Three Chopt Elementary

Three Chopt Elementary chess team is fourth in U.S.
By Lisa Crutchfield
Published: April 28, 2009
Richmond Times Dispatch

Playing chess for three days was invigorating, the hotel was impressive, and the food (an important component of anything involving growing boys) was magnificent.

But the best part of a national chess championship in Nashville, Tenn., this month was being able to scurry out and tell parents you’ve won your game.

And win they did, enough games that the Three Chopt Elementary School chess team is fourth in the nation, with a huge trophy in the school library to show for it.

During spring break, five players from Three Chopt’s 34-member team attended the Supernationals IV Championship chess competition — one of the toughest in the country.

“It was exciting,” said fourth-grader Harish Tekriwal. “I felt ready.” His teammates — Tip Wolfe, Abhishek Penumala, Matthew Chilton and Steve Chen — agreed.

More than 5,000 students — 1,515 teams — from 47 states competed in the three-day event in Nashville.

Tip, a fifth-grader with a rating of 1690, was named seventh-best chess player in the K-5 division. Tip won six out of seven games in the competition, losing only to Mika Brattain of Lexington, Mass., who became national champion.

He learned to play when he was 3, he said.

After the competition, Tip was tied for third place overall, but he finished seventh after a tie-breaking round.

“It was kind of cool,” he said. “It was cooler to be third, but I’m happy to be seventh.”

Tip’s mother, Britta Wolfe, has coached the team for four years — even before Tip came to Three Chopt’s Zone Center program. She’ll coach an advanced team next year at Moody Middle School, where Tip and Abhishek will be in the International Baccalaureate program.

Harish’s mother, Vasudha, will take over as coach at Three Chopt, which also won second in the state this year.

“This is a great sport,” she said. “It enhances the academics and gives you focus.”

The chess players agreed.

“It really helps me mentally,” said Abhishek, who spends many hours each weekend playing chess. “It sharpens your brain. It helps you memorize, so when you have a test, you know how to be ready.”

At nationals, the team got to see chess legends such as Garry Kasparov and Susan Polgar.

Was it intimidating?

Not really, said the guys. Three of them — Abhishek, Harish and Tip — had been to nationals before, so they were prepared for pressure.

“They were phenomenal,” said Britta Wolfe. “They blew everyone out of the water.”

Source: http://www.timesdispatch.com