Germantown Academy’s Upper School Chess Club finished its regular season with a perfect 10-0 record in the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Chess League’s Central Division. In the super competitive LBCSCL playoffs, the second-seeded Patriots took down New Hope Academy of the Eastern Division in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champs Lower Moreland of the Central Division.

Then, from March 10-12, the Patriots traveled to Lancaster where they competed in the Pennsylvania State Quick Chess Championship, Bughouse Tournament, and Pennsylvania State Scholastic Chess Championships, all held at the Lancaster Hotel Resort and Conference Center.

On March 10, the Patriots participated in the Pennsylvania State Quick Chess Championship, where Wes Champlin '19 won his division, Andy Huang '17 finished ninth overall in his division, Gavin Rees '17 placed 11th in his division, and Nick Bekos ’20 was the top “unrated” player.

At the Bughouse Tournament, held on March 11, Champlin and Ben Dobbins '19 were the top Bughouse team in their rating group.

The Patriots also competed in the Pennsylvania State Scholastic Chess Championships (five-round, main event) on March 11 and 12 where Bekos finished second in his division and Rees was the third-best “unrated” player in his division. Champlin and Huang placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in their divisions while GA’s U1300 team of Champlin, Huang, Rees, Jimmy Parker '17, Ben Grossman '17, and David Li '18 earned third in the state. Dobbins and Kian Jamasbi '17 also represented GA at the Pennsylvania Scholastic Championships.

“I was very pleased with how hard the kids on the team worked this year, solving tactics problems and thoughtfully going over each other’s games together at practice,” said advisor Jason Straub, who teaches Upper School math and also serves as Head of Washington House. “Finishing the regular season with a 10-0 record was a nice tribute to their effort and teamwork. I was very proud of how the players supported each other at States, turning what is on the surface an individual game into a collaborative, team experience. This group of seniors (Kian Jamasbi, Andy Huang, Ben Grossman, Jimmy Parker, Sam Horner, and Gavin Rees) was instrumental in building the chess team’s success, and I’ll miss them as they move on to college next year.”