In Robbinsville, Pond Road Middle School eighth grade students Vihaan Saxena and Aaryan Mummidi showcased their expertise at the 2024 National K-12 Chess Championship.
The “Junior Grand Prix” tournament, in National Harbor, Md., ranked teams based on a point-aggregate system. Chess matches were individually played, and each win or draw was awarded points. The points of all teammates were combined for the final score, which was used to determine team placing.
The pair combined to take ninth place out of 23 teams in the tournament’s eighth grade category despite having only two players; some of their competitors had as many as 10 competitors. They had the highest point average per member of any team in their age group. Individually, Aaryan and Vihaan finished 12th and 14th out of 184 competitors, respectively, during the tournament, Dec. 6-8.
Aaryan began playing chess at age five and estimates he has already participated in more than 100 tournaments. He is ranked top five for his age group in New Jersey by the U.S. Chess Federation and top 75 in the nation. He enjoys the stiff competitiveness and mental duels inherent to the game and spends time every day honing his skills on the chess board.
“I love chess because it really is a game for everyone,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are or how you are academically. If you put time aside and practice, you can do really well.”
Outside of chess, Aaryan spends his free time playing cricket, completing logic puzzles and working through challenging math problems.
Vihaan began playing chess at age six and has also participated in more than 100 tournaments. He is ranked top five for his age group in New Jersey by the U.S. Chess Federation and top 50 in the nation.
“I’m really happy that more and more kids my age are becoming interested in chess,” he said. “It’s taught me so many life skills and has allowed me to travel to a lot of cool places to compete.”
When he’s not playing chess or memorizing game patterns, Vihaan enjoys going outside, playing tennis and spending time with his family and dog.
“Extracurricular activities like chess are an exceptional way for students to grow, socialize and hone valuable traits like hard work and critical thinking,” Robbinsville Schools Superintendent Dr. Patrick Pizzo said. “I’m pleased to see the competitive success of Aaryan and Vihaan and am looking forward to seeing their future accomplishments in chess, school and life.”
