Dalton Girls Dominate at All Girls National Chess Championship in Chicago

The Dalton Chess Team recently competed in the KCF All Girls National Championship in Chicago, Illinois. The event took place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel from April 12-14, 2024.

Sixteen students from Grades K-10 traveled to Chicago to compete against 500 girls in the championship.

As the Head Coach, my goals are to inspire collaboration among the students and help the team achieve its objectives. Most chess meetings focused on creating a positive and productive mindset, as well as teaching the players how to channel their emotions during games.

Special recognition goes to Woman International Master and National Master Iris Mou, who won the Under-16 All Girls National Championship. Iris also won the Under-18 section in 2022 and participated primarily to support the team.

Women and girls are underrepresented in chess; in the U.S., only 10% of scholastic chess players are girls. The Dalton Chess Team prioritizes inclusion and encourages students to pursue excellence and teamwork. At Dalton, chess is for everyone!

Every team member performed admirably, and by the end of the competition, our three complete teams finished in the top three.

Under-8: 3rd Place (Wren Chisholm ’34, Vera Ermolaeva ’34, Rayna Gupta ’34, Olivia Lindo-Aguilo ’36, Kelly Kiryang Park ’35, Michelle Subin Park ’35). Wren finished 11th place individually.

Under-10: Carolina Vasilatos ’33 and Cecilia Cooper ’33 finished in the top 10, despite having an incomplete team.

Under-12: 2nd Place (Reha Agarwal ’30, Risha Agarwal ’30, Hannah Chan ’30, Eden Klein ’31). Hannah placed 15th individually, while Eden excelled in the '1199 and under' category.

Under-16: 2nd Place (Maiya Kang ’28, Iris Mou ’27, Lauren Nam ’26, Nancy Tran ’30). Iris finished 1st place individually.

The team was led by Beatriz Marinello, the Director of the Dalton Chess Program, National Master, and FIDE Trainer, and Chess Coach Expert Adia Onyango.

Amid the intense six rounds, the Dalton girls relaxed with games of Blitz and Bughouse in the team room, forming friendships across age groups. Reunions between former Chess Peer Mentors and mentees were also a heartwarming sight.

Congratulations to the Dalton Chess Team for their outstanding performance! Click here to view the photo gallery.