Yankees of Chess (Hunter College Campus Schools & Murrow HS)
Several New York City schools are so successful in chess tournaments that they've been called "the Yankees of chess."
New York magazine
May 23, 2005 issue of New York Magazine
(...)
By Friday evening, with two of the seven rounds complete, things were looking good. By his own unofficial total, Mr. Times counted seven points out of a possible eight. That night, with his players ostensibly safely tucked in bed, getting their beauty rest (like, yeah, sure), Mr. Times went down to "Chess Control," located in one of the Orpyland's gargantuan lobbies, to find out where the team stood.
The scores were supposed to be posted by eleven o'clock, but it was now past midnight. Several coaches were hanging around, grousing at the inefficiency of it all.
Then, from the far end of the hall, Sunil Weeramantry appeared with half a dozen assistants. Stepfather of the 17-year-old Hikaru Nakamura, who most experts believe is the best American player since Bobby Fischer, the regal Weeramantry is the coach at Hunter. "Hunter is the Yankees of chess," said Mr. Times, a hard-core Yankees fan. "And Sunil is Steinbrenner."
New York (NY) Post
HS CHESS KINGS EYE 3RD CROWN
By DAVID ANDREATTA
March 14, 2006 -- The reigning national high-school chess champs from Edward R. Murrow HS in Brooklyn will get a chance to three-peat next month after retaining their state crown in New Rochelle over the weekend.
The recent win marked the seventh consecutive state title for the team, led by longtime coach Eliot Weiss and senior captain Ilya Kotlyanskiy, 17.
"Sometimes they call us the Yankees of chess," Weiss said of his team's success. "The players live, breathe and think chess. When we go to tournaments, I have to tell them to go to bed because they're playing chess all night."
Hunter College -- Chess
Chess
Sunil Weeramantry is a pioneer in the field of curricula chess instruction. Starting in 1979, he developed a comprehensive curricula chess program at Hunter College Campus Schools in Manhattan, which is now a part of the regular school day for all students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
He is the Executive Director of the National Scholastic Chess Foundation. A nationally recognized chess instructor, he served as Chairman of the USCF Committee on Chess in Education from 1990 to 2000. He is currently one of five people elected to the USCF Scholastic Council.
Sunil is a FIDE Master (FM) and a former two-time New York State champion. One of the most successful chess coaches in the country, he has coached over 80 individual and team champions in National Scholastic Chess Championships. He served as a coach for the U.S. team in the World Youth Chess Championships in 1995, 1997 and 1999.
Sunil has led Hunter teams to numerous national and state championships (too many to count). The Hunter Junior High Team has also competed successively at the International level, winning the 2000 World Schools Chess Championships, organized by kasparovchess.com.
Sunil is the author, with Ed Eusebi, of the best-selling chess book, Best Lessons of a Chess Coach, and of a soon-to-be-published book on the history on chess, with Al Abrams.
New York magazine
May 23, 2005 issue of New York Magazine
(...)
By Friday evening, with two of the seven rounds complete, things were looking good. By his own unofficial total, Mr. Times counted seven points out of a possible eight. That night, with his players ostensibly safely tucked in bed, getting their beauty rest (like, yeah, sure), Mr. Times went down to "Chess Control," located in one of the Orpyland's gargantuan lobbies, to find out where the team stood.
The scores were supposed to be posted by eleven o'clock, but it was now past midnight. Several coaches were hanging around, grousing at the inefficiency of it all.
Then, from the far end of the hall, Sunil Weeramantry appeared with half a dozen assistants. Stepfather of the 17-year-old Hikaru Nakamura, who most experts believe is the best American player since Bobby Fischer, the regal Weeramantry is the coach at Hunter. "Hunter is the Yankees of chess," said Mr. Times, a hard-core Yankees fan. "And Sunil is Steinbrenner."
New York (NY) Post
HS CHESS KINGS EYE 3RD CROWN
By DAVID ANDREATTA
March 14, 2006 -- The reigning national high-school chess champs from Edward R. Murrow HS in Brooklyn will get a chance to three-peat next month after retaining their state crown in New Rochelle over the weekend.
The recent win marked the seventh consecutive state title for the team, led by longtime coach Eliot Weiss and senior captain Ilya Kotlyanskiy, 17.
"Sometimes they call us the Yankees of chess," Weiss said of his team's success. "The players live, breathe and think chess. When we go to tournaments, I have to tell them to go to bed because they're playing chess all night."
Hunter College -- Chess
Chess
Sunil Weeramantry is a pioneer in the field of curricula chess instruction. Starting in 1979, he developed a comprehensive curricula chess program at Hunter College Campus Schools in Manhattan, which is now a part of the regular school day for all students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
He is the Executive Director of the National Scholastic Chess Foundation. A nationally recognized chess instructor, he served as Chairman of the USCF Committee on Chess in Education from 1990 to 2000. He is currently one of five people elected to the USCF Scholastic Council.
Sunil is a FIDE Master (FM) and a former two-time New York State champion. One of the most successful chess coaches in the country, he has coached over 80 individual and team champions in National Scholastic Chess Championships. He served as a coach for the U.S. team in the World Youth Chess Championships in 1995, 1997 and 1999.
Sunil has led Hunter teams to numerous national and state championships (too many to count). The Hunter Junior High Team has also competed successively at the International level, winning the 2000 World Schools Chess Championships, organized by kasparovchess.com.
Sunil is the author, with Ed Eusebi, of the best-selling chess book, Best Lessons of a Chess Coach, and of a soon-to-be-published book on the history on chess, with Al Abrams.