Chicago Public League Sports Blog

Whitney Young - 3rd at chess state tournament

CPS Results at State Tournament in bold

Rk	Pr	School	Pts	TBk
1	1	Aurora (Illinois Math and Science Academy)	7.0	131.0
2	2	Northbrook (Glenbrook North)	6.0	119.2
3	3	Chicago (Whitney Young)	6.0	113.7
4	6	Winnetka (New Trier)	6.0	111.2
5	4	Lincolnshire (Stevenson)	6.0	110.4
6	7	Park Ridge (Maine South)	6.0	105.8
7	5	Hinsdale (Central)	6.0	88.7
8	9	Naperville (North)	6.0	86.8
9	8	Naperville (Neuqua Valley)	6.0	80.2
10	24	Glenview (Glenbrook South)	5.0	98.8
11	11	Barrington	5.0	79.2
12	12	Palatine (Fremd)	5.0	75.3
13	15	Evanston (Twp.)	5.0	74.8
14	21	Summit (Argo)	5.0	74.2
15	13	Dunlap	5.0	73.6
16	14	Chicago (Northside)	5.0	71.8
17	19	Belleville (East)	5.0	70.1
18	71	Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)	5.0	69.9
19	20	Naperville (Central)	5.0	68.9
20	25	Aurora (Waubonsie Valley)	5.0	68.5
21	16	Tinley Park (Andrew)	5.0	61.6
22	10	Highland Park	5.0	60.0
23	17	Orland Park (Sandburg)	5.0	56.4
24	27	New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central)	5.0	53.8
25	60	Normal (Community West)	5.0	51.1
26	33	Lisle (Benet Academy)	5.0	50.6
27	62	Skokie (Niles North)	5.0	49.6
28	126	Flossmoor (Homewood-F.)	5.0	48.8
29	38	Chicago (Lane)	5.0	44.3
30	49	Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West)	5.0	42.6
31	76	Urbana (University)	4.5	63.3
32	77	Chicago (St. Ignatius College Prep)	4.5	62.1
33	26	Wheaton (W. Warrenville South)	4.5	60.3
34	35	Wheaton (North)	4.5	57.4
35	18	Cary (C.-Grove)	4.0	64.3
36	44	Normal (Community)	4.0	59.6
37	22	Palatine (H.S.)	4.0	57.2
38	51	Elgin (H.S.)	4.0	56.0
39	84	Bloomington (H.S.)	4.0	54.3
40	23	Harvard	4.0	53.8
41	32	Plainfield (South)	4.0	53.1
42	31	Aurora (Metea Valley)	4.0	52.3
43	48	Chicago (Payton)	4.0	51.0
44	40	Mt. Prospect (Prospect)	4.0	49.4
45	37	Brimfield	4.0	48.4
46	28	Chicago (St. Patrick)	4.0	48.3
47	41	Chicago (Lincoln Park)	4.0	47.4
48	70	Bloomington (Central Catholic)	4.0	46.9
49	29	Heyworth	4.0	46.6
50	53	Bismarck (B.-Henning)	4.0	45.1
51	46	Chicago (Brother Rice)	4.0	44.6
52	45	Shabbona (Indian Creek)	4.0	42.5
53	34	Rockford (Jefferson)	4.0	42.2
54	64	Metamora	4.0	42.2
55	56	Waukegan (H.S.)	4.0	41.6
56	73	Arlington Heights (Hersey)	4.0	41.2
57	39	Peoria (Richwoods)	4.0	41.2
58	43	Darien (Hinsdale South)	4.0	40.0
59	113	Franklin Park-Northlake (Leyden)	4.0	38.8
60	52	Maple Park (Kaneland)	4.0	38.5
61	36	Joliet (Central)	4.0	36.3
62	57	Lemont (H.S.)	4.0	35.9
63	72	Bensenville (Fenton)	4.0	35.6
64	79	Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East)	4.0	34.5
65	63	Batavia	4.0	33.7
66	59	Niles (Northridge Prep)	4.0	33.0
67	50	Bartlett	4.0	32.9
68	54	Bolingbrook	4.0	32.4
69	141	Chicago (De La Salle)	4.0	29.4
70	68	St. Charles (East)	4.0	28.7
71	116	East Peoria	4.0	28.3
72	42	Moline (H.S.)	4.0	25.9
73	47	McHenry	4.0	23.4
74	58	Rockford (Guilford)	4.0	20.8
75	98	Plainfield (Central)	3.5	41.2
76	66	Skokie (Niles West)	3.5	34.5
77	61	Mahomet (M.-Seymour)	3.5	33.1
78	30	Sterling (H.S.)	3.0	50.2
79	91	Downers Grove (North)	3.0	45.8
80	102	Buffalo Grove	3.0	42.1
81	75	Rolling Meadows	3.0	42.1
82	78	Chicago (Latin)	3.0	41.2
83	121	Schaumburg (H.S.)	3.0	41.0
84	69	Harvey (Thornton)	3.0	40.7
85	122	Elmhurst (York)	3.0	39.6
86	104	Riverside (R.-Brookfield)	3.0	35.5
87	93	West Chicago (H.S.)	3.0	34.7
88	94	Burbank (Reavis)	3.0	33.1
89	131	Palos Hills (Stagg)	3.0	32.8
90	85	Chicago (Mt. Carmel)	3.0	32.2
91	95	Grant Park	3.0	32.1
92	112	Chicago (Marist)	3.0	31.8
93	139	Streamwood	3.0	31.2
94	111	Aurora (Central Catholic)	3.0	31.0
95	89	Oak Lawn (Community)	3.0	30.7
96	115	Midlothian (Bremen)	3.0	30.4
97	80	Hoffman Estates (Conant)	3.0	29.8
98	105	Freeport (H.S.)	3.0	29.7
99	110	Oak Park (Fenwick)	3.0	28.3
100	96	Bradley (B.-Bourbonnais)	3.0	28.2
101	65	Chicago Heights (Bloom Twp.)	3.0	27.6
102	74	Marengo	3.0	27.3
103	86	Stillman Valley	3.0	27.3
104	120	Aurora (East)	3.0	27.1
105	109	Oak Lawn (Richards)	3.0	26.9
106	67	Plainfield (East)	3.0	25.7
107	140	Aurora (West Aurora)	3.0	25.7
108	92	Mattoon	3.0	25.3
109	81	Mt. Vernon (H.S.)	3.0	24.7
110	90	Romeoville (H.S.)	3.0	23.5
111	97	Lombard (Glenbard East)	3.0	21.8
112	82	New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West)	3.0	21.5
113	55	Morton	3.0	20.9
114	132	Ottawa (Twp.)	3.0	18.2
115	99	Joliet (West)	3.0	16.8
116	108	Palos Heights (Shepard)	3.0	16.5
117	107	Roselle (Lake Park)	2.5	36.4
118	129	Washington	2.5	27.1
119	87	Poplar Grove (North Boone)	2.5	26.4
120	88	Hoffman Estates (H.S.)	2.0	31.1
121	100	Belleville (West)	2.0	30.4
122	127	Mundelein (Carmel)	2.0	28.9
123	106	Byron	2.0	27.1
124	103	Carol Stream (Glenbard North)	2.0	25.8
125	136	Downers Grove (South)	2.0	25.7
126	123	Elk Grove Village (E.G.)	2.0	25.1
127	118	DeKalb	2.0	23.9
128	130	Chicago (Kelly)	2.0	22.5
129	149	Jacksonville (Routt)	2.0	20.1
130	144	Stanford (Olympia)	2.0	19.9
131	114	Chicago (St. Rita)	2.0	19.8
132	128	Dolton (Thornridge)	2.0	18.6
133	135	Richton Park (Rich South)	2.0	18.3
134	117	Lockport (Twp.)	2.0	18.1
135	124	Fox Lake (Grant)	2.0	17.8
136	148	Norridge (Ridgewood)	2.0	16.7
137	143	Peoria (H.S.)	2.0	16.1
138	83	St. Charles (North)	2.0	15.0
139	146	Chicago (Taft)	2.0	14.7
140	138	Crete (C.-Monee)	2.0	13.8
141	134	Chicago (UNO/Garcia)	2.0	11.4
142	101	Calumet City (Thornton Fractional North)	1.0	23.4
143	119	Plano	1.0	22.7
144	125	Oswego (H.S.)	1.0	21.7
145	142	Bartonville (Limestone)	1.0	10.6
146	133	Lansing (Thornton Fractional South)	1.0	10.3
147	145	Hillside (Proviso West)	1.0	8.3
148	137	Princeville	1.0	6.5
149	147	Freeport (Aquin)	1.0	6.3

