The South Jersey Innovation Center (SJIC) was abuzz with the rhythmic click-clack of chess pieces on May 5, 2024. It was the day of the 2024 South Jersey State Championship Individual Qualifiers, a prestigious chess tournament that would determine the Garden State’s representatives for esteemed national competitions like the Barber Tournament of Champions and the Haring Tournament of Champions.
With a staggering 112 players–significantly more than the 97 participants at the 2024 North Jersey State Championship Individual Qualifiers–it was clear the chess players had their work cut out for them. Benjamin Lauer, rated 2078, reflected that “the tournament this year was definitely a lot bigger than last year. ”
Exclusive to students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, the tournament was meticulously organized, with players competing solely within their section of grades. Additionally, there was an all-girls section.
The format was a four-round Swiss system with a time control of 60 minutes per player, plus a five-second delay between moves. As anticipated, some matches concluded far before any clocks fell, leaving players with spare time between rounds. Many took advantage of this downtime to analyze their previous games as well as catch up with friends.
And of course, after four intense rounds of play, there was the award ceremony where the SJIC honored the top eight performers in each section. Reference the lists below to view the trophy recipients.
Reflecting on the day’s events, it was evident that this tournament had been a resounding success. The SJIC cannot wait to continue to host more events like this in the future. Make sure to keep up to date on our website and social media so you don’t miss out!
Grades K-5 Top Eight:
- Santhosh Ayyappan
- Aayansh Pramanik
- Leon Luo
- Aarush Teja Parsi
- Joseph Liu
- Yegna Sairam Jandhyala
- Yipei Wan
- Samuel Xing
Grades 6-8 Top Eight:
- Vihaan Sexena
- Will Luo
- Siddharth Keshav Tripathy
- Armaan Chainani
- Andrew Tailin Li
- Aarush Samanta
- Narayan Venkatesh
- Vincent Gao
Grades 9-12 Top Eight:
- George Yiming Chen
- Bryce Josiah Bibelheimer
- Benjamin Francis Lauer
- Anish Guru
- Advay Praveen
- Jason P Lin
- Shrenik Pilli
Girls Grades K-12 Top Eight:
- Anushka Ayyappan
- Shivani Sundar
- Shyla Rana
- Aardhya Tungare
- Eva Zhiyue Zhang
- Rachitha Sai Chandar
- Brinley Liu
- Emma Chenhua Zhang
A leading center for STEAM instruction (including math, computing, and robotics), the SJIC offers superb instructional chess programs for both children and adults. The SJIC hosts official rated chess tournaments periodically and rated rapid tournaments every Wednesday night.
