Chess club makes the right moves to the top

SPARTA-The Sparta Chess Club Middle School and Elementary Chess teams successfully participated in the National Youth Chess Championship held in Hershey, Penn. The teams played 29 games over three days against one 150 teams from across the country as part of a tournament sponsored by the US Chess Federation. The Middle School Team placed sixth in the main event and the Elementary Team placed 11th in their section. In addition to serious tournament play, both teams won awards in the speed chess event where the players must make all of their moves within a five-minute time limit. Michael Sobin and Ryan Caruso won an individual award for superior play within his rating class. "All team members played well above their national rankings and scored many upsets throughout the tournament. Their performance shows their increasing thought processes and growing analytical ability. The parent support during the event was outstanding," said coach Tom Murray. Participants included Colby Isenberg, Scott VanderVeen, Kyle Bay, Owen Whittley, Bryce Bartling, Kyle Ross Matchett, Ryan Caruso and Michael Sobin. The team also recently participated in the New Jersey State Grade Level Championships at Brookdale College. The first grade team of Austin Reinauer, Alex Mordan, and John Mooney were crowned state champions and the team of Scott VanderVeen, Owen Whitley, Kyle Bay, John Irwin and Colby Isenberg placed second in the sixth grade event. Kyle Ross won fourth place individual in the 8th grade event. The Sparta Chess Club is a non-profit organization founded to bring chess to the children of Sparta. Donations to the Sparta Chess Club may be made through the American Express Financial Advisors office in Sparta.