Oklahoma Scholastic State Championship in Edmond

OSCO (Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Organization) has just completed nothing less than a record breaking scholastic year of tournament participation for Oklahoma. All of its 7 events drew over 100 players, including the State Championship on 27 March with 208 participants!! The Championship was hosted by Ida Freeman Elementary in Edmond and organized by OSCO with State Champion John Dunlap and Steve Sawyer as Co-Chief TDs.

Cris Spencer of Stillwater High School went undefeated in the top section for Grades 9-12 to win the High School Championship. Cris earned the honor of representing Oklahoma at the Arnold Denker Tournament of High School Champions in August at the US Open. He is eligible for an OSCO $300 scholarship to help with tournament expenses. Stillwater High School also won the Grades 9-12 Team Championship.

Also in the High School Section, Destiny Sawyer of Locust Grove and member of the King’s Pawns Homeschoolers was the top girl finisher in 6th place. Destiny will be the Oklahoma Representative to the Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls at the US Open in August. She is eligible for a $450 OSCO scholarship for her participation, which includes a $200 bonus for also being in the OSCO Grand Prix Top 10 (where she actually placed 1^st).

In the Grade 7-9 Championship section, Jordan Swartz of Cascia Hall in Tulsa went undefeated to earn top honors. Bradford Christian School of Prior won the Grades 9-12 Team Championship.

The Grade K-6 Open Championship produced a 4-way tie with 4 points, which Drew Cottrill of Andersen Elementary in Broken Arrow placed atop based on tiebreaks. The others in this tie were Devin Hughes of Heritage Hall in Edmond, Michelle Farell and Ryan Farell of Bixby and members of the King’s Pawns Homeschoolers. The K-6 Open Team Championship went to King's Pawns Homeschoolers.

There were 89 participants in the K-6 U750 Section, one of which actually broke his arm playing between a couple of earlier rounds and was back in time for the last round. Even with accelerated pairings, there was a tie for first in this section with a perfect 5 point score. The K-6 U750 Co-Champions are Connor Shryock and Dillon Pfundt, both of Ida Freeman Elementary in Edmond. Ida Freeman Elementary of Edmond also won the Oklahoma K-6 U750 Team Championship and then went on to win 2^nd place team at the National K-6 U900 Championship in Pittsburgh, PA a week later!

The Grade K-3 Open Championship section with 24 players also produced a tie with 4.5 points. Matthew Silvey of Andersen Elementary in Broken Arrow won the Championship on tiebreaks over Becky Huang of Northern Hill Elementary in Edmond. Matt and Becky played to a draw in the third round. Becky just recently arrived from China where she also played chess and had won some tournaments. Winner of the K-3 Open Team Championship was Monte Cassino of Tulsa.

Hang on to your hats folks!! OSCO is taking scholastic chess to new heights in Oklahoma and these kids are going to start giving the more seasoned players a run for their money. It looks like the future of chess in Oklahoma is now alive and kicking!