Whitney Young Undefeated After Day 1 of State Chess Tournament

After Day 1 of the 2 day state chess tournament, Whitney Young is one of only 8 undefeated teams. 149 teams played the first 4 rounds of the 7 round tournament yesterday. The 8 remaining teams are a who's who in state chess powers. Representing the Dupage County is Hinsdalel Central, IMSA, and Naperville North. The Central Suburban League boasts New Trier, Glenbrook North, and Maine South. The other two teams are Stevenson and defending state champion Whitney Young.  The state champion and runner up will come from this group of 8 teams as they all play each other in the next round. Whitney Young will play Maine South.

Lane, Payton, Northside, and Lincoln Park are still in the mix for a top 10 state finish as they all have 3 wins out of the first 4 rounds.

Northside came up blazing with 3 dominant wins in the first 3 rounds before they got buzz sawed 68-0 by a very good and very young New Trier team that features 5 freshman and one sophomore on its state roster.

Lane got a tough first round draw in Glenbrook North. GBN pounded Lane 57-11. Lane's only win against GBN came in board 2. Sophomore Georgia Wolf(so) one of the top female players in the state beat Anatole Sullivan(sr) of GBN. Wolf is undefeated in the tournament so far at 4-0.

 

Whitney Young Dominates CPS Chess Tournament

Defending state chess champion Whitney Young won the CPS Chess Tournament in dominating fashion with a perfect 4 points. On the way they rolled over Hubbard, Payton, Lane Tech, and Lincoln Park.

Payton, led by 1st board runner up Asher Bornstein took a surprise 2nd after they beat Lane Tech in the final round. Lane finished 3rd.

