A great turnout of Charlotte-area youngsters from more than 10 schools took time on their day off to compete in the 3-round Young Master Chess Winter Tournament on January 25.

For some it was their first tournament experience, and for tournament veterans it was a warmup to state and national championships. In between matches students received game analysis and chess lectures from FM Mike Klein, Jessica Martin, and rising star Joe Biernacki. Thank you to all the families that participated and to the staff and administration of Myers Park Traditional School for hosting.

Here are the section winners and their schools:

First Grade:

1st place (tie) - Elias Altman (Sharon) and Luke Metzler (MPTS)

2nd place (tie) - Sam Perrin (MPTS) and Zane Davis (MPTS - our only kindergartener!)

Second Grade:

1st place - Parker Harris (MPTS)

2nd place (tie) - Rohith Gottiparti (Park Rd.) and Finn Valbuena (MPTS)

3rd place (tie) - Alex Morrell (Endhaven), Caleb Chou (Bain), Austin Chuang (Selwyn), Jon Fuesy (MPTS), Jacob Callaway (Eastover), Carson Perry (Smith), Kiley Copps (MPTS), Tyler Allen (MPTS)

Third Grade:

1st place - Robert Cole (MPTS)

2nd place - Ethan Richardson (Eastover)

3rd place (tie) - Duncan Pickett (Eastover), Calvin Sherman (Eastover), Pete Davis (Eastover)

Third Grade Challenger:

1st place - Henry Russell (MPTS)

2nd place (tie) - Sam Fitzgerald (MPTS), Jaiden Chuang (Selwyn), Yash Shah (Ballantyne)

Fourth Grade:

1st place - Ben Poole (Eastover)

2nd place - Jacob Crain (Smith)

3rd place (tie) - Baker Jarrell (Eastover) and Stephen Perle (Endhaven)

Fourth Grade Challenger:

1st place - Will Snider (Endhaven)

2nd place (tie) - Ben Snider (Endhaven) and Jared Curry (Barringer)

Fifth, Sixth, Seventh Grade:

1st place (tie) - Michael Reicht (Community House) and Zina Kalu (Endhaven)

2nd place - Clay Tydings (Smith)

3rd place (tie) - Ryan Harper (Eastover), Owen Copps (MPTS), Christopher Pfuhl (Smith)

4th place - Analise Fuesy (MPTS)

Grandmasters:

1st place (tie) - Josh Holcombe (Smith) and Cameron Chandler (Community House)

2nd place - Shouri Gottiparti (Randolph)