Winners of the 2019 ICA State Scholastic Chess Championships
On March 2, 101 students competed in the 2019 Idaho State Scholastic Chess Championships sponsored by the Idaho Chess Association. The event was held at Jerome High School.
Jacob Ari Nathan, a ninth grader from Idaho Falls, won the overall title for the 9-12th grade section and will be the Idaho representative at the US Chess Federation’s 2019 Denker Tournament of High School Champions. James Wei, a sixth grader from Boise, won the overall title for the K-8th grade section to become the Idaho representative at the US Chess Federation’s 2019 Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions. Both prestigious events will take place in Orlando, Florida this August.
The all day chess tournament consisted of five rounds with each game lasting up to one hour. Participating players came from all over Idaho including Bonners Ferry, Payette, Boise, Jerome and Idaho Falls.
9-12th Grade Winners
1st Overall - Jacob Ari Nathan (Idaho Falls)
2nd Overall - Jonathan Geyman (Bonners Ferry)
3rd Overall - Alexander Goodwin (Star)
Jacob Ari Nathan, Idaho’s Representative to the Denker national tournament
12th Grade:
1st - Kayden Stockdale (Boise)
2nd - Christopher Baumann (Star)
3rd - Porter Nilsson (Idaho Falls)
11th Grade:
1st - Michael Kissinger (Jerome)
10th Grade:
1st - Elijah Thibodeau (Boise)
2nd - Cole Gokei (Meridian)
3rd - Minh Tran (Meridian)
9th Grade:
1st - River Shepard (Hailey)
2nd - Quentin Van Law (Bellevue)
3rd - Otto Olson (Hailey)
K-8th Grade Winners
1st Overall - Justin He (Boise)
2nd Overall - James Wei (Boise)
3rd Overall - William Wang (Boise)
James Wei, Idaho’s Representative to the Barber national tournament (Justin He pictured).
8th Grade:
1st - Bryce Leifeste (Eagle)
2nd - Joshua Price (Kuna)
3rd - Andrew Dixon (Nampa)
7th Grade:
1st - Sara Hollist (Garden Valley)
2nd - Steven Qiu (Eagle)
3rd - Nathan Smith (Payette)
6th Grade:
1st - Finn Belew (Boise)
2nd - Alyssa Montano (Boise)
3rd - Izak Bengoechea-Little (Meridian)
5th Grade:
1st - Audrey LaTulippe (Fairfield)
2nd - Josef Kipsuge (Meridian)
3rd - Eldon Blake (Idaho Falls)
4th Grade:
1st - Daniel Yang (Meridian)
2nd - Tyler Luo (Boise)
3rd - Jacob Smith (Payette)
3rd Grade:
1st - Emma LaTulippe (Fairfield)
2nd - Luke Wei (Boise)
3rd - Daniel Homa (Boise)
2nd Grade:
1st - Hanford Chong (Boise)
2nd - Jace Perkes (Meridian)
3rd - Alistair Smith (Coeur d’Alene)
1st Grade:
1st - Colton LaTulippe (Fairfield)
2nd - Leonardo Wang (Boise)
3rd - Tenille Smith (Payette)
Kindergarten:
1st - Jonah Hochhauser (Boise)
2nd - Andrew Bowyer (Carey)
For information about this and other events, go to the website at IdahoChessAssociation.com or contact the Idaho Chess Association at idahochessassociation@gmail.com .
The mission of the Idaho Chess Association is to provide organized chess play, coordinate chess activities within the state, support and develop local chess clubs, encourage player development, and to enhance appreciation of chess.
The Idaho Chess Association values fair play and good sportsmanship, education through sharing and teaching, chess players with diverse abilities and skills, creating a variety of chess activities and opportunities, decisions using sound logic and forethought, and continued growth and learning through chess.