In the first over-the-board National Scholastic Chess Championship in two years, the students excelled, highlighted by the 10th Grade Team of  Gus Huston '24, Nate Shuman '24, Ryan Peterson '24, Julia Miyasaka '24, Veda Safranek '24, Pippa Lee '24, and Connor Wolff '24, who earned an unprecedented eighth consecutive National Championship in the event. Gus earned the co-champion title, while Nate placed 5th, Ryan 11th, and Julia finished 13th.

With strict Covid protocols in place this year, students escaped the cold weather and squared off, face mask to face mask. The students received tremendous support from coaches, teammates, and parents throughout the daunting championship.

Prior to each round, Coach Beatriz Marinello and her team (Adia Onyango, GM Mac Molner, and Nelson Dunn) made sure to calm the players' nerves and share analysis.

In addition to the aforementioned 10th Grade championship team, the First Grade team of Kai Taylor '33, Elliot Lee '33, Carolina Vasilatos '33, Kenzo Phillips '33, Gabriel Lavipour '33, and Aadi Doshi '33 took home a third-place finish.

The Second Grade team of Logan Freiman '32, Roman Mash '32, Eli Stern '32, and Teddy Giuliano '32 took home an impressive second-place National Team Championship, while Logan secured an eighth-place individual finish.

Despite the busy schedule, the students found time to put down their chess notations and work collaboratively to create holiday cards for hospitalized children with pediatric illnesses, extending their sense of community well beyond the school walls and chess boards.

The Dalton Chess Program notes that this event would not have been possible without the support of Head of School Ellen C. Stein and the Division Directors.