Chess Max Academy · Student stories
Perfect scores, first rated game wins and steady tournament progress. Celebrate Jacob, Taj, Theo, Ayaan, Ada, Asher and Dave with their tournament achievements.
Jacob’s perfect 4/4 at Bryant Park, Taj’s perfect 4/4 at Greenwich Country Day, Theo’s 3/3 at Chess Max, Ada’s perfect rated debut, Asher’s shared first place, Dave’s sole first place in Novice and Ayaan’s first rated game win give us seven stories to celebrate. Below are the dates, scores and opponents behind those milestones.
4/4 · Shared first place at Bryant Park
Jacob Hsu
Four games, four wins! Jacob shared first place in the Elementary section at Bryant Park, earning a perfect 4/4. He received the second-place trophy on tiebreaks. Congratulations, Jacob!
October 4, 2026
Bryant Park · Elementary
4/4 · Four played wins · Shared first place among 35 players
- Win — Autumn Noreiga (200)
- Win — Aris Lekatsas (254)
- Win — Dennis Kuvshynov (552)
- Win — Arjun Shah (472)
Jacob and Maxwell Herman Linkov both scored 4/4. Jacob received the second-place trophy on tiebreaks; his family reported that Maxwell’s tiebreak total was one point higher. The tied tournament score and trophy placement are shown separately.
US Chess Regular rating: 732 → 834 after this event (+102).
Result and ratings verified against US Chess on October 9, 2026; trophy and tiebreak details supplied by Jacob’s family.
4/4 · GCDS Championship winner
Taj Ahluwalia
Four rounds, four wins. Taj won the Championship section at Greenwich Country Day with a perfect score, finishing a full point ahead of the field. Congratulations, Taj!
October 4, 2026
Greenwich Country Day · Championship
4/4 · Four played wins · Sole first place among 15 players
- Win — Steven Eckner (1034)
- Win — Lucas Wang (1063)
- Win — Orko Bhattacharya (1039)
- Win — Benjamin N. Chow (1213)
US Chess Regular rating: 1248 → 1348 after this event (+100). These are event ratings; the October published monthly rating is 1202.
A tournament journey since 2024
Taj’s first listed rated event was E4 Scholastic on November 16, 2024, with an initial provisional Regular rating of 101. His history includes repeated Chess Max Academy quads in Greenwich, scholastic championships and summer camp tournaments. Less than two years after that first event, his GCDS victory brought his post-event Regular rating to 1348.
Selected milestones from his US Chess history
- Nov 16, 2024 · E4 Scholastic · First listed event — initial Regular rating 101 (provisional)
- Apr 27, 2025 · Chess Max Academy Quads — Regular 347 → 573
- Sep 7, 2025 · Chess Max Academy CT — Regular 759 → 837
- Sep 27, 2026 · Hunter · Championship — Regular 1202 → 1248
- Oct 4, 2026 · GCDS · Championship — 4/4; Regular 1248 → 1348
3/3 at Chess Max · 3/4 at Bryant Park
Theo Bellec
A perfect score at Chess Max Academy in June, followed by three wins at Bryant Park in October. Congratulations, Theo!
June 14, 2026
Chess Max Academy · Novice
3/3 · Three wins · Sole first place
- Win — O’Sheam Braswell (217)
- Win — William Robinson (357)
- Win — Micah Jaffe (457)
October 4, 2026
Bryant Park · Novice
3/4 · Three wins, one loss
- Win — Conrad Chan (unrated)
- Win — Easton J. Matthias (587)
- Win — Max Sun (737)
- Loss — Lucas Herman Linkov (unrated)
Seven players shared 2nd–8th by points; Theo received a third-place trophy.
Full rated tournament history · 7 events
- Apr 26, 2026 · Chess Max Academy — 1/3
- May 4, 2026 · ChessMax UWS — 2/3
- May 17, 2026 · PS9 — 1/4
- Jun 14, 2026 · Chess Max Academy — 3/3
- Sep 20, 2026 · Chess Max Academy — 1/3
- Sep 27, 2026 · Hunter — 3/4
- Oct 4, 2026 · Bryant Park — 3/4
A first rated game win · Tournament experience
Ayaan Malladi
Ayaan earned a win and a draw in a first rated tournament, then gained experience at Chess Max Academy and Bryant Park. Each game brings something new to learn.
