Harper Kindergartner is National Chess Champion

WILMETTE, IL - Aren Emrikian, a kindergartner at Harper Elementary School in Wilmette, is the U.S. Kindergarten Chess Champion after winning the Kindergarten National Championship over the weekend at the K-12 National Championships in Orlando.

According to the Illinois Chess Association, Emrikian lost in the final round to Caleb Marshall of Kentucky, but won his six previous matches and clinched the national title on a tiebreaker. He bested 72 other kindergartners around the nation, winning six of seven matches, to claim the title.

Emrikian, the Illinois state champion, had a perfect score after six rounds of the tournament, the only Illinois player across the board to have done so.

“Aren is passionate about chess,” said his mother, Ani Emrikian. “He enjoys playing chess daily and working on chess puzzles. He has been an avid chess player for the past 7 months and we attribute his success as the US Kindergarten Champion to his coach, Grandmaster Mesgen Amanov.”

The kindergartener’s chess rating has more than doubled since July, increasing from 420 to 940.

“We are proud of Aren and want him to grow from his tournament experience,” Ani said. “As a result of his participation in chess tournaments, Aren has made numerous friends and is learning about competition and social skills.”