4th Grade Team Finishes in Third Place at the National Grade Level Championships!
The MCDS 4th Grade National Team of Elliot Starkman, Grant Giovannetti, James Srebnick, & Filippo Sbroggio traveled to Orlando early this month to compete in the 2012 National Grade Level Championships held by the United States Chess Federation. They demonstrated that they were among the best 4th grade teams in the nation by finishing in 3rd Place! Without a doubt, this has been the highest achievement earned by the Spartan Chess Team, and their effort & success is impressive. This finish was against the strongest chess teams in the nation, including the best from New York, Louisiana, Florida, Arizona, & Texas. Congratulations to our Spartan Team! For additional photos of the victory celebration, visit 4th Grade National Team photos.
Individual honors were also earned by Elliot Starkman for his 11th Place finish overall and Grant Giovannetti for finishing in 1st Place in his rating class (1000-1199). There is no doubt that this will be a team to reckon with at the upcoming regional and state competitions as well as SuperNationals V to be held in Nashville.
Spartans Bring Home Four Team Trophies from Epicure Grand Prix #3!
It was a proud day for the Spartans as they continued their chess success by earning four team trophies at the third tournament in the Epicure Grand Prix at Miami Country Day chess series on December 8th. Two of those trophies were for 1st Place!
The K-12 team earned 1st Place honors behind another superb, MVP effort from Julian Schultz. He finished in 2nd Place overall in an impressive field and raised his rating by almost 300 points! David Gonzalez continued his successful season with a 3.0/5.0 performance, raising his rating almost 100 points! Giovanni Cragnotti & Pascal Dafinis also earned two points to help the Spartans to victory.
The 1st Place K-5 team was led by strong performances Filippo Sbroggio & Sean Finny, both scoring 3.0/5.0 and tying for 10th Place individually. Jackson Jimenez did well, scoring 2.5 points and raising his rating. Nikolay Bespalenko also earned 2.5 points for the Spartan team. Nathan Gumenick had a win and a draw. MCDS would also like to welcome new player Daniel Espinal who scored 1.5 points in his first-ever USCF-rated tournament!
For the first time in the history of the Epicure Grand Prix, the MCDS fielded a K-1 team that finished in 3rd Place! The team was led by 1st Place individual winner 1st Grader Chase Giovannetti! The team also welcomed two new members to the team, Jacob Korff & Matthew Williamson. We are proud to have them as a part of team and they represented MCDS well.
The K-8 team won a 3rd Place trophy. Andre Harper-Rosenberg, Elliot Starkman* & Grant Giovannetti* led the Spartan scoring with 3.0/5.0. Daniel Gallup raised his rating more than 150 points with an impressive day, defeating two higher-rated players. James Srebnick* also scored two points in the competition.
Other Tournament News
Chase Giovannetti continued his dominance in the K-1 category with a 1st Place victory at the PCS Grand Prix held in Doral on December 15. He also brought home the 1st Place trophy from the Pine Crest School Grand Prix held in early November. Chase also competed at the 2012 National Grade Level Championships in Orlando.
In additional to his play at the National Grade Level Championships and the Epicure Grand Prix, Grant Giovannetti* raised his rating over the past six weeks at the Pine Crest School Grand Prix, the 11th Annual Turkey Bowl held in Coral Springs, and the PCS Grand Prix held in Doral.
Upcoming tournaments include the 2013 Super South Regional on the weekend of January 12-14 and Epicure Grand Prix #4 of January 19th.
* denotes that the player is optionally playing in a higher-aged category.
