Last Thursday, SLA-MS participated in the Philadelphia Scholastic Chess League’s Playoff Finals. After defeating Blankenburg in the quarter finals five matches to two, the team was defeated the following week by PPACS, so the team was playing for third place in the city against Meredith. After Brian E. and Kai P. both had very quick wins (both of their games were over in less than five minutes), the rest of the team settled in for much longer games. Dara S. and Zaid J. both lost their games against the top two players on the other team, and Avik lost his game to against his opponent. Charlie C. was able to pull off a win against his opponent, and the score was tied 3 wins for each team. Marcel D. was the last to finish, and he was down to just a king while his opponent had a king and a queen, defeating Marcel. While the team ended up 4th place overall in the city, two team members were recognized for their outstanding individual records in the league this season: Kai P. was recognized as the top 5th grader in the league, and Brian E. was recognized as the 7th best player overall in the league! Well done on an excellent season! Five members of the team now head to Lancaster, PA this weekend for the State Scholastic Chess Championships, where they will compete against the top players from all over the state of Pennsylvania! Wish them luck!
