Monday, March 10, 2008

State Championship Here This Weekend


Ray Player to be Feted as Warren Scholar

The Illinois State K-8 Chess Championship will take place this weekend here in the Chicago area, and Sonam Ford, a member of the Ray School Chess Club, will be recognized along with a small group of outstanding players as a Warren Chess Scholar.

The Warren Scholars, who typically number about 25-30 statewide, are scholastic and junior players who are nationally ranked in their age groups. Ray’s Phillip Parker-Turner has been a Warren Scholar twice, and this year Sonam will follow in his footsteps by virtue of his 1245 rating, which should put him in the top 40 eight-year-olds in the United States when the U.S. Chess Federation issues its April supplement. Congratulations, Sonam, on an exceptional achievement.

Back to the state championship. It will be held in Glenview at the Park Center, 2400 Chestnut. I can’t be there to corral the Ray squad in the usual way, but all K-8 students are eligible, and I’d urge anyone who wants the thrill of playing in a state championship to go. The details are here, and the deadline for signing up is this Wednesday, March 12, so don’t delay. You have to be a member of the USCF, and the Ray School Chess Club will reimburse parents of any kids in the club who go there and sign up at the tournament. Enjoy.

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