MADISON – Several girls in Madison proved that they are among the most talented – if not the top – chess players in Alabama by their performances in the 2021 All-Girls State Chess Championship.

Madison City Chess League or MCCL hosted the event in online format on Feb. 20. State Sen. Arthur Orr sponsored the girls’ championship.

The Bob Jones High School Chess Team earned bragging rights as first-place winners for the K-12 Section in the All-Girls State Championship. The Bob Jones team includes Rachael Ehrman, Kennedy Gore, Maanasi Limaye and Constance Wang.

The victories didn’t end with Bob Jones’ outstanding win for K-12 players. Discovery Middle School earned second place in the state with members Swetha Jakka, Nirvana Rajbhandari and Caroline Wang. The Liberty Middle School Chess Team closely followed in third place with Isabelle Bao, Oviya Gowder, Sahithi Mynampally and Isabelle Park.

In individual awards, Madison champs included Nirvana Rajbhandari, first place; Shreya Sunil, second; and Constance Wang, third. “These three individual award winners have won a spot in the ACF playoff to determine who will represent Alabama at the Ruth Haring National Girls Tournament of Champions,” Ranae Bartlett said. Bartlett is Executive Director of Madison City Chess League.

In K-6 Section, Sophia Jerez and Samsara on Horizon Elementary School’s team earned first place. Rainbow Elementary School won second-place honors. In individual awards, winners were Sophia Jerez, first; Advitya Kana, second; Laya Gowder, third; Whitney Wadsworth, fourth; and Christina Yang, fifth. Anna Ai and Harsha Bheemanathini tied for fifth-place medals.

In K-3 Section, the first-place team with Kylie and Alice from Horizon Elementary School claimed first place. Rainbow’s team earned second place, while Madison Elementary School ranked in third place. Students who received individual awards were Kylie Zou, first; Esinam Tettey, second; Alice Zou, third; Moranu Adedoyin, fourth; and Avyaktha Subramania, fifth.

For more information, email mccl.director@gmail.com or visit madisonchess.com.