LANCASTER — More than 800 players descended on the Lancaster Host Convention Center to compete in the annual State Chess Championships from March 10-12 in Lancaster.
Bradford ended ahead of the pack as the team from the St. Bernard School finished second overall.
The top scorer for the team was third grader Trenton Johnson, who lost only one game. Second-best scorer Peyton Haight, along with Dan Taylor, Luke Kerr and Cooper Haight, rounded out the team. Other players participating from the Bradford Chess Club included Tim Mulcahy, Gabe Wyant, Aiden Ferguson, Rob and Tamara Ferguson.
Although the competition was stiffer than last year, both Ron Buchheit and Bob Ferguson remarked that the students showed improvement over last year and credited the students’ use of the ChessKid website with the increased progress.
The event was held at the Lancaster Host for the third year in a row. Robert Ferguson, who has been attending since 1981, served as chief tournament director in the championship section. Organizer for the event was Tom Martinak, president of the Pennsylvania State Chess Federation.
