Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Jennifer Chait (212) 788 - 8479
Over 1100 students from all over the country competed for top honors until just the 19-member All-Star Knights and an Indiana competitor remained. New York bested the competition by half a point. The tournament was sponsored by the US Chess Federation.
"I want to congratulate these fine students today for their impressive victory this past Sunday," said Mayor Giuliani. "All New Yorkers are proud of them and of the enthusiasm, self-discipline, and tremendous concentration they have displayed. I also commend Chess-In-The-Schools Coach Fritz Gaspard and faculty advisor Alan Kurtz, teachers, and parents at MS 118 for the leadership and support that made it possible for these students to bring honor to their school, their community and to the entire City of New York," concluded the Mayor.
The Mayor also congratulated two All-Star Knights for winning trophies in individual competition. Matthew Morales and Sunil Matabeek walked away with 4th and 5th place honors, respectively.
One important element in the All-Star Knights' road to victory has been Chess-In-The-Schools (CIS). A non-profit foundation founded in 1955, CIS taught the All-Star Knights their winning skills by sending a chess instructor, equipment, and a small chess library directly to the school. CIS has taught 22,000 students in 160 public schools during the 1996-1997 school year and offers financial support through its Tournament Fund.
The members of the All-Star Knights are: Ricky Ramoutar, Denise Webster, Garrett Webster, Matthew Morales, Andrew Singh, Mitranand Lal, Shawn Datarom, Glenn Francis, Shelanthia Griffiths, Jabari Fields, Claudio Ciprian, Jerome Olaloye, Kwadwo Acheampong, Sunil Matabeek, Steadroy Lloyd, Steve Bastion, Damion Josephs, Jillian Alvarez, and Sharaz Khan.
The All-Star Knights, who were the 1997 State Chess Champions in their age group, finished 13th in the National Middle School Chess Championship last year.