April Newsletter: National Championships

ASAP Chess Students Light Up the National Stage

For more than a decade ASAP has helped the city’s best chess players showcase their brilliance and represent Philadelphia at various state and national championship tournaments. This year was no different! On March 31st, ASAP loaded a bus with 41 students from ten different Philadelphia public schools to head down to Washington D.C. to compete amongst 1,700 chess players from around the country as part of the K-12 National Chess Championships.

For Masterman team captain Josh Smullens, this was his third year competing on a national stage — and perhaps his most exciting! He was going undefeated until the final round, with his last match streamed LIVE on Twitch. Hundreds of people tuned in to analyze his every move. Even though it was a bit intimidating having his match broadcasted to a national audience, it added new level of excitement to his experience. Joshua ultimately took home the 10th place medal and earned his team the 2nd place team in their section. Despite it not being the exact outcome he hoped for, on his qualifying six victories, he called it “a storybook run.” 

When asked about his final nationals game, Josh said:

“I wish I had won that last game, especially since I went from brilliancy to blunder so quickly and that would have gotten me a tie for first place. All things considered, Masterman as a team did great and I am really happy for us. I am really proud of both myself and the team as a whole. I am excited to go back next year.”
Josh Smullens, ASAP Chess, National Competitor

The Nationals Winner Circle

ASAP is incredibly proud of all the competitors who went head-to-head in more than 280 chess matches at the K-12 National Championships.  Check out some of the highlights below.

Northeast High School Nationals Winners

From Northeast High School, champions of ASAP’s Philadelphia Scholastic Chess League, students took home 3 medals in their respective sections during Nationals:

Xavier Chen, 4th place, U800 section
Jayvin Zoleta, 3rd place, U1200 section
Gabriel Burgos, 8th place, U1600 section

Fun Fact: Gabriel Burgos finished as the top overall performer in ASAP’s 2022-23 Philadelphia Scholastic Chess League!

Masterman Nationals Winners

Another team to take home their fair share of trophies during the National Championships was Masterman. In the U1200 sections they were able to secure the 5th place team trophy, as well as Edward Lin leading the charge and taking home the 26th place medal. In the U1600 section, Caleb Landau and Samuel Weisz took home the 27th and 26th place medals respectively.

Congratulations to all of ASAP Chess National Competitors

Richard Allen Prep Charter School competing under Minor Threats Chess Club, Bregy Elementary School, Central High School, Ben Franklin High School competing under Minor Threats Chess Club, Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP), J.R. Masterman School, Mitchell Elementary School competing under Minor Threats Chess Club, Northeast High School, Parkway West High School competing under Minor Threats Chess Club, Science Leadership Academy competing under Minor Threats Chess Club

Photos by US Chess Federation, Carole King

This Spring at ASAP!

ASAP Spring Appeal

Coming Soon: Featuring North Square Community Alliance and the ASAP Scrabble club at McKinley Elementary School

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Sixers Chess Tournament

Prior to competing in the National Championships, Sixers’ De’Anthony Melton hosted 40 chess students to compete in the “Melton Make Your Move Chess Tournament.” Students played in a bracket style tournament and had the chance to play against De’Anthony and Daryl Morey.

Check out the Sixers Reel!

ASAP in the news:

 ASAP Debate students featured in 6ABC Action News coverage following another successful scholastic season

See full press coverage!

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