1st-3rd place, tied with 6.5 points in the 369-player open section: Dean Ippolito, the local player from Boonton, NJ; Greg Shahade of Philadelphia and Charles Gelman of Falls Church, VA. For Greg, who was 9th in the 1995 event, and for Dean, who finished lower than that, this victory marked a comeback triumph in a two-year run for the title.
Julia Masterman High School of Philadelphia had spent the last three years searching for their first championship title, but had only finished in 2nd and 3rd place. Propelled by Greg Shahade's own comeback to victory, their disappointment would end as well, when they scored 22 points to win their first national championship. This marked the fourth year in a row, and the sixth time overall, that the winning school also had one if its players win or tie for first in the individual championship. New York City's Hunter High School took second with 20.5, a feat which must have been made more enjoyable by pushing their archrival neighbors, New York City's Dalton School, the defending national champions, into third place in the process, with 19.5.
In an effort to reduce the monstrous size of the Under 1300 Section, the tournament was restructured into 3 different sections: Open, Under 1400 and Under 1100. Kevin Lacker took first in the 269-player Under 1400 Section with 6.5. Joey Gasis, Jeremy Davis, Oren Firestein, Patrick Macaraeg, Andrew Hinkle, Andy Roberts, Danny Talbert, Alex Savu, Dhon Paulo and Jonathan Page finished 2nd-11th, tied at 6-1. Cherry Hill, NJ's East High School and NY's Stuyvesant HS finished 1st-2nd in the team contest, 21.5 each. Bellarmine Prep, San Jose, CA and James Madison HS, Milwaukee, WI were 3rd-4th with 20.
Joseph Glynn had the tournament's only perfect 7-0 score out of 458 competitors to become the first National High School Under 1100 Champion. Joel Fuentes, Seven Bentley and Maurice Edmonds finished 2nd-4th, tied with 6.5. Kearsley High School (MI) and Orr Academy were 1st-2nd, tied with 22.5-5.5. There followed Blue Valley Northwest High; St. Joseph's Prep. (PA); Shawnee Mission High School (KS) and Lincoln West High, for 3rd-6th places, all 21-7.
E. Steven Doyle was the organizer and Chief Director, assisted by Bill Bluestone, Dave Burris, Harrison Coleman, Al Greuter, Walter Heerschap, Joe Ippolito, George Krauss, Walter Heerschap, Richard Lewis, Tom McKenna, Sophia Rohde, Mike Sommers, Hal Spechman and Ken Thomas.
Supernationals: Knoxville, TN 1997: For the first time, the National High School Championship was held concurrently with the National Junior High and Elementary Championships-- a teeming confluence of thousands and thousands of players, coaches, parents and spectators, dubbed the "Woodstock of Chess" (aka, the "Supernationals"). Knoxville, Tennessee was the site of this reincarnation of the 60's "happening" (although many found the spectacle to resemble New Delhi more than the Great Smokies). Of the 4,235 youngsters who entered a chess tournament that weekend, over 1,151 belonged to the high school championship-- the second-largest turnout in the tournament's 29-year history. The format was once again revised to distribute the players more evenly, in the hope of reducing the swelling of the grotesquely distended bottom sections of recent years. Now the three divisions of the tournament would be: Open, Under 1300 and Under 1000 sections.
Harutyun Akopyan, of Arshag Dickranian School, Los Angeles, overpowered the Championship Section with a perfect 7-0. He is the fourth player in national scholastic history to win all the national championships, the National Elementary, Junior High and High School (Joel Benjamin, Josh Waitzkin and Nawrose Nur are the others), as well as the National 5th, 6th and 7th Grade Championships. Ahmoad Ware (Hutch Technical HS, Buffalo, NY), Ryan Porter (Pembroke Hills HS, Kansas City, MO) and James Todd (Marcos De Niza High, Tempe, AZ) finished 2nd-4th, with 6.5-.5 each.
J.R. Masterman High School in Philadelphia, the defending national team champions, repeated their victory this year with 22.5 points, the 5th consecutive year they have finished in the top 3 places. Led by Akopyan, Arshag Dickranian School of Los Angeles, and NY's Hunter School finished 2nd-3rd at 21 points.
