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Chess
master comes close
by
Jason Stone
CAVE
CREEK – Nashville is known to most as “Music
City,” but for one local chess prodigy, it could
be called “Chess City.”
Tatum
Ranch elementary player Matt Buss finished in
a three‑way tie for second in the Kindergarten‑Third
Grade division at the Bert Lerner National Elementary
Chess Championships, held May 11‑13 in
the country music capital.
Buss,
who just completed second grade at Scottsdale
Christian Academy, was officially listed in
fourth place because of tiebreakers after finishing
even with Evan Seghers from Wisconsin and Peyton
Duersel from Louisiana. All three players went
6‑1 in matches.
The
winner, James Wicka of Minnesota, won six matches
and had a draw in the other.
Buss
was the top player in Arizona in the K‑3
division. Among state players, Zion Feng took
12th, Cortez Schenck finished 49th, and Tre
Berdeski took 57th.
Buss
originally qualified for nationals by winning
the “March Madness” chess tournament on March
10 in Arizona. In only two years of playing,
the prodigy has already earned eight trophies
for his stellar play.
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