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Another First for MCCL- A State Team Chess Championship

February 7th, 11:02PM
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Madison City Chess League hosted Alabama's first State Team Chess Championship on February 4, 2023. Calhoun Community College was the location for this unique tournament where adults and students competed against each other, some on teams with both adults and students. Any combination was allowed as long as the average team rating in the Championship section did not exceed 2000 and the average team rating in the Reserve section did not exceed 1200. The inaugural event was sponsored by former Speaker of the House and now Madison County Commission Chair Mac McCutcheon. We had seven teams compete in the Championship section and thirteen teams compete in the Reserve section. Complete tournament results can be found here. The US Chess ratings report can be found here.

One of the hallmarks of a team tournament are the creative team names that are registered to play. This year we saw Knights of the Square Table, Theory of Relativity, Keep Calm and Caro Kann, Blunder Thunder, and Tornado Watch Until 4 p.m. Additional team names are mentioned below.

Here are the results and highlights of local teams that competed.

Championship Section

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State Team Champions - Madison Hypersonic H-pawns

MCCL pulled together its top players from different corners of the city to field a competitive team for the Championship section for the first team chess championship. Team members Sherwood Dong (JCHS), Xavier Bruni (DMS), Victor Lundy (BJHS), and Ethan Smith (Mill Creek chess dad). It came down to the last game of the final round with seconds left on the clock as the Hypersonic H-pawns only needed a split with the Theory of Relativity team to maintain clear 1st. Losing the last match would have meant a three-way tie for first. But Xavier Bruni and Sherwood Dong came through with needed wins to clinch the championship, plaques and a $400 team prize!

Reserve Section

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State Reserve Champions - DMS Kings

Discovery Middle School's top team worked hard to prepare for the first state team championship event and trained together to bring home the 1st place plaques and a $200 prize. Team members (L to R): Aadi Saxena, Jacob New, Caden Jordan, and Joseph Park. Their coach is Will Stevenson.
Top Women's Team

Top Women's Team

Congratulations "Queen's Quest" team members (L to R): Caroline Wang, Samsara Rajbhandari, and Sophia Jerez. Not pictured Rachael Ehrman. The team won medals and a $100 cash prize.
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