Winter Knights Chess Tournament readies players for future contests
At the Winter Knights Chess Tournament, winners in the 9-10 Section were Steven Pan, first place, from left; Jason Park, second; Pranaav Satheesh, third; Caleb Chen, fourth; Zachary Calinsky, fifth; and Swetha Jakka, sixth. CONTRIBUTED
Bob Jones High School, Discovery Middle School, James Clemens High School, Liberty Middle School, Madison, Madison County Record, News, Schools, Z - News Main
 By  GreggParker Published 
3:45 pm Friday, January 21, 2022

Winter Knights Chess Tournament readies players for future contests

MADISON – Columbia Elementary School hosted a record-setting Winter Knights tournament with more than 150 registered players.

Over 50 players competed in the non-rated sections. “We were excited to see so many new players try their first chess tournament last weekend and happy to see award winners from every school,” Ranae Bartlett said. Bartlett is Executive Director of Madison City Chess League.

Todd Guthrie served as Chief Tournament Director. Nitin Badhe and Parag Saxena assisted Guthrie, along with Student Tournament Directors Puja Chopade, Shreya Sunil and Madhu Balaji. “We also want to thank our volunteer coaches for high-school chess teams: Aubteen Pour-Biazar, Thomas Nguyen, Om Badhe and Neha Chopade,” Bartlett said.

Tournament sponsor was 180 Leadership Coaching.

In the rated sections, 95 players competed. “Winter Knights used a longer time control in the rated sections to help our kids prepare for tournaments this spring that also use much longer time controls than the traditional 30-minute games in most scholastic tournaments,” Bartlett said.

The following students were winners in each section. Each list starts with the first-place winner, followed by place winners in descending order:

* K-2 Section winners — Jimmy McHugh, Elliott Poole, Avyaktha Subramania, Asher Allison, Alice Zou, John Park, Milan Malak, Charlie Saulters, Peter Gosier, Alex Cai. Annabelle Hsu – Top Female.

* 3-4 Section winners — Esteban Jerez, Kylie Zou, Emerson Phillips, Andrew Tkach, Daksh Sunil, Mason Park, Vedanth Siva, Theodore Piper. Abigail Barbre – Top Female.

* 5-6 Section winners — Sophia Jerez, Caden Jordan, Jethro Jones, Tim Lee, Genji Niinomi, Emma Kuang, John Chen. Anna Ai – Top Female.

* 7-8 Section winners — Nirvana Rajbhandari, Aadi Saxena, Andrew Yang, Artem Starenki, Nathan Chiu, Caroline Wang, Eddie Xiao, Isabelle Park, James Cairns, Cody Pohl.

* 9-10 Section winners — Steven Pan, Jason Park, Pranaav Satheesh, Caleb Chen, Zachary Calinsky, Swetha Jakka.

* 11-12 Section — Constance Wang, Edward Calinsky.

* Non-Rated Sections, K-3 — Tyler Pysh, Lucas He, Aryaa Sathees, Jackson Mayes, Noah Goerlich, Lilia Baker, Evgenii Eliseev, Arjun Sathees, Lauren Weisenberger, Yumito Okamoto, Pujita Verma, Alaina Lamar, Kyle Miller, Jackson Morgan. Harleigh-Monet Henderson – Top Female.

* Non-Rated Sections, K-5 — Dheeren Pammina, Riley Smith, Jackson Leonard, Will Tennille, Aidan Kuang, Zane Kerby, Declan Rosch, Isaac Villarreal, Ambrosse Pitts, Anderson Weisenberger. Rose Polpanich – Top Female.

Also on The Madison Record
MADISON BOWL 2026: Battle of rivals and friends
b-Sports, Events, Madison County Record, ...
Battle of rivals and friends
Bob Labbe 
September 2, 2026
MADISON- Two words are the origin for the enormous excitement across Madison this week: “Madison Bowl.” The annual battle lines between the two high s...
DOWNTOWN VISION: Residents, businesses say what they would like to see downtown
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
Staff Reports 
September 2, 2026
MADISON - Madison holds a lot of potential to become a bustling shopping, dining, entertainment, and business district. The city of Madison along with...
Mayor Ranae Bartlett applauds Madison youth in varying, outstanding accomplishments
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
MADISON WEEKLY
Gregg Parker 
September 2, 2026
MADISON – Madison teenagers actively pursue progress in their endeavors, while their parents and mentors define avenues for them to succeed. These sce...
Rod and Brenda Matthews earn Main Street Hero Award for Bellehouse Venue
Lifestyles, Madison County Record, News, ...
Gregg Parker 
September 2, 2026
MADISON – Bellehouse Venue at 4097 Sullivan St. in downtown Madison received the “Main Street Hero Award” at Main Street Alabama’s Summit of Excellenc...
What’s the best groove? Battle of the Bands to decide at Home Place Park on Sept. 12
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
Gregg Parker 
September 2, 2026
MADISON – After its premiere in 2025, “Battle of the Bands” is returning to decide who will rule the stage at Home Place Park, 100 Shorter St. Madison...
MCS’ 10-week class, ‘Raising the Strong-Willed Child,’ to begin Sept 14
Madison County Record, News, Schools, ...
Gregg Parker 
September 2, 2026
MADISON – “Jake takes after his grandfather.” “Oh, it’s just a phase.” “Ashley is as stubborn as his mother.” Parents may say or hear these statements...
HISTORY: Miss Hessie continued – The unique house she built at 313 Church Street
Lifestyles, Madison County Record, News, ...
EXPLORING LOCAL HISTORY WITH MARIA
Maria Rakoczy 
September 2, 2026
MADISON - Last week’s article looked at the beloved Madison schoolteacher Nancy Hesseltine Gillespie Farley ‘Miss Hessie’s’ life. This week continues ...
Clift Farm announces first annual Clift Farm Classic 5K & Fun Run, Sept. 12
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
STAFF REPORTS news@themadisonrecord.com 
September 2, 2026
MADISON – Clift Farm is inviting runners, walkers and families from across Madison and surrounding communities to lace up for the inaugural Clift Farm...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *