Scholastics / Spring Nationals At A Glance ⁄2 2015 National Elementary (K-6) Championships
Date: May 8-10, 2015 | Location: Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Nashville, Tennessee | 2,219 players | Top Finishers: K-6 Championship, 1st, 7: Andrew Zhang Hong; 2nd-4th, 6: Aydin Turgut, Justin Chen, Aristo S. Liu; K-5 Championship, 1st-3rd, 61
: Tan D. Nguyen, Daniel Levkov, Winston Ni; K-3 Championship, 1st, 7: Rithik Sai Polavaram; 2nd, 61 ⁄2 ⁄2
3rd-6th, 6: Nathaniel Lande Shuman, Peter Theodore Boris, Aaron X. Gan, Michael Casas; K-1 Championship, 1st, 7: Alex Zhao; 2nd, 61
⁄2 : Princeton Day School (NJ); K-3 Team Championship, 1st, 211 ⁄2 : Maurya Palusa; : Ronen Wilson; 3rd-12th, 6: Sriram Krishnakumar, Brian Huang, Dimitar Mardov, Adrian Kondakov, Erick Zhao, Aatish Satheesh,
Samarth Rao Bellayaru, Owen Xuan, Grant Mu, John De La Croix Bentrup; K-6 Team Championship, 1st-2nd, 19: Mission San Jose Elementary (CA), I.S. 318 (NY); 3rd-4th, 18: Dalton (NY), The Speyer Legacy School (NY); K-5 Team Championship, 1st-2nd, 21: The Speyer Legacy School (NY), P.S. 41 (NY); 3rd, 201 (NY); 2nd, 201
: NEST+m School
: Dalton (NY); 3rd, 20: The Speyer Legacy School (NY); K-1 Team Championship, 1st-2nd, 20: The Speyer Legacy School (NY), Franklin Academy (FL); 3rd, 19: Dalton (NY); Chief Tournament Director: Enrique Huerta.
⁄2 In Ron Seaney's Memory
On April 23, 2015, just before the National Elementary Champi- onships, the chess community lost Coach Ron Seaney to a sudden, brief illness at the young age of 51. The executive director of the Brentwood Tennessee Chess School, he was a lifelong chess player, committed educator and friend.
Throughout the years, Ron taught thousands of children across the middle Tennessee region to play, compete, and enjoy the game of chess. Thousands of students have benefited from his expertise. At the time of his death, he was hosting and teaching chess at six different area schools (Christ Presbyterian Academy, Christ the King School, J.T. Moore Middle School, Montessori Academy in Brentwood, Oak Hill School, and Percy Priest Elementary School). He believed that everyone should learn to play chess for the life
Ron Seaney with some of his students.
lessons that are held inside the game. Ron was a firm believer in outstanding sportsmanship and not only preached those lessons to all of his students, but acted on those principles every day, in all situations.
In 2015, Ron carried two teams to Tennessee state team competition and multiple individuals to Tennessee state Individual competition. Ron’s team at Montessori Academy, where he taught for six years, were Tennessee state champions in the K-3 division. Ron passed away right after winning state. His students from Montessori Academy went on to the USCF nationals and placed 19th in the K-5 Under 900 team competition. At the awards ceremony, the team carried a picture of Coach Ron with them and dedicated their win to his memory.
Ron had a huge impact on the middle Tennessee region’s chess community. His quiet but fierce competitive spirit, brilliant mind and generosity to all will be greatly missed.
Montessori Academy chess students and parents were wearing chess bands during the USCF National Elementary (K-6) Championships tournament in his memory. It says “Montessori Academy Chess” on one side and on the other side says “Win One For Mr. Seaney”. They also carried a picture of Mr. Seaney when they received their team trophy.
The Percy Priest Elementary (PPE) School chess program is going to donate some of Mr. Seaney’s favorite chess books to the PPE Library in his memory, so these books will be available for his chess students and others for many years to come.
~Rachel Franks
28 July 2015 | Chess Life
PHOTOS: P. 28 LEANNA POUND; P. 29 COURTESY OF MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL
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