Students from throughout Kansas battled it out over chess boards on Saturday at Sacred Heart Junior/Senior High in Salina. Students, K-12, competed in three sections for both individual and team honors. The sections were: (K-12), Middle School (K-8), and Elementary (K-5). Fifth grader Bryan Jiang of Sunrise Christian Academy won the Elementary section with a perfect 6 out of 6. Fourth grader James Myose (also a student at Sunrise Christian Academy) took second place in the Elementary section with 5 out of 6. Third grader Sam Stone of Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Salina and fifth grader Kayotte Nichols of Canton-Galva Elementary tied for third with 4 points each. Sunrise Christian Academy of Belaire, KS was the Elementary team champion with a team score of 14. Saint Mary’s of Salina was the second place team in the Elementary section with 9 points, and Canton-Galva Elementary finished third with 5.5 points. “Young Bryan Jiang just continues to get better and better,” said tournament director Tom Brownscombe, “and there don’t seem to be any elementary teams in central or western Kansas that can compete with Sunrise Christian Academy.”

Sixth grader Zack Bieberly of Saint Mary’s was the Middle School Champion with 5 out of a possible 6 points. Seventh grader Cameron VanBaal of Pleasant Valley Middle School, sixth grader Sarah Myose of Sunrise Christian Academy, and eighth grader Nathan LeValley of Sacred Heart Junior/Senior High tied for second place with 4.5 points each. The host school, Sacred Heart Junior/Senior High, won the Middle School team title with a team score of 14.5. Pleasant Valley Middle School (Wichita,KS) was the second place school in the Middle School section with 13.5 points, and Anthony Elementary of Anthony, KS was the third place team with 10 points. “I’ve never seen Zack play so well, “said Tom Brownscombe, Bieberly’s chess instructor. “He fell behind in four of his six games, but he fought back to claim the win in three of those four games.”

Tenth grader Kyle Burris of Wichita’s Trinity Academy, twelfth grader Charlie Arbuckle of McPherson HS, and home schooled student Elijah Purdy of Oxford, KS tied for first place in the High School section with 5 points each. Kyle Burris won the championship trophy with superior tie-breaks. The Purdy home school chess club won the High School team title with 15 team points. Chapparal HS of Anthony, KS finished second in the High School section with 13.5 points, and Garden City HS from Garden City, KS finished third with 12 points. “Elijah Purdy was next to the youngest player in the High School section. He was eligible for the Middle School section but chose to play in the High School section instead to help his team,” said Brownscombe. “But Charlie Arbuckle’s, from McPherson, result was even more impressive than Elijah’s. Charlie has been away from competitive chess for more than two years, yet he was able to tie for first place after a two year break.”

The tournament was organized by Saint Mary’s Catholic School staff member Tina LeValley and directed by Tom Brownscombe. Additional information about the tournament is available at www.ksca.us (the Kansas Scholastic Chess Association website).

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