Chess enthusiasts Vyom Vidyarthi, grade 10, and Omya Vidyarthi, grade 7, participated in the North American Youth Chess Championship in Mexico City from Dec. 1-6, each winning their respective sections. Vyom placed first in the U20 section and earned his second grandmaster norm, while Omya won the U20 girls section. Earlier this year, Vyom and Omya each won gold at the Pan American Youth Chess Championship.
Rising ninth grader and chess enthusiast Mihir Kotbagi tied for first place and placed second after tie breaks at the 122nd U.S. Open’s Scholastic Championship section for high school students, held in Palm Springs from July 30-Aug. 7. Kotbagi and the other top scorer both had 3.5 out of 4 points after their respective games before ELO rules for tie breaks were applied. Congratulations!
Chess enthusiasts Vyom Vidyarthi, rising sophomore, and Omya Vidyarthi, rising seventh grader, each won gold medals at the Pan American Youth Chess Championship, held June 25-July 8 in Montevideo, Uruguay. Vyom, currently a FIDE International Master, played in the U18 open category and Omya competed in the U12 girls category. Their performances helped the USA take first overall, with a total of five gold medals. This win marked Omya’s fourth straight gold medal win in this event, having won in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the event in 2020 and 2021.
Last month, fifth graders Rohan Rajaram and Dylan Tang, and third grader Ethan Guo participated in the California State Chess Championship, where over 400 players competed across various sections. Rajaram won the K-5 section, with Guo taking second place and Tang taking fourth. Together, their strong performance enabled Harker to win the K-5 section! Great job!
In November, chess enthusiast Kyle Chang, grade 11, took first place at a chess tournament run by the US Chess Federation and held at Sacred Heart Preparatory in San Francisco, going undefeated at the event. Congratulations!
Over the winter break, ninth grader and chess enthusiast Vyom Vidyarthi’s success continued as he took first place in the under-20 category at the North American Junior Chess Championship in Charlotte, N.C. This placement earned him the distinction of being named a FIDE International Master at age 14, becoming one of only eight IMs in the world who are the same age or younger. Congratulations on this massive achievement!
Sixth grader and chess enthusiast Omya Vidyarthi won a gold medal at last month’s 17th Annual North American Youth Chess Championship, which hosted more than 400 entrants from the Canada, Mexico and the United States. Vidyarthi competed in the U12 Girls category and won with a score of 8.5 points out of a possible 9. She is now eligible to earn the Woman FIDE Master title from the International Chess Federation. As a bonus, Vidyarthi also took second place in the blitz chess side event!
Chess whiz Vyom Vidyarthi, who starts as a freshman at the upper school this year, was the winner at the 11th Annual Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle School State Champions, held July 31-Aug. 3 in Cherry Hill, N.J., becoming the Champion of Champions among middle school competitors. The Barber tournament is a meeting of representatives from each state, who then face off to determine the nation’s top player. As a first-place winner, Vidyarthi received a $5,000 scholarship and an invitation to the 2022 US Cadet Championship. His score was combined with those of other top players from Northern California region, which won the team portion of the event.
Over the winter break, chess enthusiast Omya Vidyarthi, grade 5, took first place in the U10 girls division of the FIDE Online World Cadets & Youth Rapid Championships. The event invited the top players from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe to compete. Vidyarthi was the top American player in her age group and competed with players from countries including Brazil, China, Guatemala and India. Congratulations!
Over the summer, fourth grader Omya Vidyarthi traveled to two international chess tournaments, taking first place in the U1700 Women’s category at the World Amateur Championship in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, and winning gold at the PanAmerican Youth Championship in the U10 Girls category in Guayaquil, Ecuador, her third consecutive PanAmerican Youth gold medal. At the World Amateur Championship, she was the youngest player in her section, squaring off against adult players for most of her run.
Also finding success this past summer was eighth grader Dominic Ortiz, a bowling enthusiast who in August took first place in the boys handicap division at the All Star Tournament held in Reno, Nev., by the Northern California Bowling Centers Youth Bowling Association.