An unlikely figure shattered MSMS’s dreams of a trophy sweep in the K-12 division of the MSMS Scholastic Chess Tournament this Saturday as 10-year-old Landon Tu took home first place in the most inclusive division, winning four out of five matches and drawing the fifth.

Braeden Foldenauer, a senior at MSMS, finished second with a 4-1 record; his only loss came at the hands of Tu in a tight match.  He said of the loss, “We were really evenly matched the whole game and then I blundered away a knight and never got (the advantage) back.  It came down to just the last five or ten moves.”  Of Tu, he said, “The kid’s an incredible player.  I mean, he’s 10 and he’s playing in the high school division.”

Spencer Bolhuis, an MSMS junior, took home the third place trophy, also with a 4-1 record.  His only loss came to Foldenauer in the third round of the tournament.  Of his performance, he said, “It wasn’t the best I’ve ever done, but I was happy with it.”  Bolhuis was exposed to chess in second grade. “My dad (who is currently the president of the state chess organization) helped teach me, and I’ve just been playing ever since, improving…going to tournaments all around the state,” Bolhuis said.

Gary Nguyen of MSMS came in fourth place with a 3-1-1 record.  He delivered the only blow to Tu’s otherwise perfect record, drawing him in the fifth round with king, six pawns and a knight left for both sides.

“Going into the game (with Tu) I knew I had to think a lot harder and I was very determined to get that win because that was the only way for me to win the tournament,” Nguyen said.  “I knew he had beaten Braeden and Andy and I was the last MSMS student to play against him…I actually made an inaccurate move where I lost a tempo (a situation where the opposition is forced to waste one or more moves)…(Otherwise) I might have been able to get to his kingside.  Eventually we got to the point in the game where none of us could make a good move and we ended up agreeing to a draw.  He’s one of the best players in the state, few people have ever beaten him.”

Andy Zhao, a senior at MSMS, finished in a tie for fifth at 3-2; his two losses came to Nguyen and Tu.  Of Tu, he said “He’s really good…when he actually qualifies for our category, he’s going to be incredible.”

Junior William Johnson also played in the tournament, going 1-4.

About 60 players from around the state converged on Cochran Hall and packed along two long rows of tables lined with chessboards and timers.  Beginning at ten, the tournament of five rounds lasted nearly six hours.

The first and second place winners from the K-7 and K-9 divisions were awarded $700 and $500 scholarships, respectively, to MSMS summer camps.

Foldenauer and Bolhuis were also awarded scholarships to summer camps at Ole Miss, but neither said that they were planning to use them.  When asked, Foldenauer said, “I didn’t realize (the winners) were going to get scholarships. I was more excited for the giant trophy.”

Nguyen said that the focus of the MSMS chess players now will turn to the statewide team championships, which will take place in Starkville on April 1.