Apr 21, 2015 2 min read All-Girls National Championship

PS 139 Chess Ninjas Rocked The All-Girls National Championships

PS 139's Under-8 team won first place in the All-Girls Championship this past weekend. Photo courtesy PS 139 Chess Ninjas — PS 139’s Under-8 team won first place in the All-Girls Championship this past weekend. Photo courtesy PS 139 Chess Ninjas

Our neighborhood’s always amazing PS 139 Chess Ninjas just rocked the All-Girls National Championships in Chicago this past weekend!

The Ninjas’ under-8 (years old) team won first place, the under-10 group landed sixth place, and Aayushma Rai herself won fourth place for individuals under the age of eight — all of which means our neighbors are some of the most accomplished chess players in the entire country.

The Ninjas' under-10 team placed sixth in the entire country at the championship. Photo courtesy PS 139 Chess Ninjas — The Ninjas’ under-10 team placed sixth in the entire country at the championship. Photo courtesy PS 139 Chess Ninjas

Coach Ian West with his chess players. Photo courtesy PS 139 Chess Ninjas

The tournament, which was put on by the Kasparov Chess Foundation, kicked off at 6pm Friday night and continued through Sunday afternoon, and the event drew a record-breaking 360-plus players from across the country.

Aayushma Rai won fourth place for individuals under the age of eight. Photo courtesy PS 139 Chess Ninjas

The under-8 team members were thrilled with their victory! Photo courtesy PS 139 Chess Ninjas

Accompanied by Coach Ian West, the girls who participated in this national event were:

Under-10 team: Vivian Gore, Aowyn Schneider and Ariana Winawer-Stein

Under-8 team: Maya Emert Wiggins, Polly Morrow, Emma Adams, Aayushma Rai

A huge congratulations to all the players and Coach Ian for their amazing accomplishments and incredible hard work — your neighborhood is so proud of you!