Romeo De La Cruz of James Monroe High School (North Hills, CA) and David Nordahl of Glenbard West High (Glen Ellyn, IL) were both perfect (at least they won all their games), to share first in the newly reconstituted Under 1300 Section. Santy Wong, also of James Monroe High, was clear third with 7. Glenbard West High School, of Glen Ellyn, IL won the team contest, scoring 23-5. James Monroe High (North Hills, CA) took 2nd with 21.5, and George Washington High (Philadelphia, PA) finished 3rd with 20.
Matt Raum (Great Bridge High, Chesapeake, VA) turned in the tournament's third perfect score, crushing the new Under 1000 Section. Teammate David Cavitt and David Finnegan (Glenbard West High, Glen Ellyn, IL) finished 2nd-3rd, tied at 6.5-.5. Great Bridge High School (Chesapeake, VA) won the team championship, 22-6. Shawnee Mission East High School (Prairie Village, KS) and St. Joseph's Prep. (Philadelphia, PA) came in 2nd-3rd with 21 each.
The Knoxville Sports Corporation organized the tournament. Bill Snead and Robert Tanner were the Chief Directors, assisted by over 70 other TD's!
Individuals - Most Times Placing in the Top Three: Joel Benjamin and Larry Christiansen each placed in the top three 3 times. The following players, David Arnett (NY), Danny Edelman (NY), Michael Rohde (NJ), Gred Small (FL), Oliver Tai (TN) and Josh Waitzkin (NY) all finished in the top 3 twice.
Teams - Most First Places: Stuyvesant HS (New York, NY): 5, Evanston Township HS (Evanston, IL): 3, Edward Murrow HS (Brooklyn, NY): 3, Julia Masterman HS (Philadelphia, PA): 2, University HS (Tucson, AZ): 2.
Teams - Most Times Placing in the Top Three: Stuyvesant HS (New York, NY): 10, Evanston Township HS (Evanston, IL): 5, Julia Masterman HS (Philadelphia, PA): 5, George Washington HS (Philadelphia, PA): 4, Boston Latin HS (Boston, MA): 3, Cherry Hill East HS (Cherry Hill, NJ): 3, Dalton School (New York, NY): 3, Edward Murrow HS (Brooklyn, NY): 3, University HS (Tucson, AZ): 3, Bellarmine Preparatory (San Jose, CA): 2, Cleveland Heights HS (Cleveland, OH): 2, Crescenta Valley HS (Crescenta Valley, CA): 2, Hunter HS (New York, NY): 2, Lowell HS (San Francisco, CA): 2, James Madison HS (Brooklyn, NY): 2, Munster HS (Munster, IN): 2, Pulaski HS (Pulaski, VA): 2, Roosevelt HS (Des Moines, IA): 2, University HS (Los Angeles, CA): 2, George Washington HS (Two Rivers, WI): 2
Sources: "Chess Life" magazine, Bill Goichberg and the U.S. Chess Federation.
Games From Previous National High School Championships
