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West Orange High School Junior Takes First Place in 2024 US Amateur Individual East Chess Championship

WEST ORANGE, NJ - West Orange High School junior Andrew Chan took first place at the 2024 US Amateur Individual, 78th Annual US Amateur East Championship, with 5.5/6 (five wins, one draw out of six games) over the Memorial Day weekend.

Chan led the field by a point after winning his first five games, and secured his place with a last round draw. His performance rating after round 5 was 2378, including a win in round 3 over the eventual senior (55+) champion and chess coach, Andy Dong; a win in round 4 over former Amateur Individual Champion and Chess in the Schools coach in NYC, Shaun Smith; a round 5 win over the second place finisher Connor Wang; and secured the tournament win with a draw against third place finisher Samuel Cheng.
 
Review the standings HERE.
 
In April, Chan attended the National High School Championship in Baltimore, where he finished tied for 3rd-8th with 5.5/7 in the U1900 section. He helped the high school Varsity and Junior Varsity teams finish fourth in their sections at the New Jersey State High School championship in March, supporting several players possessing less than two years of competitive experience with his coaching and participation. 
 
In addition to chess, Andrew is involved in several other activities at West Orange High School, including marching band, indoor percussion, chamber orchestra, math team, and golf team,
 
With the renewed interest in chess, chess classes will be offered during the Summer Enrichment Program for the first time, with registration nearly full. Several elementary schools have already held after-school chess enrichment classes.
 
The West Orange Public Library will be holding a non-rated chess tournament for beginners in grades K-8 on June 15 beginning at 10:00 am, hosted by the West Orange Chess Club.
 
Andrew Chan
Andrew Chan
 
Cynthia Cumming
June 3, 2024