Whitney Young and the rest of the CPS now prepares for the upcoming IHSA state chess tournament. Whitney Young won it last year with 3 freshman in its top 4 boards. The Dolphins look to win its 5th state chess championship in the last 7 years.

Northside Prep- 8th in the state last year was notably absent at the CPS tournament.  Traditional power Lane Tech- 10th in the state last year graduated its top 4 boards from last years team. All of their top boards did not have the best results at the CPS Tournament. The Indians seem to lack the firepower at the top like we are accustomed to seeing them.

Lincoln Park has to be a bit disappointed with their 4th place tam finish. Lincoln Park finished 12th in the state last year and has board 1 individual champion Pranav Srirnam(sr). Srirnam- has a 1968 chess rating and is regarded as one of the top 3 senior chess players in the state of Illinois. Spencer Lehman(sr) of Barrington is the top rated senior chess player in the state. (See top 150 list). Johnny Tran(sr) of Lincoln Park did come up with one of the more stunning results of the tournament after he upset highly regard Whitney Young sophomore Akhil Kalghatgi(so) in board 3.

Meanwhile Payton has found some good quality depth as 7 of their 8 boards finished 1 or two in the individual board finishes.

Round 7 State Chess Tournament- Result

Results

Whitney Young wins state.

Round 6 State Chess Tournament

Results

• Whitney Young beats Glenbrook North. The win sets up the anticipated #1 vs #2 matchup versus Stevenson in the final round. The winner will win state.
• Lincoln Park bounces back with a 36-32 win over Naperville Central to give them 5 points after 6 rounds and likely locks at top 10 state finish for Lincoln Park.
• NCP and Lane also won to give them 5 points. A win in the final round will lock up a top 10 state finish for both teams.

Round 5 - Chess State Tournament

Results

• Stevenson overwhelms Lincoln Park to know them out of the unbeaten ranks.
• Whitney Young keeps on rolling as they defeated Hinsdale Central 47.5-27.5. WY is still alive for a state championship.
• Lane and NCP wins, Payton loses.

Round 4 State Chess Tournament

Results

• Whitney Young and Lincoln Park still undefeated after 4 rounds. Any doubts of these two CPS powers have vanished as Whitney Young defeated Evanston 51-17 and Lincoln Park beat Maine South 42.5-25.5. Lincoln Park's depth proved the difference. After #1 board Andy Caen(sr) lost to undefeated sophmore whiz Jack Curcio(so) of Maine South and #2 board Samir Hadzic(sr) drew, the rest of the boards finished 5-1. Boards 3,4,6,and 8 so far are undefeated for Lincoln Park. LP goes into the final 3 rounds as one of the 6 remaining undefeated teams: Stevenson, Whitney Young, IMSA, Hinsdale Central, Lincoln Park, and Barrington. LP plays #1 Stevenson, WY plays HC, and IMSA plays Barrington in the 5th of 7 rounds starting today.
• Meanwhile Lane, Northside, and believe it or not Payton are all 3-1 and are still alive for top 10 state finishes. But to do that all will have to win at least 2 of their final 3 matches- all against good opponents who are will be vying for the same thing.

Round 3 State Chess Tournament

Round 3 Results

• Whitney Young dominated chess power Glenbrook South 60-8. The Dolphins are 3-0 after 3 rounds. But they face their biggest challenge yet in undefeated Evanston in the next round.
• Lane loses their first match after getting thumped by IMSA 56-12. IMSA had 5 wins, three draws, and 0 losses to Lane. Lane's hopes of a top 10 state finished are severely hurt. Though Lane should be able to handle Moline in the next round.
• Lincoln Park and Northside Prep both won 68-0 against Bismark-Hennign and DGS. Both teams are 3-0. Northside faces #1 seed Stevenson in the next round. Lincoln Park faces North Suburban Chess League south champion Maine South in the next round.
• Payton shut out DeLasalle 68-0. Payton is 2-1 and looking strong. Payton faces 201 Urbana in the 4th round.

Round 2 - State Chess Tournament

Results

Round 1 - State Chess Meet

Round 1 Results

All CPS teams breezed through their first round opponents in dominating fashion- with the exception of Payton who lost their first round game.

Chess State Meet Pairings

Pairings

In a year where some of the traditional chess powers are either a bit down or rebuilding, a CPS team or teams seem poised for a top 4 finish. Whitney Young- with all of their super freshman seem the likeliest to finish the highest for the CPS. The Dolphins are seeded #2 behind #1 Stevenson. Stevenson has one of the top players in the state in sophomore Alex Bain(so). They also have one of the top female players in the state in Miraanda Liu(fr). Lincoln Park- led by #1 board Andy Caen-is seeded #9. I feel that may be a bit high, but the Lions will take that seed- probably the highest in school history. Northside is 10th and Lane is 13th. Payton is 70th. I was surprised to see Evanston at #15, Hinsdale Central at #14, and Niles North way back at #27. Downstate Brimfield is at #20.