James Cardamone - John Watson (2065) - 1st National High Shcool Championship: New York, NY 1969; 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.f3 Bg7 7.Be3 0-08.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Nd5 Bxd5 12.exd5 Rc8 13.Kb1 Qc7 14.Rc1 a6 15.g4 b5 16.h4 Qb7 17.c4 bxc4 18.Bxc4 Rxc4 19.Rxc4 Qxd5 20.Qc3 Ne4 21.Qc1 Qxc4 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.fxe4 Qxe4+ 24.Ka1 Rc8 25.Qd1 Rc2 26.h5 Rd2 27.h6+ Kf8 28.Qc1 Qc2 0-1
Robert Newbold (2040) - Nicholas Ocipoff (1855) - 2nd National High School Championship, New York, NY 1970 (an exciting game, even after 28 years!) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nf3 g6 7.Nd2 Bg7 8.Nc4 0-0 9.Bf4 Ne8 10.Qd2 f5 11.e3 b6 12.Bg3 Ba6 13.a4 Qe7 14.Qe2 Nd7 15.Nb5 Ne5 16.Bxe5 Bxe5 17.f4 Bf6 18.Qf3 Bxb5 19.axb5 Nc7 20.Bd3 Nxb5 21.0-0 Nc7 22.Rab1 b5 23.Na5 c4 24.Bc2 Na6 25.Nc6 Qg7 26.b3 Nc5 27.bxc4 bxc4 28.Qe2 a5 29.Qxc4 a4 30.Nb4 Rfc8 31.Na2 Ne4 32.Qe2 Nc3 33.Nxc3 Rxc3 34.Bxa4 Rxe3 35.Qb5 Qa7 36.Qd7 Qd4 37.Kh1 Qxa4 A time pressure blunder. Black wins a piece with with 37...Re7! After 38 Qxd6 Rxa4 39 Rb8+ Kg7 40. Qd8 Kh6, White has nothing. Had Ocipoff won this game, he would have been the only 7-0 going into the last round. 38.Rb8+ Rxb8 39.Qxa4 Rbe8 40.h3 Bh4 41.g4 Rxh3+ 42.Kg1 Rhe3 Nick could have faced Round 8 with 6.5 too, by forcing the draw with 42...Rg3+, still giving him a good shot at First! Even better is Ree3!, which poses nasty problems for White, who is also in severe time trouble. 43.gxf5 gxf5 44.Qc2 Re2 45.Qxf5 Kh8 46.Kh1 Re1 47.Rxe1 Bxe1 48.Qf7 Rg8 49.Qf6+ Rg7 50.Qf8+ Rg8 51.Qxd6 Bc3 52.Qe7 Bd4 53.d6 1-0
Ross Stoutenborough (2210) - Peter Randomskyj (1890) - 3rd National High School Championship: New York, NY 1971 1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 c6 3.Nf3 d5 4.b3 Bf5 5.Bb2 e6 6.Bg2 Nbd7 7.0-0 Bd6 8.d3 h6 9.Nc3 0-0 10.e4 Bh7 11.Qe2 dxe4 12.dxe4 e5 13.Rfd1 Qc7 14.a3 a5 15.Ne1 Nc5 16.Qc2 Ne6 17.Rd2 Rfd8 18.Na2 Ng5 19.Re2 Bc5 20.b4 Bd4 21.c5 Rd7 22.Bxd4 Rxd4 23.f3 Rad8 24.h4 Ne6 25.Bh3 Qe7 26.Kh2 axb4 27.axb4 R4d7 28.Qb2 Nd4 29.Rd2 Rc7 30.Nc3 g5 31.hxg5 hxg5 32.Rad1 g4 33.Bxg4 Nxg4+ 34.fxg4 Qg5 35.Kh3 Kg7 36.Rh2 Rh8 37.Kg2 Qxg4 38.Qb1 Ne2 39.Nxe2 Bxe4+ 40.Kg1 Rxh2 41.Qb2 Qxe2 42.Qxe5+ Kh7 0-1
Danny Edelman (2414) - Timothy Redermacher (2267) - 17th National High School Championship: St. Louis, MO 1985 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 e5 13.Bc5 Re8 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Qxd5 Qxd5 16.Rxd5 Be6 17.Rd3 Rec8 18.Be3 Bxa2 19.Ra3 Be6 20.Ba6 Rc7 21.Rd1 Rb8 22.Rad3 h5 23.Rd8+ Rxd8 24.Rxd8+ Kh7 25.Rb8 Bh6 26.Bxh6 Kxh6 27.Rb7 Rxb7 28.Bxb7 Kg5 29.Kd2 Kf6 30.Kc3 Ke7 31.Kb4 Kd6 32.Ka5 f5 33.Kb4 White notices that after hunting down Black's a-pawn as originally planned, his King would be very much out of play. A bad plan is worse than no plan at all... 33...Bd5 34.Ba6 e4 Black has very good play after 34...g5! White now carries out an instructive winning plan. 35.f4 h4 36.c4 Bc6 37.Kc3 Kc7 38.c5 Bb7 39.Bb5 Bc6 40.Bc4 Be8 41.b4 Kb7 42.b5 Kc7 43.Kd4 Kd7 44.Ke5 Ke7 45.c6 Kd8 46.Kd6 g5 47.c7+ Kc8 48.Be6+ 1-0