February 8, 2026
Chess Max Academy · First listed rated tournament
1½/3 · One win, one draw, one loss
- Loss — William Gleser (253)
- Draw — Jack Nathan Resta-Flarer (unrated)
- Win — Princeton Cook (unrated)
June 7, 2026
Bryant Park · Novice
2/4 · One played win, two losses, one full-point bye
- Loss — Dhruv P. Pujari (532)
- Loss — Matilda Huang (230)
- Round 3 — Full-point bye; no opponent
- Win — Jewel Adams (115)
Full rated tournament history · 4 events
- Feb 8, 2026 · Chess Max Academy — 1½/3
- Mar 22, 2026 · Chess Max Academy — 1/3
- Jun 7, 2026 · Bryant Park — 2/4 (includes one bye)
- Jun 21, 2026 · Chess Max Academy — 1/4 (one bye; no played wins)
3/3 · First place in a rated debut
Ada Kircal
Three games, three wins: Ada took sole first place in a first listed rated tournament at Chess Max Academy. A wonderful debut, followed by another three wins at Packer!
September 20, 2026
Chess Max Academy · Novice
3/3 · Three wins · Sole first place among four players
- Win — Abdoul Galbani (480)
- Win — Theo Bellec (504)
- Win — Alexander Anderson (469)
October 4, 2026
Packer October Tournament
3/4 · Three wins, one loss
- Win — Liam Stelmach (396)
- Loss — Theodore Yang (255)
- Win — Evelyn Sainty (233)
- Win — Alexander Chamblin (unrated)
Full rated tournament history · 2 events
- Sep 20, 2026 · Chess Max Academy — 3/3
- Oct 4, 2026 · Packer — 3/4
3/3 · Shared first place in Elementary
Asher Gonen
Asher scored a perfect 3/3 in the Elementary section at Chess Max Academy, sharing first place. A week later, three more wins at Packer added another proud milestone.
September 27, 2026
Chess Max Academy · Elementary
3/3 · Three wins · Shared first place among 13 players
- Win — Phoenix-Nam Le-Nguyen (unrated)
- Win — Sahib Kwatra (314)
- Win — Alexander Anderson (407)
October 4, 2026
Packer October Tournament
3/4 · Three wins, one loss
- Win — Jaden Sarfro (unrated)
- Win — Alexander Lam (unrated)
- Loss — Seamus Kennedy (349)
- Win — Niam Narayan (unrated in Regular)
Full rated tournament history · 4 events
3/3 · Sole first place in Novice
Dave Liu
Dave won all three games in the Novice section at Chess Max Academy on August 9, 2026, taking sole first place. He kept competing: his six rated events through October 25 include another perfect 3/3 in the Novice section.
August 9, 2026
Chess Max Academy · Novice
3/3 · Three wins · Sole first place
- Win — Krishiv Goyal
- Win — Sinclair Barbee
- Win — Collin Ham
October 25, 2026
Chess Max Academy · Novice
3/3 · Three wins
- Win — Demian Kichovich
- Win — Luka Obradovic
- Win — Ian Derek Wang Chan
Full rated tournament history · 6 events
- Jun 14, 2026 · Chess Max Academy · Novice — 1/3
- Aug 9, 2026 · Chess Max Academy · Novice — 3/3 · sole first place
- Sep 20, 2026 · Chess Max Academy · Elementary — 2/3
- Oct 4, 2026 · Bryant Park · Novice — 1½/4
- Oct 18, 2026 · Chess Max Academy · Novice — 2/3
- Oct 25, 2026 · Chess Max Academy · Novice — 3/3
More than a trophy.
A tournament gives children a chance to put classroom ideas into practice: notice a threat, make a plan, manage the clock and choose a move on their own.
Afterward, those games give a student and their coach something concrete to review—what worked, what was difficult and what to practice next. We celebrate the results, and we celebrate every child who is ready to take a seat at the board.
Your next move
Your child’s next chess story
can start with a tournament.
Ask your child’s coach which event and section fit their level. Explore the options below, then check the calendar for current dates, eligibility and registration details.
Friday chess in NYC
Rated, three-round tournaments at our Upper West Side academy. Friday events offer U500, U1000 and 1000+ sections.
Sunday championships in NYC
A Sunday tournament option at our Upper West Side academy. See the calendar and Tri-State Chess registration pages for dates and sections.
Greenwich Quads & Swiss
Rated, three-round events at Chess Max Academy of Greenwich. Choose a date and review the event details before registering.
Blitz & Bughouse
The CMA Chess Festival on November 7, 2026 brings FIDE-rated Blitz and two-player-team Bughouse to Christ Church Greenwich.