By Diane Moca | For The Bugle
nweditor@buglenewspapers.com
@DownersGrvBugle
Jefferson Junior High successfully defended its championship during the Southeast DuPage Elementary Athletic Association’s season-ending chess tournament, and two girls were at the helm.
The team took first place at the tournament – held Jan. 30 at Lace School in Darien. It was the second straight year the team finished at the top, as well as the second year the tournament came down to the final few matches.
The win was also the fourth championship for the team in the past five years.
The Jefferson Junior High team from Woodridge was tied with the Gower Middle School team from Burr Ridge at 21.5 points, heading into the final round.
Each team consisted of 10 players ranked by skill level, from first board to 10th board.
Each team member plays one game per round against an opponent at the same board level, and teams are awarded 1 point for a win and a half point for a draw.
Jefferson earned an impressive 8.5 points in the fourth and final round, bringing the team’s point total to 30 and taking the title.
During the two-month season, the team of mostly eighth graders was led by Amber Moca at first board and Prathika Senthil at second board. The combination led the team to consistent victories, with Jefferson tying for second in the season standings after first-place Westview Hills Middle School in Westmont.
Coach Joe Wechman said it was the first time in his 13 years as a coach that both top board positions were held by girls.
While boys have traditionally dominated school chess teams, this year’s tournament showed that the landscape of competitive chess appears to be changing.
Several of the eight conference teams featured one or two girls in the top 10 spots.
The Jefferson team also rose to the top of the tournament thanks to three board winners who beat out the rest of the competitors at their position.
Rohan Sethi had a 4-0 record on third board, Kyle Leonard had a 4-0 record on fourth board, and Jack Clark tied as sixth board winner with a 3-1 tournament record.
Strong finishes from Ayyan Ahmad (fifth board), Nolan Mason (seventh board), Alex Hernandez (eighth board), Joseph Williams (ninth board) and Osman Khan (tenth board) also gave the Jefferson team the edge to repeat the title.
Jefferson has taken home a first or second place trophy at the conference tournament for the past five years, and placed also first in the conference standings last year.
The Jefferson chess dynasty was buoyed by several players who inspired younger siblings to join the team even before reaching junior high: Eighth graders Prathika Senthil began competing three years ago, Kyle Leonard earned a top 10 spot four years ago, and Amber Moca starting playing in matches five years ago, when the team claim its first conference tournament victory in 21 years.