James Schuyler (2253) - Rick Holsberry (1750) - 20th National High School Championship: Philadelphia, PA 1988 1.e4 c5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Bb5 Qc7 4.Nf3 e6 5.0-0 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.d3 Be7 8.Bxc6+ Qxc6 9.e5 dxe5 10.fxe5 Nd5 11.Ne4 Bd7 12.Nfg5 Bxg5 13.Bxg5 0-0 14.c4 Nb6 15.Qh5 Nxc4 16.Nf6+ gxf6 17.Bxf6 Nxe5 18.Qxe5 1-0
Simon Reeves (2065) - Mark Kernighan (2245) - 22nd National High School Championship: Kansas City, MO 1990 1.d3 c5 2.Nd2 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.dxe4 Nc6 5.g3 Nf6 6.Bg2 Bg4 7.Ne2 e6 8.0-0 Qd7 9.f3 Bh5 10.g4 Bg6 11.h4 h6 12.Nf4 Bh7 13.g5 hxg5 14.hxg5 Ng8 15.Nc4 b5 16.Qxd7+ Kxd7 17.Rd1+ Kc7 18.Ne3 Bd6 19.Ng4 Nge7 20.c3 Ng6 21.Nxg6 Bxg6 22.a4 a6 23.f4 Bh5 24.Bf3 Rab8 25.e5 Be7 26.axb5 axb5 27.Ra6 Rb6 28.Rd7+ Kxd7 29.Rxb6 Rc8 30.Rxb5 Bxg4 31.Bxg4 Rb8 32.Rxb8 Nxb8 33.Bf3 g6 34.Kf2 Kc7 35.Ke3 Kb6 36.Bd1 Kb5 37.c4+ Kb6 38.Ba4 Nc6 39.Bxc6 Kxc6 40.Kd3 Bd8 41.Bd2 Kb7 42.Kc2 Ka6 43.Kb3 Bb6 44.Ka4 Bd8 45.Be3 Be7 46.Bf2 Bf8 47.Be1 Kb6 48.Ba5+ Kc6 49.Bd8 Kd7 50.Bf6 Kc6 51.Ka5 Kc7 52.Kb5 Kb7 53.Bd8 Kc8 54.Bb6 Be7 55.Kc6 1-0
Josh Manion (2359) - Alex Sidelnikov (2353) - 25th National High School Championship: Dallas, TX 1993 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.e4 e5 5.Nf3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Ng4 9.Bg5 f6 10.Bd2 Nh6 11.Rc1 Nf7 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Qc2 c6 14.Rfd1 Qe7 15.a3 Nc5 16.b4 Ne6 17.Be3 Nfg5 18.Nxg5 fxg5 19.Bg4 Nd4 20.Bxd4 exd4 21.Bxc8 dxc3 22.Bg4 Rad8 23.h3 Bd4 24.Bf3 c5 25.b5 Qe5 26.Qe2 h5 27.Rf1 Qf4 28.e5 g4 29.hxg4 hxg4 30.Bxg4 Bxf2+ 31.Qxf2 Qxg4 32.Qxc5 Rxf1+ 33.Rxf1 Qd4+ 34.Qxd4 Rxd4 35.e6 Rxc4 36.Rc1 Kf8 37.Kf2 Ke7 38.Ke3 Kxe6 39.Kd3 Kd5 40.Rxc3 Rxc3+ 41.Kxc3 Ke4 42.Kc4 b6 43.g4 g5 44.a4 Ke5 45.a5 bxa5 46.Kb3 Kf4 47.Ka4 Kxg4 48.Kxa5 Kf5 49.Ka6 g4 50.Kxa7 g3 51.b6 g2 52.b7 g1Q+ 53.Ka8 Qa1+ 54.Kb8 Ke6 0-1
Steven Winer (2142) - Greg Shahade (2277) - 28th Annual National High School Championship: Somerset, NJ 1996 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Nge2 Ne4 6.Qc2 Bb7 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 f5 9.b3 0-0 10.Bb2 d6 11.d5 Nxc3 12.Qxc3 e5 13.f4 Nd7 14.Be2 Qh4+ 15.g3 Qe7 16.0-0 c6 17.dxc6 Bxc6 18.b4 Rae8 19.Bf3 Bxf3 20.Rxf3 exf4 21.gxf4 Nf6 22.Rg3 Rf7 23.Qd4 Ng4 24.h3 Qh4 25.Rxg4 fxg4 26.hxg4 Qg3+ 27.Kh1 Rxe3 28.Rd1 Qh3+ 29.Kg1 Rg3+ 30.Kf2 Rg2+ 0-1
