PDS CHESS CHAMPS: The PDS chess team tied for second place in the K-6 division of the National Elementary School Championship in Nashville, Tennessee: (front row from left) Dodge Martinson, Kai Shah, Albert Ming, and Arjun Kumar; (second row from left) Eric Wu, Winston Ni, and Jai Kasera.

Seven young chess stars have once again put Princeton Day School on the map as one of the strongest chess programs in the country, leading the PDS team to a second place tie in the K-6 section of the National School Championship in Nashville, Tennessee, in a two-day tournament on May 7 and 8.

Twenty-three hundred players from 645 public and private schools from 47 states participated in this annual national elementary chess tournament, which included different sections to account for levels and grades, K-1, K-3, K-5 and K-6. The K-6 level, on which the PDS team competed, is the most prestigious section, with the winner of that section being considered the official elementary national champion.

The PDS team in Nashville included 6th graders Dodge Martinson, Kai Shah, and Albert Ming; fifth graders Arjun Kumar, Winston Ni, and Jai Kasera; and fourth grader Eric Wu.

Hong Ni, father of Winston, attended the tournament and reported, “It was against tremendous odds that our team entered the tournament. Many of our fourth and fifth grade players had to face strong sixth graders from other schools, which often had much larger teams with experienced players and strong logistical support including on-site coaches.”

PDS chess teacher Bonnie Waitzkin observed, “Starting with round one, there were many upsets and disappointments, and not only for PDS players. Not one of the 215 players in the K-6 section won all games, although there were nine players rated over 2000. Our players worked hard to prepare, and they are seasoned competitors, but they were all surprised by the high level of the competition.”

Last year, with the minimum number of four players, the PDS team won third place in the national championships.

Ms. Waitzkin described the team, which placed first in the New Jersey chess championship in February at Brookdale Community College, as “a closely knit group of competitors.” They won their first team competition in 2010, with Winston Ni gaining first place in the kindergarten section. Last year Kai Shah won first place in the New Jersey elementary championship.

“They have rooted for each other and studied together since they started studying chess in the curriculum as kindergarten students,” Ms. Waitzkin said.

Princeton Day School hosts monthly scholastic chess tournaments, “designed to welcome the most novice of tournament players and to inspire the most accomplished,” according to the school’s website. Chess players from more than 30 elementary and middle schools from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania compete as individuals and as school teams, with typical attendance of over 130 students.