 

Whitney Young Takes Niles North Chess Tournament

Results

Freshmen Matthew Stevens(fr, board 1) and Akhil Kalghatgi(fr-board 3) had a combined 6 wins, 0 losses, and two draws to pace Whitney Young to the win. Whitney Young beat Highland Park in the final round 36-32. Stevens and Kalghatgi were well established young chess players in elementary school and are already making a big impact at the high school level.  Whitney Young thumped rival Lane Tech 40.5 to 27.5 in the 2nd round. Both teams are looking for top 10 finishes at next month's state chess tournament. Whitney Young looks to recapture the CPS tournament which they lost last year to Lane after snapped Whitney Young's long streak winning city.

Glenbard South Raider Chess Tournament Results

Results

• Northside Prep comes up with a surprise 2nd place finish including wins over Palatine and Central Suburban League power Highland Park. Their only loss was to first place Illinois Math and Science in slim 35-33 loss in the final round. Look out for Northside Prep in next month's state chess tournament.
• Lane was a very strong 4th place finish with their only loss to champion IMSA. Impressive wins over chess powers Niles North and Nequa Valley.  Both of those teams finished in the top 10 in the state last year. Lane looks to improve on last year's 10th place state finish.
• Lincoln Park finished 8th but did not have any wins against a top 20 finishing team. Li Jun Pan was undefeated for Lincoln Park at Board 4.
• Whitney Young's 13th place finish might be a bit deceiving. They had 2 68-0 wins and a close loss to Highland Park and a draw against Hinsdale Central. Hinsdale Central was 4th in the state last year, Highland Park at 11th. Whitney Young is a young team with a freshman at Board #1. I expect the Dolphins to bounce back and contend for a top 10 finish at state this February.

Strength of CPS Chess To Be In Full Display the Next Two Weekends

After basketball and boys soccer, the next most competitive CPS sport or activity is probably chess. The CPS finished 3 teams in the top 10 at state last year led by Lane Tech's 10th place state finish.

We will get a big indicator of how strong the CPS is this year as some of the top teams play in big tournaments the next two weekends. The Glenbard South Raider Tournament is January 16th and the Niles North 8-bd Tournament is January 23rd.

A lot of eyes will be on Whitney Young. The perennial state power had a "down" year for their standards last year with a 13th place state finish. But they have a huge inlfux of freshman talent this year. Led by freshman Matthew Stevens(fr), Whitney Young won the K-12 9th grade national championship in the fall.

Lincoln Park- 39th at state last year- looks to have a much improved team this year as they gave a good game to Whitney Young at the Chicago Prep Bowl last November. #1 board Andy Caen defeated Stevens to take the Board #1 individual title.

Lane- 10th is the state last year - is led by Zhuoxon Jiang(sr), who was 5th in the state last year in Board 2.

Northside, Kelly and Payton also have solid programs. Taft possibly has the makings of making one.

State Chess Round 5, Round 6, Round 7 (final round)

Lane Tech finishes 10th in the state!

Results- Round 5

Results Round 6

Results Round 7

Final CPS Team Standings

10. Lane Tech
13. Whitney Young
17. Northside Prep
35. Payton
39. Lincoln Park
56. Kelly
83. Taft
107. Marshall

Mark Mateica(sr) of Taft finishes 9th in the state in board 1.

State Chess - Round 4

Results

State Chess - Round 3

Results

New Trier 37.5 Whitney Young 30.5
Benet 37 Northside 31
Evanston 44 Payton 24
Lane Tech 45 Mundelein 23
Lincoln Park 60 Moline 8
Kelly 37.5 Seymour 30.5
Wheaton North 49.5 Taft 18.5

After 3 rounds Lane Tech is the only undefeated CPS team after their 45-23 win over Mundelein. Lane won 4 of the 5 last boards. Things will get much more rougher for Lane in the 4th round as they face a powerful undefeated Evanston team. Their top 2 boards are perfect so far in the tournament. Evanston beat upstart Paytin 44-24.

Whitney Young lost a close match to New Trier 37.5 to 30.5. Too bad these two chess powers met relatively early in the tournament. Match up like this usually don't happen until later in the tournament. It was a very close match with both teams picking up two wins, two losses, and two draws. If any game turned out different in Whitney Young's favor. Or even if Whitney Young had picked up an extra draw or two the match result would have been switched. New Trier has termendous talent in board 1 in freshman Zhaozhi Li(fr). Li defeated CPS champion Jimi Atinkande(jr).

Northside's 37-31 loss to Benet was even closer.  Only 6 points separated these two chess powers. Northside had two wins, one loss and a draw in the top 4 boards, but the difference was that Benet's depth. Benet picked up 3 wins in the final 4 boards.

Lincoln Park and Kelly both looked good in the 3rd round in their wins and are both 2-1.

State Chess - Round 2 Results

Round 2 Results

Payton Upsets Naperville Central 38-30!
Payton pulls off the upset of the tournament so far.

Lane 58 Bloomington 10
Whitney Young 58 Heyworth 10
Northside 64.5 Waukegan 3.5
CPS powers cruise. All three are 2-0.

Dunlap 39 Lincoln Park 29
Andrew Caen(jr)- 9th in the state for Lincoln Park loses at Board #1. Dunlap wins in three of the top 4 boards. Lincoln Park- 25th in the state last year, get's upset by Dunlap who did not even field a team at the state tournament last season.

