Pasadena Independent School District

PISD Chess Program

The Pasadena Independent School District’s chess program began in 2010 when the Gifted and Talented Department encouraged each High School, Intermediate School, and Middle School to form a chess club. A total of 21 campuses formed chess clubs, which the GT department supported by providing training, materials, and other assistance. In that same year, the district began holding tournaments in which students from all over the district could face off and determine which players were the best. Two years later, the program added Elementary campuses, and since then, the number of chess clubs has steadily increased to 45 in the 2015-16 school year. The number of students participating in district chess tournaments has increased from 20 in the fall of 2010 to over 300 in May 2016.

Why chess? A large number of research studies have shown that regularly playing chess can provide students with multiple academic benefits, including strengthened problem solving skills, enhanced reading, memory, language, and mathematical abilities, improved critical, creative, and original thinking skills, and even better standardized test scores. In addition to these academic benefits, playing chess improves many other cognitive skills, including focusing, visualizing, thinking ahead, weighing options, analyzing concretely, thinking abstractly, planning, and juggling multiple considerations simultaneously. Chess serves as a bridge, bringing together children of different ages, races, and sexes in an activity they can all enjoy. Finally, chess teaches sportsmanship – how to win graciously and not give up when encountering defeat.

PISD Chess Tournaments

Pasadena ISD hosts several tournaments throughout the year. Tournaments for grades 3 – 6 will be informal tournaments using US Chess federation guidelines, but will not be official USCF tournaments. Tournaments for grades 7-12 will be US Chess Federation tournaments and will be run by US Chess Federation certified tournament directors. Students in grades 7 – 12 must be registered with the US Chess Federation to participate. The cost to the student to become a member of the US Chess Federation is $11. Students should make arrangements with their chess coach to register. (Note: Students are not required to become a member of USCF to be in chess club, they only need to become a member if they plan to participate in a tournament.) For more information, please visit the US Chess Federation.

Secondary tournaments (grades 7, 8, and high school) will require students to record their moves during the tournament. Students in grades 3-6 will NOT be required to write down their moves. Chess coaches will be responsible for teaching tournament participants how to record their moves. Parents and students can access a training video.

Students and parents can also download the chess notation recording sheet.

Tournament Schedule

Fall and Spring Chess Exhibitions

November 10, 2018 – 8:30 am – 2:00 pm (approximately) at Beverly Hills Intermediate
February 9, 2019 – 8:30 am – 2:00 pm (approximately) at Beverly Hills Intermediate

District Chess Championship

May 11, 2019 – 8:30 am – 3:30 pm (approximately) at Beverly Hills Intermediate

Tournament Results

There are six divisions in each of the PISD Chess tournaments, one for each of the following:

3^rd Grade
4^th Grade
5^th Grade
6^th Grade
Grades 7 - 12 Unrated Division
Grades 7 - 12 USCF Rated Division

In all divisions, students receive one point for each win and a half-point for each draw. The top five finishers in each division will be recognized at the end of the tournament. We ask that all tournament participants stay for the awards ceremony to cheer on their fellow chess mates as a show of good sportsmanship. The names of the top finishers will be posted on the PISD Chess website after each tournament.

May 2017 Chess Championship Results

The Anita Delafield Memorial Chess Tournament

Our final tournament of the year is dedicated to Anita Delafield, mother of Dr. Karen Hickman, Deputy Superintendent of Academic Achievement. Mrs. Delafield has long been a supporter of the chess program in PISD through her passion for chess and generous donations. She was a frequent spectator at the PISD chess exhibitions and tournaments and was always impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication exhibited by both the students and the coaches. We are saddened at the passing of such a gracious soul, but we will continue to honor Mrs. Delafield through our continued commitment to the growth and success of the PISD Chess program.

On Saturday, May 13, Pasadena ISD held its Seventh Annual May Chess Championship at Beverly Hills Intermediate. 268 students participated, which is the fourth highest number in the history of Pasadena ISD. 39 campuses were represented including 6 high schools, 8 intermediate schools, 7 middle schools, and 18 elementary schools. 33 of the schools participating were from Pasadena ISD, 5 were from Deer Park ISD, and one was a private school. PISD Chess Directors are Leslie Axel and James Early. US Chess Federation Tournament Directors for this tournament were Bob Bartel, James Early and Susan Metcalfe.

In all divisions, each student played five games, receiving one point for each win and a half-point for each draw. The first table below shows the top five finishers in each of the six divisions with their final scores. The second table shows the top three teams in each division.

Division	Place	Name	Campus	Grade	Score
Grade 3	1	Junier Paz Gomez	Young	3	5.0
	2	Kaylanie Tran	Laura Bush	3	4.5
	3	Harold Funez	Genoa	3	4.0
	4	Noe Rocha	Golden Acres	3	4.0
	5	Hussai Arias	Meador	3	3.0

Grade 4	1	Yeison Carbajal	Young	4	5.0
	2	Daniel Perez	Genoa	4	5.0
	3	Alberto Castellano	Young	4	4.5
	4	Zaid Martinez	Genoa	4	4.0
	5	Vinh Nguyen	Genoa	4	4.0

Grade 5	1	Austin Avalos	Kendrick	5	5.0
	2	Adam Salas	De Zavala	5	4.0
	3	Arath Dodin	Roberts	5	4.0
	4	Alejandro Lopes	Morris	5	4.0
	5	Marissa Trevino	Shaw	5	4.0

