Bronxville School Chess Team Earns National Recognition
May 21, 2014: The Bronxville Chess Team earned two team trophies at the National Elementary (K-6) Championship sponsored by the United States Chess Federation. The event, attended by over 2.000 students, was held during Mother's Day weekend at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.
The Bronxville team consisted of nineteen students from first through sixth grades, nearly half of whom were competing at the national level for the first time. The tournament consisted of seven rounds of play over three days. Each match was preceded by team coaching and followed by a careful analysis of the game by coaches Chris Welcome and Nolan Kordsmeier.
Bronxville competed in two sections: K-5 rated under 900 and K-6 Championship. The under-900 team earned a ninth-place standing out of 65 teams. The championship team earned a ninth-place standing out of 30 teams. Coach Chris Welcome of the National Scholastic Chess Foundation has led several teams to national prominence. At the awards ceremony, he noted, "It was a tremendous effort. The Bronxville team showed a lot of heart. They fought like champions to the end. They achieved greatness here in Dallas."
Members of the championship team included Liam Angelone, Nicholas Bianco, George Daher, Jack Daher, Calvin Golimbu, Toranosuke Ozawa, Conner Stoltz, Charlie Vail, and Eugene Yoo, and members of the K-5 under-900 team included Lorenzo Acharya, William Bornmann, Damian Engenheiro, Maya Engenheiro, William Grant, Charlie Hodulik, Noor Kaur, Angad Singh, Molly Stoltz, and Tyler Tanaka-Wong.
Other New York-area schools that competed successfully in these sections include the Collegiate School, the Browning School, Avenues: The World School, Success Academy (Harlem North Central), and P.S. 282 in Brooklyn.
Trophies to individual winners were also awarded to three Bronxville students: Joseph Daher, George Daher, and Angad Singh.
The Dallas event caps off a successful year for the growing elementary school chess team, which was led by parent volunteers Julie Daher, Shenan Golimbu, and Joceyln Angelone. Of the victories at the nationals, Julie Daher noted, "This is a sign of a thriving chess program."
Bronxville school students interested in learning more about recreational or tournament chess are encouraged to join the classes offered at lunchtime. For more information about the chess club at The Bronxville School, e-mail
Pictured here: Members of the Bronxville Chess Team in Dallas.
Photo courtesy Julia Golier Bornmann