Kelly 38 Matoon 30
Taft 48 Joliet West 20
Taft picks up first tournament win.

 

State Chess Tournament - Round 1 Results

Results= Round 1

Kelly and Taft lost their round 1 games. Everyone else dominated their opponents. Lane 60.5 Conant 7.5, Lincoln Park and Whitney Young shut out their opponents. Even Payton won 62-6 over North Boone. Northside Prep suffered a loss and a draw in their top two boards but won every other board in their 50.5 to 17.5 win over Barrington. Due to tiebreaker scenarios at the end, every match is important. Maximizing points in these early games may prove big in standings later.

Payton has a tough match vs Naperville Central in Round 2. Lane, WY, and NCP are big favorites against their 2nd round opponents. Lincoln Park could have fits against Dunlap.

Whitney Young Looks to Extend State Chess Trophy Run

#1 Board CPS champion Jimi Akintonde(jr) and Whitney Young look to extend their incredible state trophy run in chess.

State Tournament Finishes for Whitney Young
2014 - 1st
2013- 1st
2012 - 3rd
2011 - 1st
2010- 8th
2009- 2nd
2008 -2nd
2007 -2nd
2006- 3rd
2005 - 11th
2004 - 42nd

No team has been more dominant at the state level in chess than Whitney Young has been the last 4 years. During that span they won state 3 times and finished 3rd once. If they are to win another trophy this year at this weekend's state chess tournament they will have to do it without chess prodigy Sam Schmakel(class of 2014) - who graduated. Schmakel bursted in the scene in 2011 when as a freshman he was the number two board for Whitney Young and helped them win a state championship three times in the 4 years he was at Whitney Young. Without Schmakel, Whitney Young has not been as dominant this year as in years past.

Here are some of their notable wins and losses this school season:

Key Wins
Waubonsee Valley 39-29
Benet 36.5-31.5
Hinsdale Central 39-29
Ilinois Math and Science 50-18
Northside Prep 61-7

Key Losses
Northside Prep 5-3
New Trier 39-29
Naperville Central 45.5-20
Lane Tech 34.5-33.5

Whitney Young has some key wins this year against chess powers like Hinsdale Central and Benet. But their 4 biggest losses this year have come against New Trier, Naperville Central, and CPS rivals Lane Tech and Northside Prep. Their loss at Lane came at the CPS chess tournament.

Whitney Young returns several key members from last year's state championship team including #1 board CPS Tournament champion Jimi Akintande(jr), last year's #3 board Phillip Parker-Turner(jr), last year's #4 board Oliver Natarajan(sr), Caelan Burke-Kaiser(jr), and Christopher Rupprecht(jr). This means Whitney Young returns a veteran team with state championship experience and will be continue to be a tough nut to crack at the state tournament.

 

Lane Wins CPS Chess Tournament

Konrad Wegrzyniak(right,sr) and Lane Tech chess is back. The Indians captured their first CPS Chess Title in a while after beating defending state champion Whitney Young and state power Northside Prep (5th in the state last year) in the tournament. Lane tipped Whitney Young 34.5 to 33.5 in the crucial 2nd round match up. This year's Lane team returns 9 of their top 10 players form last year's team that finished 14th in the state.

 

Full Board Results

Team Results
	No.	Name	Pts	TBrk1	TBrk2	TBrk3	TBrk4	Rnd1	Rnd2	Rnd3	Rnd4
	1	Lane	4.0	23.0	7.0	9.0	10.0	W6,62.0	W2,34.5	W4,46.5	W5,42.0
	2	Whitney Young	3.0	27.0	8.0	9.0	7.0	W7,68.0	L1,33.5	W8,68.0	W4,61.0
	3	Lincoln Park	3.0	10.5	5.0	5.0	7.0	W10,68.0	L4,5.0	W7,59.0	W8,51.0
	4	Northside College Prep	2.0	25.0	6.0	11.0	7.0	W8,63.0	W3,63.0	L1,21.5	L2,7.0
	5	Kelly	2.0	18.0	3.0	8.0	6.0	W9,68.0	L8,29.0	W6,41.0	L1,26.0
	6	Taft	2.0	10.0	3.0	7.0	4.0	L1,6.0	W10,64.5	L5,27.0	W9,47.0
	7	Marine Academy	2.0	7.0	4.0	7.0	4.0	L2,0.0	W9,41.5	L3,9.0	W10,38.5
	8	Marshall	1.0	11.5	7.0	10.0	3.0	L4,5.0	W5,39.0	L2,0.0	L3,17.0
	9	Hubbard	1.0	7.0	4.0	6.0	2.0	L5,0.0	L7,26.5	W10,35.5	L6,21.0
	10	Solorio	0.0	8.0	5.0	8.0	0.0	L3,0.0	L6,3.5	L9,32.5	L7,29.5

NCP chess team won Prep Bowl - first time ever

The Northside Prep chess team won its first ever Prep Bowl on Saturday (Nov. 8). NCP beat Lane Tech in the 3rd round -- after Lane Tech had beaten NCP at the Evanston tournament last weekend -- and NCP beat Whitney Young in the final round 42-26.

