Chess

Dalton Shines at World Amateur Team and U.S. Team East 2024

Dalton Chess players had a stellar performance at the World Amateur Team and U.S. Team East 2024 this weekend in Parsippany, New Jersey! Congratulations to International Master Gus Huston ‘24, National Master Nate Shuman ‘24, National Master Ryan Peterson ‘24, and 7th Grader Kevin Stern for winning World Amateur Team and U.S. Team East (USATE) for two consecutive years, a significant achievement in a highly competitive national event. The name of the winning team was “The Bacon, Egg, and Cheese En Passant.”
Seventeen students and Chess Program Director Beatriz Marinello formed four teams, with Beatriz and Max Mottola ‘25 also playing for the U.S. Chess Trust Team. Each team had fun and cheerful names selected by the students.

Teamwork was on full display as The Bacon, Egg, and Cheese En Passant Team secured first place with a perfect 6.0 score from 6 matches. Notably, Gus Huston, on the first board, demonstrated an extraordinary performance, remaining undefeated and drawing against Grandmasters. “It was wonderful to compete again with my original teammates and a younger rising talent in a really strong event,” Gus said. “While the competition itself is always a blast, what truly makes this experience unique is the team’s energy and eagerness to help us all play our best chess.” Ryan added, “Last year was amazing, but this year, back-to-back was a bigger challenge and unbelievable thrill!”

The team played 24 games, with only two games lost — a remarkable achievement. “I have so much respect for Gus, Nate, and Ryan’s accomplishments in chess, and I was honored to join their team at USATE,” Kevin shared. “I am glad that I was able to contribute to such a memorable experience and achievement.”

The Dalton Chess Program embraces team spirit, collaboration, and excellence. Three more teams composed of students from the First Program and Middle School also had the opportunity to attend the tournament. Those 3rd - 6th Grade teams included: Sammy Sen ‘30, Owen Pang ‘31, Eli Stern ‘32, Hannah Chan ‘30, Michael Warren ‘30, Joshua Kuruvilla ‘30, Abbott Day ‘30, Saarim Khan ‘31, Carolina Vasilatos ‘33, Aadi Doshi ‘33, Kenzo Phillips ‘33, and Teddy Giuliano ‘32. These teams had a strong showing in a field of 325 teams (some of which included Grandmasters) and scored wins against adults, college students, and high school students! 

Alongside the very challenging chess matchups, Dalton teams bonded as they spectated each other’s matches and cheered each other on every step of the way. “The U.S. Amateur Team tournament is an immensely communal event that brings together kids, parents, adults, coaches, and more on an equal playing field. We love this tournament as it is the ultimate team scenario in chess and is fun, intense, grueling, and totally unpredictable. It has been an honor to fight alongside my good friends, and probably a good reason why we always seem to do very well,” Nate said of the event. Overall it was a wonderful and fun weekend of competitive chess!

Story submitted by K-12 Chess Program Director Beatriz Marinello
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