School was in session in Alexandria, Virginia, this August when the 2025 World Schools Team Chess Championship came to town. With 55 teams representing 48 countries, including four American entries, the tournament boasted a diverse blend of players from around the world. Following its initial debut in Kazakhstan two years ago, this year’s edition was the second such event organized by FIDE and sponsored by Freedom Holding Corporation.
The World Schools Team Championship was held at Episcopal High School in Alexandria from Aug. 2-7, and was structured as an eight-round swiss team format with two G/45+10 rounds each day. Teams consisted of four players and a reserve, along with a team captain. Everyone competed in one section, with all ages and genders playing against each other. The opening ceremony kicked off with each team holding their respective countries’ flags in a vibrant, global parade. The ceremony featured welcome addresses by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and International School Chess Federation (ISCF) President Timur Turlov, who then proclaimed the official start of the championships.
Between rounds, players enjoyed the tournament lounge, a lively and welcoming space with chess boards, ping pong, music, and snacks. The area offered a collaborative environment for rest, socialization, and new friendships across cultures. Participants also had access to many activities organized by the ISCF, including excursions to the U.S. Capitol and sport activities such as basketball and soccer.
India’s Velammal MHS School took top honors in the Championship with an unblemished 16 match points. Three teams finished behind them with 12 match points: top seed National School of Physics andMathematics (second on tiebreaks) and Astana 2 RSPM (fourth), both from Kazakhstan, and the Harker School (San Jose, California), which brought home the team bronze. Led by captain CM Jeffery Wang, the Harker School featured CM Ethan Guo, CM Rohan Rajaram, FM Dylan Tang, WCM Anika Rajaram, and Ella Guo. Outrated by more than 200 points, they defeated Kazakhstan’s National School of Physics and Mathematics in Round 6 by a score of 2½-1½. The winning point came from Anika Rajaram on Board 4, who overcame a 460- point rating difference to defeat CM Alikhan Daulet.
University High School (Irvine, California) finished in fifth place. The team was captained by Oren Porat, with FM Sihan Tao, Taiwei Wu, WCM Tori Porat, Brian Lantz, and Alan Yang rounding out the squad. Porat yielded just two draws on her way to the Board 3 silver and finished with 7/8, the most points scored by an American.Arnav Solan did Fallon Middle School (Dublin, California) proud with his bronze medal performance on Board 5. He finished with a score of 5/7 in his first international tournament.
The 2025 Smart Moves Summit (Aug. 4-5) was held in conjunction with the World Schools Team Championship, featuring multiple event speakers and diverse panelists in dialogue. The conference focused on the continued importance of chess in education, drawing more than 1300 in-person and remote participants. This tournament brought together players from different schools and countries, providing an inclusive environment to foster an international chess community. It was great fun, and I’m glad I had the chance to participate.
Published in Chess Life Kids Magazine! https://new.uschess.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2025.10-clk.pdf