 

NCP's Coach Caldwell told me that the Mustangs got the result over Whitney Young with wins by junior Ronald Rodriguez on 3rd board, freshman Mindren Lu on 4th board, sophomore Matthew Kosova on 5th board, and senior Charlie Sell on 7th board, and draws by senior Max Haugh-Ewald on 2nd board and sophomore Isha Gani on 6th board (the team's only female player).

 

NCP's senior 1st board Slavisa Djukic deserves special recognition: Since he played (and won) as a freshman in the 2012 City Championship victory over Whitney Young, I believe he is the only player ever to play on a team that beat WY in the Prep Bowl and on a team that beat WY at City. A historic achievement for Djukic.

 

Jeff Caveney

Whitney Young Wins State in Chess for 3rd Time in 4 Years

Sam Schmakel(sr), the #1 board for Whitney Young.

Monster Day for CPS at State Chess Tournament

• Whitney Young wins state after a dominating 48.5 to 19.5 win over previously undeated Hinsdale Central.
• Northside Prep finishes 5th with their only loss coming to state runner up Hinsdale Central.
  
• Lane Tech finishes 14th. The Indians improved from their 23rd place state finish from last season.
  
• Lincoln Park finishes 20th. Their 20th place state finish is one of the highest in school history. Only losses came from chess powers Stevenson (7th) and IMSA (11th).
• Kelly finishes 25th. Kelly finished the tournament with a great 5-2 record. Their only losses came from Nequa Valley (10th) and Bloomington (13th). Great improvement from their 66th place finish from last year.
• Payton finishes 37th. That is a vast improvement from their 67th place state finish from last year.
• The CPS had 12 individuals finish in the top 10 from their perspective boards. Even Marshall had 2 top 10 finishing individuals.

 

Day 2 IHSA State Chess Tournament

Oliver Natrajan(jr-left) and Whitney Young are undefeated heading to the final day of the state tournament.

Round 5 Pairings/Results
Whitney Young  54  New Trier 14
Hinsdale Central 46.5   Northside 21.5
Stevenson 63   Lincoln Park 5
Lane Tech 51    Barrington 16
Bloomington 35   Kelly 33
Payton 51  North Boone 17 
Bradley Bourbanaisse 40   Marshall 28

Round 6 Pairings/Results
Whitney Young 43 Urbana 25
Northside Prep 57  Lane Tech 11
Lincoln Park 45  OPRF 23
Payton 30 Waukegan 38
Kelly 48  Indian Creek 20
St. Charles East 57.5  Marshall 10.5

Final Round Pairings/Results
Kelly  36  Normal 32
Lane 61.5  Argo 6.5
Lincoln Park  46 Palatine 22
Northside 53.5  Wheaton Warrenville South 14.5
Payton 49 Danville 19
Marshall 46.5 TF North 21.5
Whitney Young 48.5   Hinsdale Central 19.5

Blogging...Day 1 IHSA State Chess Tournament

Jimi Akintonde(jr) and Whitney Young are looking for its 3rd state title in 4 years. Whitney Young is seeded #1.  The first day of the 2 day IHSA state chess tournament starts today at 10:00am in the Peoria Civic Center.

last updated 8:23pm

Round 4 Pairings/Results
Whitney Young  47 Benet 21
Northside 49.5  IMSA 18.5
New Trier 41.5  Lane Tech 26.5
St. Charles East  17.5  Lincoln Park 50.5
Kelly 63    Lincoln-Way East 5
Bartlett 42  Marshall 26
Payton 63 Cary Grove 5

Neilski's 4th round thoughts:
Lincoln Park wins convincingly over St Charles East 50.5 to 17.5 as they swept the top 4 boards. #1 board Andy Caen(so) and Li Jun Pan(so) are 4-0 for Lincoln Park. Both are only sophomores.
Whitney Young and Northside Prep are one of 7 undefeated teams left in the tournament as Whitney Young won 47-21 over Benet and Northside won 49.5 to 18.5 over IMSA. Whitney Young looks for its 3rd state championship in 4 years. Northside is looking for its first state trophy. The two met faced each other in the final round of last year's state championship and will most likely face each other again sometime in tomorrows final day. Lane Tech suffered its first loss, a 41.5 to 26.5 loss to the Trevians of New Trier. Lane will go into the final round with hopes of a top 10 state finish. Kelly continues to look strong as they thumped Lincoln Way East 63-5.

Overall the CPS is flying high as two teams are undefeated at 3-0 and 3 teams are 2-1.

After Day 1 the CPS has Whitney Young 1st, Northside 2nd, Lane Tech 9th, Lincoln Park 27th, Kelly 31st, Payton 49th and Marshall 57th. The CPS has an opportunity to have 3 teams in the top 10 and 5 teams in the top 25. That would be an incredible result for one conference.

