Thanks to our new President, Dan Wilson, and our Warren Scholars Chairman, Edwin Walker—along with his technical expertise—the ICA took a fresh approach to selecting this year’s players. Invitations were extended to the highest-rated players in Illinois, with a goal of up to twenty players in each division. The four divisions were: Denker (High School), Barber (Grades 6–8), Rockefeller (Grades K–5), and Haring (Girls, Grades K–12).

 

The winners of each division will represent Illinois in their respective divisions in the U.S. Open in Middleton, WI July 28th-July 31st. The ICA will award each of the four winners a $300 stipend for travel to be able to participate in the tournament.

 

This year’s event featured a remarkable finish, with three of the four divisions decided by playoffs.

Denker (High School) 

 

Entering the final round, Anjaneya led with 3.5 points out of 4, while Anshul Shetty (both from Waubonsie Valley High School) had 3 points. Their game ended in a draw, giving Anjaneya a final score of 4 points. Meanwhile, Avi Kaplan, who started the round with 3 points, defeated Dario Pjevic, bringing his total to 4 points—tying Anjaneya.

 

This led to a two-game blitz playoff (G/3+2). Avi beat Anjaneya in both games, crowning him the 2025 Denker Champion. A complete crosstable is below:

 

 

Barber (Grades 6-8) 

 

Heading into the last round, Artemii Khanbutaev and Sachit Rajkumar were tied with 3.5 points each. Since they had already played each other earlier, Artemii drew Ashvath Puttala to finish with 4 points. Meanwhile, Ryan Zhang played Sachit Rajkumar and won, also ending with 4 points—forcing a playoff with Artemii.

 

In the two-game blitz (G/3+2), Artemil defeated Ryan in both games, securing his title as the 2025 Barber Champion. A complete crosstable is below:

 

Rockefeller (Grades K-5) 

 

Before the final round, Matthew Yu and Lucas Silvestre were tied with 3.5 points each. Due to pairing rules, Matthew drew against Ryun Fei, while Aiden Li, who entered with 3 points, defeated Lucas, leaving both Matthew and Aiden tied at 4 points.

 

Similarly to the previous sections, the two-game blitz playoff (G/3+2) saw Aiden defeat Matthew in both games, making him the 2025 Rockefeller Champion. A complete crosstable is below:

 

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Haring (Girls) 

 

In the final round, Rebecca Cortez and Stella Xia were tied with 3.5 points each. Rebecca defeated Stella to claim the 2025 Haring Championship.

 

Additionally, there was a three-way tie for third place with 2.5 points between Elizabeth Xia, Victoria Chen, and Emily Tang entering the final round. Elizabeth and Victoria drew their game, finishing with 3 points; while Emily lost to Linda Pham. A complete crosstable is below:

Congratulations to everybody who participated; being able to participate is a testament to your effort and skill thus far. And best of luck to our state champions in Wisconsion!