The kids from Mission San Jose Elementary School are headed home from London with a huge trophy for winning a prestigious international school team championship. This truly global chess tournament was organized by the UK based Yes2Chess and sponsored by Barclays. In order to represent the United States, Team MSJE first had to defeat the other top chess programs from the United States in the Yes2Chess National Championship. Once MSJE won there, our players were awarded with an all expenses paid trip to London for the International stage of the event.
In London, the kids from MSJE made quick work of the top schools from Sweden, Spain and Norway. Next, the small school from Fremont, California was paired against the Portuguese champions in the Grand Final. MSJE did the USA proud by winning the Grand Final with a score of 4.5 – 1.5
Many chess enthusiasts are likely unaware that the USA wouldn’t have been victorious if not for the amazing efforts of one Chess Mom, Hui Wang. I first met Hui at the Fremont Summer Chess Camp in 2011 and she has continually impressed me since then with her devotion to her children and chess. Behind every great chess team I have ever coached for is a parent or two who really are the unsung heroes. Parents like Hui and are a huge factor in Mission San Jose Elementary School’s and the United State’s chess success. At MSJE, this parent tradition extends back decades all the way to when Head Coach and Founder Joe Lonsdale started the group.
Of course it was the kids themselves who won the event. Team USA from MSJE was comprised of David Pan, Rishith Susarla, Kevin Pan, Annapoorni Meiyappan and Leo Jiang. Each of these children are chess stars in their own right and together they proved to be an unconquerable force with an overall record in the international stage of 16.5 wins out of a possible 20!
The MSJE Fremont Summer Chess Camp starts on Monday June 29th. For more details and to sign up for the camp, please visit: http://chessandmusic.com/aboutus/