National Scholastics

This article is by WIM Alexey Root.

Do you know your Presidents? Whose photo is shown, at right, in this article? The photo is of Bill Goichberg. Bill Goichberg has never been President of the United States. Instead, he served as President of the United States Chess Federation (USCF) from 2005-2008. The USCF President is part of the USCF Executive Board. As of 2012, Bill Goichberg still serves on the USCF Executive Board. The USCF Executive Board, along with the USCF delegates and the professional staff, makes decisions that affect chess. Bill Goichberg was active in chess long before his presidency.

Bill Goichberg organized the first national scholastic chess tournaments. The first National High School was in 1969 (370 players). The first National Junior High School was in 1973 (264 players). When I was 10, I played in the very first National Elementary, held in 1976 in Washington, DC. There were just 68 players. The tournament was won by Joel Benjamin, who later became a grandmaster.

When I began playing in tournaments at age nine, I was often the youngest player participating. By 2012, tournament players as young as four are common. And there are a lot more elementary, middle, and high school tournament players too.

SuperNationals IV (which combined the National HS, JHS, and Elementary) was held in 2009 and attracted 5243 players. There is a SuperNationals V planned for April 5-7, 2013. Although the National High School, National Junior High, and National Elementary are usually held in separate locations, once every four years they are combined into SuperNationals. In 2013, SuperNationals V will be at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center, a huge hotel in Nashville, TN. It needs to be huge as 6000 chess players are expected to participate! Here is a photo of part of the hotel.

You may be wondering how I traveled to the National Elementary from my home in Lincoln, Nebraska. I was invited by a group from Omaha to travel with them to the 1976 National Elementary. There were six boys, two female chaperones, and me. We took a Trailways bus to Washington, DC (a 30+-hour trip one way, which included multiple stops) to participate. Then we had to take the bus back. The chaperones offered a penny an hour to keep quiet on the bus ride back. I decided that money was a good deal, as I was tired of talking anyway. So I didn't talk. When I arrived at the bus terminal in Nebraska, my parents were surprised (and a little worried) that I had lost my voice.

It is expensive to participate in a National Scholastic. Besides travel, you have to think about hotel rooms, food, and entry fees. In 1976, being the only girl on the trip, I stayed with the chaperones. The six boys had their own room next door. For 2013, the advance entry fee (due by March 17, 2013) is $50. The hotel room (for 1-4 people) is $149/night.

Back in 1976, I won the trophy for second girl. I told a newspaper reporter that I was "very, very disappointed. Everyone around was congratulating me, but I didn't feel happy at all." As the Nebraska Elementary Co-Champion (of boys and girls), I had hoped for one of the place trophies.

I will be traveling to SuperNationals V in 2013. No, I am not the world's oldest scholastic player trying to win another trophy! I am a coach now. I will be accompanying the Denton (Texas) High School chess team. To save money, the chess club sponsor and I are driving the players rather than flying. I wonder if I will choose not to talk on the 11.5-hour drive back to Denton from Nashville?! You will be able to read about how Denton High School raised enough money to participate in SuperNationals V in my forthcoming cover story for the April 2013 issue of Chess Life for Kids. Here is a photo of Denton High School.

While at SuperNationals V, I will be presenting three full-ride scholarships to The University of Texas at Dallas. I work for UT Dallas teaching online courses for parents and educators interested in how to use chess to meet educational goals. And I often volunteer with the UT Dallas Chess Program, which will have an information booth at SuperNationals V in addition to the UT Dallas role as scholarship-giver. Here is a photo of Chess Plaza at UT Dallas.

At SuperNationals V, one UT Dallas scholarship will go to the winner of the National Elementary championship section, one to the winner of the National Junior High championship section, and the last one to the winner of the National High School championship section. Back in 1976, there were not multiple sections within the National Elementary. All 68 participants played in a single open section. For 2013, however, SuperNationals V offers 20 sections, including championship sections.

Also in 1976, college chess teams existed but did not offer scholarships. In 2012, UT Dallas is among several colleges and universities that offer scholarships. Many university administrators believe that top scholastic chess players have skills, such as working hard and thinking, which will make them top college students too. Students can win scholarships at tournaments such as SuperNationals V or apply for scholarships directly with universities. To use an awarded scholarship, the student must meet university entrance requirements. For admission to universities, students cannot rely only on chess results. Students must earn good grades and score well on standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT.

When I see Bill Goichberg at SuperNationals V, I will ask him if he imagined that the National Elementary would grow from 68 players in 1976 to thousands now. What do you think he will answer?