LINCROFT– The Christian Brothers Academy Chess Team won their first-ever national title at the National High School Chess Championships, held April 1-3 in Atlanta, Georgia. CBA’s championship team of Daniel Draganoff ‘18, Chris Giordano ‘16, Chris Wall ‘16, Luke Drennan ‘16, and Daniel Giammanco ‘16 won the U1900 section, combining to score 20 points in 7 rounds of play. Each player of the winning squad logged a total 28 hours of playing time over the course of the three-day championship.
Individually, Draganoff finished in a tie for second, winning six of his seven matches. Giordano and Wall both finished in a tie for ninth place, each winning five of their seven matches.
In addition to the national championship team, there were a number of other team and individual accomplishments. Marc Sorrentino ‘18, Tyler Gentile ‘17, Brendan Fitzgerald ‘18 and John-Gabriel Bermudez ‘18 came in fifth place in the U1600 section. The team was led by Sorrentino, who won five of seven matches and tied for 16th place.
Nick Karris ‘17, Colin Clarke ‘17, Andrew Dalton ‘18, Michael Gilbride ‘18, and Kevin Cisneros ’19 came in 13th place for the U1200 section.
CBA Chess placed 14th overall in the National Blitz Tournament. The team was led by Daniel Giammanco with 8 points.
Freshman Luke Rogers placed third in the country in the U800 Section, winning an impressive six of seven matches.
The 2015-16 season has proven to be a banner year for CBA Chess, which has included first place showings at the NJ Grade Championships, the 46th Annual National Chess Congress Tournament in Philadelphia, the New York City Championships, and a second place showing at the US Chess Federation’s National K-12 Grade Championships in Orlando, Florida.
CBA Chess is led by Christian Brothers Academy math teacher and head coach Patrick Melosh and assistant coach Brian Meinders.
