Odle Middle School Succeeds in Nashville
by Ludmila Bashkansky
Following its triumph at the State Elementary championships, the Odle Chess Team continued its winning ways both nationally and internationally.
At the US National Chess Championships in Nashville, Odle sixth graders WCM Naomi Bashkansky, Brian Chen, James Lai, Aidan Lawler, and Richard Yang took home a well-earned 5th place in K-6 section, while at the National K-6 Blitz Championships, the Odle team took Second Place in the nation, just edged out by a powerful New York team.
On the international front, the annual Washington vs. British Columbia Scholastic Chess Tournament was held recently. Each team consisted of two representatives from each grade K-12. Three Odle students helped lead the Washington team to a convincing 29-23 victory: Naomi Bashkansky (6th grade), Richard Yang (6th), and Derek Zhang (7th).