The growth of D-E 360°’s chess community over the past year has been incredible. Earlier this spring, our school hosted the first-ever ChessFest on Sunday, April 27, 2025, facilitated by Grandmaster Mackenzie “Mac” Molner, who coaches the D-E 360° Chess Team. In addition, for the first time in program history, the Chess Team will represent D-E in the US Chess Federation’s SuperNationals VIII Tournament to be held in Orlando, Florida, from May 9-11.

“Our students represented D-E very well, and for a lot of them it was their first time playing in a tournament”

Under the tutelage of Coach Mac, who uses a hanging chess board to go over strategies and give students examples of checkmate moves he’s observed in tournament play, students receive lessons that they can then apply to their matches. Eighth grader Ishaan T. ’29 says getting real-time feedback from Coach Mac during practice games is the most helpful part of the chess group. Classmate Kenan I. ’29 adds, “Each day [in the class] we learn something new.”

The ChessFest tournament, held in the STEM Center, was attended by about 75 players across six sections, including 16 players from the Chess Team, and featured special activities.

“We had prize giveaways, a game review on the giant screen of my favorite chess game of all time, and I also played blitz against anyone who wanted to play at the end of the tournament,” says Coach Mac. “I was playing with 30 seconds to the challenger’s 5 minutes, which created a lot of buzz around the playing area.”

Overall, our team placed first out of four teams in the K-2 division, first in the Grades 3-5 division out of seven teams, and second out of two teams in Grades 6-8.

Additionally, the following D-E students won individual prizes:

• First grader Arthur P. ’36 finished 3rd in the K-2 U250 section

• First grader Oliver Y. ’36 finished 3rd in the K-2 Open section

• Eighth grader Justine B. ’29 finished 4th in the division for Grades 6-8

“Our students represented D-E very well, and for a lot of them it was their first time playing in a tournament,” says Coach Mac.

Both players and their families had a great time at the event, which occurred while the Spring Carnival was in progress on Leggett Field, says Coach Mac. “A few families planned to only play half of the games of the tournament but stayed and finished out the whole thing because they were enjoying it a lot,” he says.”

For the upcoming SuperNationals, several students across all three divisions at D-E will compete against players nationwide for the title of National Champions. “The SuperNationals only take place once every four years, so it’s super special that we have 10 students signed up to go,” remarks D-E 360° Director Dr. Sherronda Brown.

“With D-E 360° programs, we’re making terrific strides in creating a chess culture and ensuring that students have experiential opportunities that build critical thinking skills both within and beyond the classroom”

Students attending the Orlando tournament are Aiden Z. ’37, Nicolai D. ’37, Kabir G. ’37, Easton M. ’37, Oliver Yuan ’36, Carlo W. ’35, Raymond S. ’35, Adam Y. ’34, Justine B. ’29, and Anna R. ’26.

In preparing for the SuperNationals tournament, Coach Mac says he is focusing on getting the younger Chess Team players ready to play longer games, as these games can run up to 90 minutes per player.

“With D-E 360° programs, we’re making terrific strides in creating a chess culture and ensuring that students have experiential opportunities that build critical thinking skills both within and beyond the classroom,” says Dr. Brown. “We’re proud to see these young people challenge themselves to become adaptable, confident, and joyful learners.”