Divine Savior Academy’s chess team participated in the Florida State Chess Tournament and came away with championships in two divisions and also an individual state champion in the K12 U1000 division. The tournament was held in Orlando and had over 400 players in attendance. DSA was proud to field the second biggest team in the tournament.
The K8 U1000 team came from behind and overtook their leading opponent by half a point in the last round to win the state championship.
The team was led by strong showings by the following players: James Poulos, 3rd place; Lucas Martinez, 4th place; and Sergio Rivera, 5th place. The team was also supported by Ethan Josephs, Thomas Poulos, Tomas Barba, Grant Canaday, and Nicholas Chong.
The K12 U1000 had an even tougher battle to win their State Championship. Their victory was earned by beating the 1st place team in a tiebreaker. This team was led by the K12 U1000 State Champion, Santiago Martinez. The other members of the championship team were Daniel Martinez, Valeria Bermudez, Miguel Lombardi, and William Cabeza.
The K1 Open team of Evan Bello, Kahla Morales, and Paul Ortega won the 5th place trophy.
In the K3 division, Lucas Ochoa won the Individual 4th place trophy.
The K5 Open team won 3rd place in their toughest tournament yet. The team included: Abelardo Goncalves, Christian Cozzo, Noah Bello, Ryan Hansen, Sebastian Herrera, Joshua Canaday, and Daniel Poulos.
The K12 Open team of Sebastian Lojano, Angel Diaz, Valentina Bermudez, and Jesus Bermudez earned the 4th place trophy.
DSA Chess Coach Gil Luna expected his team to do well, but he just wasn’t sure how well, due to the highly competitive nature of the tournament. “I feel very proud of our team,” says Coach Luna. “The kids put forth maximum effort. That’s all you can ask for as a coach. I don’t expect them to always win, but I always expect them to try their best.”
So what is next for DSA Chess? The team has its sights set on the Super Nationals later this year. This tournament is held every four years and brings together the best of elementary, middle, and high school players from around the country. DSA is hoping to raise enough funds to travel to Nashville, TN to defend its championship title from 4 years ago!
To learn more about DSA and its chess team, visit www.DivineSaviorAcademy.com.
