Joaquin Perkins at the 2012 Online National Championship

You might expect that because there is an all girls section you wouldn’t see any girls in the other sections. Not true! Both Maggie Ni (Under 8) and Carissa Yip (Under 10) not only qualified for their respective sections, but are ranked in the top half of their group. All the sections are close and competitive. For example, in the Under 10 section the top and bottom players are separated by only 75 rating points.

Most of the Under 12 section is comprised of 11-year-olds, except for Andrew Zheng and Luke Xie, who are both 10. This will be a very challenging octagonal as all eight boys are Experts and several could pass the Master threshold by the end of the event (the tournament is USCF rated).

While the players come from all over the country, there are a few “pockets” of the country represented by several players (Ohio, the Bay Area, Dallas and Houston, etc). One "dynasty" will be present - brothers Henry and Charles Hawthorn will play in the Under Eight and Under 10 sections, respectively, while their cousin, Albert Lu, qualified in the Under 12.
 
Even the small differences in age manifest the evolution of chess thinking and style amongst the players. Most of the Under Eight group said they like "tactics and attacking" the best. Rishith Susarla put it simply, "Attacking is fun." Kevin Chor said, "I like the blood rush of the endgame."

As you move up the age spectrum, players still preferred attacking setups but were much more likely to appreciate the endgame and a balanced style. Yip: "I am a universal player." Checa: "I don't have a particular style, I just play the position...I don't like prioritizing, [all aspects of chess] are equally important." Two players said they enjoyed defending - Devagharan and Nguyen - those same two girls who have played in international events the longest.

The tournament gives the players a chance to add to their varied memories of their brief chess careers. Many said their favorite experience in chess was competing a spring national scholastics, or a Supernationals. Atreya Vaidya remembers winning $300 when he was not even five years old. Susarla beat an 1800 with one second remaining on his clock. Harvey Zhu forced a repetition just after his opponent promoted a second queen (GM Serper would be proud). Kiana Arab has one of the most interesting back stories. She is the youngest ever WCM from her native Iran - Arab received the title after winning the Girls Under 10 section of the ASEAN Games. She got a chance to move to the U.S. after her father won a green-card lottery, despite the chances of winning at less than one percent!

 
Kiana Arab after winning a national blitz title

Brian Wu beat a Master when he was seven, and Anthony Ge once won despite staring down three passed pawns from his opponent.
 
Besides vivid memories of master scalps, international trips, and playing alongside the Stars and Stripes, most of these youngsters advised other kids to enjoy playing, work hard, and to keep the game in perspective. Albert Lu had a more specific warning: "Remember to hit the clock." Devagharan said, "Stay calm and drink water!" Nguyen's approach was the most direct. "Two pieces of advice I would give: A) Do not lose. B) Do not draw."
 
Here is an example of fine play by one of the participants, sacrificing both rooks to defeat one of Chess.com's own staff members!
 
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For more information on the tournament structure and security, as well as a complete list of players and ratings, click here.

Make sure to tune into ChessKid TV June 14-17, and watch the tournament unfold live with commentary from titled players!