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Schools

Chess Crown Eludes Niles North's Checkmate

Squad takes second place in close match after dominating boards at state championship.

Niles North, a chess powerhouse and last year’s state champion, took second place over the weekend during the High School Team Chess Championships held in Peoria.

The Viking chess squad won its first six matches handily, but lost in the final round to a strong team from Whitney Young Magnet school in Chicago. It was a battle that came down to the wire.

More than 1,000 teen chess players representing 128 schools competed, making the Illinois High School Association's (IHSA) tournament one of the largest team chess events in the world. Each team fields eight players who are ranked by playing strength and can earn 68 points  in each match.

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Niles North swept Chicago’s Northside Prep and St. Patrick, 68-0. The squad also defeated  Mahomet (57-11), Nequa Valley (53-15), Naperville North (48-20)  and Hinsdale Central (44.5-23.5).  In its match against Whitney Young, the Vikings came up on the short end of a 39-29 decision. 

Niles North physics teacher Harry Kyriazes has coached the team for the past 11 years. Under his guidance, the school’s chess program has consistently earned top honors in state and national competitions.

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After the recent tournament, Kyriazes had this to say: 'Win or lose, I really enjoy being with and working with this group of exceptional young people. They have a great love of game of chess, but more importantly, they display incredible camaraderie and are always supportive of each other. I couldn’t be more proud of a team than this one.”      

A number of Niles North players earned individual medal honors. National Master Eric Rosen is a junior who came in second place on Board One.  Senior Saagar Gupta finished in second place on Board Three. Junior Rafeh Qazi came in fourth place on Board Five, while senior Chad Hirsch earned fourth place honors on Board Six.

Other players who competed in Peoria include seniors Michael Chinitz and Evan Spiegel, junior Ben Marks,  sophomores David Paykin and Emmett Barr, and freshman Ethan Brown.

A complete rundown of tournament results can be found on the IHSA website.

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