Grade 6	1	Dylan Campos	Melillo	6	5.0
	2	Joseph Vu	Melillo	6	5.0
	3	Aaron Pacheco	Bonnette JH	6	4.0
	4	Thang Tran	Morris	6	3.5
	5	Mario Montes	Milstead	6	3.5

Intermediate	1	Hussiel Arias	Beverly Hills	7	5.0
	2	Patrick Ortega	Beverly Hills	7	4.5
	3	Tony Bui	Beverly Hills	8	4.0
	4	Nicholas Ochoa	Beverly Hills	7	4.0
	5	Blake Danner	Bondy	8	4.0

High School	1	Antonio Rodriguez	Deer Park HS	11	5.0
	2	Tyler Dean	Deer Park HS	10	4.5
	3	Isaac Villarreal	PHS	11	4.0
	4	John Cruz	CTHS	12	3.5
	5	Timmy Phan	Dobie	9	3.0

Division	Place	Campus	Score
Grade 3	1	Laura Bush	14.5
	2	Genoa	13.5
	3	Parks	12.5

Grade 4	1	Young	17.5
	2	Genoa	16.0
	3	Frazier	14.5

Grade 5	1	Roberts	16.5
	2	Shaw	15.5
	3	Milstead	13.5

Grade 6	1	Melillo	16.0
	2	Morris	13.0
	3	Bonnette	12.0

Intermediate	1	Beverly Hills	17.5
	2	Bondy	14.5
	3	Deer Park JH	9.5

High School	1	Deer Park HS	15.5
	2	CTHS	10.0
	3	Dobie	7.0

November 2017 Chess Tournament Results

This past Saturday, November 11, Pasadena ISD held its Eighth Annual Fall Chess Tournament at Beverly Hills Intermediate. 230 students participated. 35 campuses were represented including 6 high schools, 10 intermediate schools, 6 middle schools, and 12 elementary schools. 29 of the schools participating were from Pasadena ISD, 5 were from Deer Park ISD, and one was a private school. PISD Chess Directors are Leslie Axel and James Early. US Chess Federation Tournament Directors for this tournament were James Early and Susan Metcalfe.

In all divisions, each student played five games, receiving one point for each win and a half-point for each draw. The table below shows the top five finishers in each of the six divisions with their final scores.

Division	Place	Name		Grade	Score
Grade 3	1	Juan Martinez	Laura Bush	3	5.0
	2	Haydon Gomez	Golden Acres	3	4.0
	3	Aubrey Reyes	Frazier	3	4.0
	4	Philip Perez	Golden Acres	3	3.5
	5	David Garcia	Genoa	3	3.5

Grade 4	1	Eliat Rodriguez	Parks	4	5.0
	2	Alfredo Balderas	Morales	4	5.0
	3	Harold Funez	Genoa	4	4.0
	4	Israel Rivera	Gardens	4	4.0
	5	Aaron Gloria	Genoa	4	4.0

Grade 5	1	Alex Acevedo	Milstead	5	5.0
	2	Christopher Sahagun	Milstead	5	4.0
	3	Vinh Nguyen	Roberts	5	4.0
	4	Yeison Carbajal	Milstead	5	4.0
	5	Nicolas Soza	Melillo	5	4.0

Grade 6	1	Arath Dodin	Roberts	6	4.5
	2	Austin Avalos	Kendrick	6	4.5
	3	Rey Aguirre	Melillo	6	4.0
	4	Nathaniel Luna	Roberts	6	4.0
	5	Devin Vazquez	Milstead	6	4.0

Secondary Unrated	1	Nicholas Ochoa	Beverly Hills	8	5.0
	2	Jonathan Rivera	Park View	8	4.0
	3	Andreas McGlotha	Beverly Hills	8	4.0
	4	Jordan Peralez	Beverly Hills	7	4.0
	5	Anh Bui	Beverly Hills	7	3.5

Secondary Rated	1	Tyler Dean	Deer Park HS	11	5.0
	2	Timmy Phan	Dobie	10	4.0
	3	Antonio Rodriguez	Deer Park HS	12	4.0
	4	Edward Ellis	Deer Park HS	12	4.0
	5	Tin Ly	Dobie	10	4.0

May 2018 Chess Championship Results

On Saturday, May 12, Pasadena ISD held its eighth annual May Chess Championship at Beverly Hills Intermediate. 222 students participated. 31 campuses were represented including 1 high school, 5 intermediate schools, 6 middle schools, and 19 elementary schools. 27 of the schools participating were from Pasadena ISD, 3 were from Deer Park ISD, and one was a private school.

Our profuse thanks are extended to all the campus chess coaches and other adult volunteers who came and helped. Thanks are also due to our scorekeepers, hall monitors, and to the custodians who cleaned up after us. I am also grateful for all the campus administrators and central office personnel who came to support the students. Special thanks are due my co-directors Bob Bartel and Susan Metcalfe, to Stacey Barber (BHI principal) for again letting us use her wonderful building, and of course to my co-director Leslie Axel, for taking care of all the logistics. Since Leslie will be retiring at the end of this school year, this was her last tournament. All of us who are involved in PISD chess appreciate her so much and are grateful for all she has done for chess (and everything else too!) these past 6 years.

In all divisions, each student played five games, receiving one point for each win and a half-point for each draw. The first table below shows the top five finishers in each of the six divisions with their final scores. The second table shows the top three teams in each division.