Local kids are chess champions
By Leslie Haggin
STAFF WRITER

FREMONT--Perhaps you would rather have watched chess.

As Sharks fans were havingtheir hearts crushed this pastweekend by the Toronto Maple Leafs, chess lovers were delighted by Fremont students who competedin the 1994 National Elementary School Chess Championship.

Teams from Parkmont, Weibel and Mission San jose elementary school brought home more than a few team and individual trophies from the three-day event, which was held at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. More than 1,200 kindergarten through sixth-graders from all over the nation came to play.

But the most formidable opponents came from New york City, where many of the city's schools have cultivated championship chess teams for years, local players said.
. . .
Individual competition, however, however, offered most of the excitement and pressure, particularly in the K-6 championship race. . . Micah Fisher-Kirshner of Weibel Elementary School got seventh place [actually, a tie for second in the K-6 Championship division].

"I was very, very pleased," said Alan Kirshner, who coaches his son and the other Weibel players. "The trophies are so big, I'm not sure what the school is going to do with them."

The only disappointment, Kirshner joked, was that the competition for the best designed team T-shirtwas canceled this year. "I think we had the classiest," Kirshner said.
. . .
Weibel's junior varsity team took seventh place in the K-6 junior varsity division. Team members are Chris Li, David Jeng, Alan wei and Jennifer Chen.

Weibel students Kevin Bui and Nathan Lee tied for second place in the K-3 junior varsity division. Robert Wei got third.

The Argus,© May 10, 1994