ETHS Chess qualified for the Illinois High School Association State Finals by finishing near the top of the field at the Highland Park Chess Sectional on Saturday, Jan. 28.
The Wildkits won their first three matches, defeating Grayslake North, Palatine and Highland Park in near-perfect fashion, before falling short against the current state champion, Stevenson, in a match that decided the sectional championship.
The Wildkits chess team had winning records on all eight of the boards in Saturday’s tournament. Chris von Hoff, Rohil Bose and Bo Lieberman each won three games with no losses. Elie Platnick, Adam Elgat, Nathan Melnikov and Henry Zaslow scored wins in the first three matches before being stopped by Stevenson.
Evanston Township High School has an overall season record of 24-7 after playing one of the most challenging schedules of any team in Illinois and winning matches against several of the top teams in the state.
The team expects to be ranked near the top of the field for the State Finals, which will be held in Peoria on Feb. 10 and 11.
Keith Holzmueller is the coach of the ETHS chess team.