We are the Champions! Hawthorne Chess Team in Chicago Captures 1st Place at the 2025 CPS Kings and Queens Tournament
We are thrilled to celebrate (again!) the outstanding success of the Hawthorne Scholastic Academy chess team, a brilliant example of what students can achieve through hard work and practice.
The team recently competed in the CPS Academic Chess’s 2025 Kings and Queens Tournament on Dec 6th, going head-to-head against CPS’s most talented. We are incredibly proud to announce that the Hawthorne Scholastic Academy chess team placed 1st among 18 teams in the highly competitive K-6 Intermediate section. Hawthorne beat out our friendly competitors, including Skinner North Elementary, Decatur, Keller Gifted Magnet School, and Edison Regional Gifted Center. Not bad for Hawthorne’s third tournament as a team!
Three of our four students, Leyee Qian, Tate Walling, and Bota Narthasilpa scored 3 out of 4 points, and one student, Kaiyee Qian, led the team by winning all 4 of his games. Thus, Hawthorne’s total score of 13 points, a full point ahead of the competition.
This remarkable accomplishment highlights the hard work, strategic thinking, and steady practice nurtured in the Nexplore/MM Chess program. Using the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills they’ve learned, these young competitors truly shone when it mattered most.
In recognition of their brilliant performance, the team won a well-deserved 1st Place Plaque! We sincerely hope they bring it to school to display and inspire the next generation of chess champions!
