Ohio chess team checks competition despite cuts
Monday, January 15, 2007
Associated Press

Columbus- A scrappy bunch of teenage chess whizzes are taking down some of the country’s best players in national competitions, all without financial backing from their school.

The chess club at Columbus Alternative High School gets by on grants and other donations, plus an irreverent team spirit typified by a school adviser who is more interested in golf.

“My role is basically to stay out of the way,” said chemistry teacher B. Keith Kaufman.

The teenagers dominated the 2006 National K-12 Championship in December, a competition held in Florida that was sponsored by the U.S. Chess Federation.

The school’s 10th-grade team members were crowned national champs, the 11th-grade team placed fourth and the seniors took third place.

Only two other high schools – one from Evanston, Ind., and another from Miami – placed three or more teams in the top 15.

Here is the full story. Posted by Picasa

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Tags: