Gus, who is Co-President of the High School Chess Club and serves as a chess peer mentor for a Kindergarten student at Dalton, defeated a field that included 40 of the world’s strongest adult and junior chess players.

The nine-round round-robin tournament spanned five days and nearly 40 hours of chess, with each player competing for International Master or Grandmaster norms. Three norms are required to attain the highest international chess titles.

Gus needed to win at least seven of his nine games in order to achieve this lofty status, and after a hard-fought victory in the final match against a longtime friend and rival, he won the tournament and collected his first International Master norm. Congratulations, Gus!