STAFF REPORTS
More than 60 local student chess players matched moves recently in the fourth annual Krasnoff Chess Tournament at Elm Grove Elementary. In one of the more interesting matches of the day middle school champ Christopher Hackworth, left, faces off with high school champ Aaron Harper. (Photo by Christy Hodson)
Former Lehman High School librarian Neil Krasnoff, who left Hays CISD this year for a new assignment elsewhere, may not have realized his lasting local legacy. The recent 4th annual Krasnoff Chess Tournament demonstrates it.
Student chess players from across the district gathered on the Elm Grove Elementary campus to pit wits against one another in the tournament Krasnoff spent years establishing.
Event coordinator Christy Hodson called this year’s tournament, “the best so far, earning hundreds of dollars for next year’s event and furthering scholastic chess in our district.”
Followers of the game enjoyed competitive action in the elementary and middle school divisions, where Buda Elementary and Dahlstrom earned team titles. Hays High School won its division. Elm Grove, Negley, Fuentes and Camino Real elementaries took second through fifth in their division, respectively. Barton and Chapa middle schools were second and third, respectively, in their division.
Elm Grove’s Caleb Baksdale used his five points to claim top elementary individual honors, while five players (four of those from Buda Elementary) tied for second with four points and were awarded second through sixth on tie breaks. Those included Negley’s Nicholas Hackworth ultimately claiming second, followed by Buda’s Ian Blount, Jesse Bryan, Brandon Mendieta and Christian Rodriguez.
Four middle-schoolers tied for individual first place with three points: Barton’s Christopher Hackworth edging 2009 middle school champ Alex Ryno, Jacob Dotterer and Eric Brodbeck on tie-breaks. Ryno, Dotterer and Brodbeck are all Dahlstrom Mustangs.
Hays High School’s Aaron Harper won his division’s individual title with five points, edging out home-schooler Brett Hendrick (4 points), and fellow Rebs Grant Garcia (3 points), Robert Brown and John Ibarra.
Meet coordinator Hodson credited the event’s success to several individuals, including its director, Paul Chaplin, a private coach who does area workshops, new Buda Elementary teacher Jeff Zollner, Elm Grove faculty sponsor Boyd Vladyka and concessions coordinator Cathy Cousins.