Round 3 Results
Whitney Young  40.5  Glenbrook South 27.5
Northside  58  Highland Park 10
Lincoln Park 61     Elk Grove Village 7
Lane Tech 52.5   Metea Valley 15.5
Payton 26.5    Richwoods 41.5
Kelly  68 Thornton 0
York 25 Marshall 43

Neilski's 3rd round thoughts:
Kelly shuts out Thornton 68-0. Marshall stuns York 43-25. Lincoln Park crushed Elk Grove Village 61-7. All three teams are a healthy 2-1 after 3 rounds. Northside Prep flexed its muscles with a big 58-10 win over Central Suburban Leage chess power Highland Park who entered the round undefeated after wins against Oak Park River Forest and Waubonsee Valley. Whitney Young had to use the strength of its lower boards to get by a very good Glenbrook South team. In board 1 at battle against 2 players with over 2000 chess ratings Glenbrook South's Gavin McClanahan(jr) upset Whitney Young stud Sam Schmakel(sr). Lane Tech continued to impress after a 52.5 to 15.5 win over Metea Valley. Lane was 5-2-1 against Metea Valley. Overall one of the best rounds by the CPS. Lane, Northside Prep, and Whitney Young are all undefeated. Kelly, Marshall, and Lincoln Park are all 2-1. The CPS is showing that it is one of the top chess conferences in the state. But there are 4 more rounds to go - including one more tonight and 3 more tomorrow.

Round 2 Results
Whitney Young 58 Niles North 10
Northside 56 Normal 12
Illinois Math and Science Academy 43 Lincoln Park 25
Lane Tech 56 Hoffman Estates 12
Payton 48 Joliet Central 20
Kelly 39.5 Maine West 28.5
Marshall 19 McHenry 49

Neilski's 2nd round thoughts: Wow! Whitney Young steamrolled traditional chess power Niles North 58-10. Northside Prep took care of business versus Normal 56-12. Lincoln Park suffered their first loss after a 43-25 setback to IMSA. Lane Tech looks much improved over last two years as the Indians demolished Hoffman Estates 56-12. Top 5 board are undefeated after 2 rounds for Lane. I know it is really early but after the first two rounds, Lane, Northside, and Whitney Young are tied for first with an undefeated 2-0 record. However, if you include tie break points, Hinsdale Central is in first place, Benet is on 2nd place, and Lane Tech is in 3rd place. Payton and Kelly bounced back with 2nd round wins after losing in the first round.

Round 1 Results
Whitney Young 55 Downers Grove North 13
Northside Prep 57 Kaneland 11
Urbana 58  Payton 10
Nequa Valley 57  Kelly 11
Lane Tech 65 St. Ignatius 3
Lincoln Park 55 Andrew 13
Lincoln Way-Central 32 Marshall 36

Neilski's first round thoughts: #1 seed lost on boards 5 and 8 to much lower seed Downers Grove - when I was expecting a 68-0 Whitney Young win. Lane Tech, Northside, and Lincoln Park looked strong. Lane had all wins an only had a draw from their 7th board. #113 seed Marshall upset #75 seed Lincoln Way-Central. 2nd round matchups for all the teams that won in the first round. Lane and Lincoln Park will almost surely face a higher seed in the 2nd round.

State Chess Tournament Round 1 Pairings

Round 1 Pairings

Whitney Young seeded #1
Northside Prep #2
Lane #15
LIncoln Park #26

Whitney Young and Northside Prep Finish 2-3 at National Blitz Chess Tournament

Chess is a major deal at Whitney Young. The school busted out the band and even cheerleaders at a Pep Rally to celebrate their state chess cahmpions.(ABC photo)

Whitney Young and Northside are proven chess powers in the state level as Whitney Young won state in chess and Northside Prep finished 8th at the IHSA state tournament.

In addittion, they are showing that they are national powers as well.

"Whitney Young and Northside Prep both sent teams to the big Supernationals tournament this weekend, and at the national blitz tournament Thursday evening, their teams finished #2 and #3 in the nation! (National powerhouse Catalina Foothills from Arizona finished #1.) I think that's an amazing accomplishment for CPS chess," said a reader.

 

 

Final day CPS at state chess tournament blogging

#1 board Sam Schmakle and Whitney Young are undefeated and positioned for a top 3 if not better state finish.

#4 Whitney Young plays #2 Stevenson - both are undefeated. This is one of the marquee matchups in the 5th round. It could have been worthy of a state championship game. The winner will almost surely finish in the top 2 in state.

#7 Northside retains a high ranking of #7 despite suffering their first loss yesterday to undefeated Naperville North. The Mustangs will face off vs Wheaton North in a must win if they want to keep their state trophy hopes alive.

#34 Lane is suddenly playing a relavant game as they face state power Niles North. Niles North was upset yesterday by Richards and want to put their frustrations on a resurgent Lane program who ended yesterday by thumping LIncoln-Way East 61-7 and Downers Grove South 62-6.

Lincoln Park ended yesterday 3-1 and could propel itself to even higher heights if they can upset  Waubonsie Valley.

