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Westchester Teen To Compete In Nation's Top Junior Chess Tournament

A Westchester teen will be competing in the U.S. Junior Championship for a chance at a prize worth more than $20,000.

Nicolas Checa, 17, of Dobbs Ferry will compete in the nation's top Junior chess tournament between July 10-20.

Nicolas Checa, 17, of Dobbs Ferry will compete in the nation's top Junior chess tournament between July 10-20.

Photo Credit: www.uschesschamps.com

The event is considered to be the country’s most elite, invitation-only junior chess competition. Dobbs Ferry resident Nicolas Checa, 17, will travel to the U.S. Chess Capital of St. Louis and compete at the Saint Louis Chess Club between Wednesday, July 10 and Sunday, July 20.

Checa’s first major chess achievement came in 2012 when he became U12 National Champion in the USCF/Chess.com invitational championship. Since then, he has become a member of the All-American Chess Team. At age 11, Checa became the youngest New York State Champion in history — a record he holds to this day.

In 2015, Checa tied for fifth place at the World Youth Chess Championship in Greece, where he competed as the official U.S. player in the U14 section.

This year, the U.S. Senior Championship (an invitation-only tournament for the top 10 players in the United States more than 50 years old) will run simultaneously with the U.S. Junior as well as the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships between July 10 and July 20.

“One of the best aspects of chess is that it’s truly a game for life,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “There is no better example of this than the incredible chess that will be witnessed from July 10-20 at the U.S. Junior, U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Senior Championship. We’ve been proud to host the future of chess annually with the U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship for the past 10 years, but the addition of the U.S. Senior Championship makes this year even more special.”

For more information about this event, click here.

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