5th round schedule/scoreboard (# indicated current state tournament ranking)
Whitney Young 57  Stevenson 11
#7 Northside 63  #27 Wheaton North 5
#18 Niles North 39  #34 Lane Tech 29
#12 Waubonsie Valley 43.5  #17 Lincoln Park 24.5
#60 Payton 19  #48 Argo 49
#74 Kelly 37   #84 St.Rita 31
#121 Marshall 18  #112 CMSA 50

6th round scoreboard
Whitney Young 52  Urbana 16
Northside 42.5 Evanston 24.5
Lane 40 Hinsdale South 28
Lincoln Park 56 Moline 12
Cary Grove 46.5 Kelly 21.5
Payton 56 Mundelein 12
CMSA 40 Belleville East 28
Plainfield Central 56 Marshall 12

7th and final round scoreboard
Whitney Young 52 Northside Prep 16
Lincoln Park 25.5 vs IMSA 42.5
Lane Tech 57 Elk Grove Village 11
Stagg 18 Payton 50
Lake Park 11.5 Kelly 62.5
Marshall 27 Proviso West 41
Aurora Central Catholic 56.5 CMSA 11.5

First Day State Chess Tournament Blogging

After Round 1
Northside, Whitney Young, Kelly, Lane Tech, and Payton all came up with easy first round wins. Kelly crushed Joliet Central 68-0. Lincoln Park lost to Urbana 62.5 to 5.5. Marshall had a 47-21 setback to St.Rita.

Round 2 Preview
The competition for all the first round winners have gotten significantly greater as Northside faces Bloomington, Whitney Young has a tough foe in Glenbrook South, Kelly faces Maine South, Lane has Waubonsee Valley, and Payton will try its luck versus Urbana. Kelly, Lane, and Payton will be lucky to get more than a couple wins against some of the better teams in the state. I expect Northside to dominate against Bloomington. I'm not sure how Whitney Young got drawn with traditionally tough Glenbrook South so early in the tournament.

Round 2 Scores
Whitney Young 62.5 Glenbrook South 5.5
Northside 61 Bloomington 7
Waubonsee Valley 57 Lane 11
Maine South 57.5 Kelly 10.5
Urbana 37 Payton 31
Lincoln Park 63 Danville 5
Byron 42 Marshall 26
Chicago Math and Science Charter 43 St. Charles North 25

Round 3 Scores
Whitney Young 68 Illinois Math and Science Academy 0
Northside 64 Riverside-Brookfield 0
Lane Tech 61 Lincoln Way-East 7
Kelly 51 Joliet West 17
Lincoln Park 68 Lemont 0
Bloomington 54 Payton 14
CMAS 0 Bradley Bourbanaisse 68
Marshall 40.5 Streamwood 17.5

Round 4 Scores
Whitney Young 59.5 New Trier 8.5
Naperville North 42.5 Northside 25.5
Urbana 51 Kelly 17
Lane Tech 62 Downers Grove South 6
Lincoln Park 45.5 Normal 22.5
St. Patrick 36 Marshall 32
Payton 49.5 Byron 14.5
Lincoln Way-West 37 CMSA 31

Northside Prep suffers its first loss of the tournament with a 42.5-25. loss to powerful Naperville North. Naperville North had 2 wins and 1 draw in the first 3 board to key their win. Northside still has a chance to place high in tomorrow's final 3 rounds. However, there is no more margin for error. Whitney Young continues it's dominance by shutting out IMSA 68-0 in round 3 and then a large margin of 59.5 to 8.5 over north suburban power New Trier. Whitney Young is one of 6 undefeated teams remaining in the tournament. They are the usual suspects: Naperville North, Stevenson, Evanston, Hinsdale Central, and Benet.

Lincoln Park and Lane Tech both had great first days as they both finished 3-1 after day 1.

Overall great first day for the CPS after day 1. The CPS has one undefeated team and 3 teams at 3-1.

Final 3 rounds will be tomorrow.

CPS Gearing Up for State Chess Tournament

Konrad Wegzyrniak(so-r) of Lane Tech. Lane looks to get its chess program back up to groove after a setback last year. Lane has 4 chess coaches on its team.

The IHSA state chess tournament is this Friday and Saturday. A record 138 teams are in the field.

First round CPS pairings;

#1 Whitney Young vs #33 Argo
#2 Northside vs #34 Kaneland
#4 Urbana vs #36 Lincoln Park
#31 Lane vs #63 Bradley Burbonaise
#63 Kelly vs #103 Joliet Central
#72 Payton vs #109 Princeville
#94 Marshall vs #131 St.Rita

The top two seeds Whitney Young and Northside should easily be able to take care of Argo and Kaneland. Key for them is to win 68-0 to help put in seedings and tiebreaker points later on in the tournament. Northside is expected to put up seniors in 3 of its top 4 boards. So they are experienced and ready to go for a state trophy. Whitney Young beat Northside 36-32 to win the CPS championship, but out of the 8 boards, each team took 4 boards. So the two teams are very close.  They are right up there state wise. I would say there are maybe 12 teams including Northside and Whitney Young who have serious state trophy chances.

Lincoln Park has a tough opening draw vs #4 seed Urbana- who is always a trophy contender. Lane- a #31 seed opens with Bradley Bourbainaise. It was only a couple years ago that Lane was a top 10-15 type chess program every year. Lane has 4 chess coaches on its state roster this year and look to have a good showing. For this year's Lane team 5-2 is very optimistic. I'd say 4-3 or better and that would be good.

Watch out for Mark Jungo(fr) of Kelly. Jungo is Kelly's #1 board and he is only a freshman.