A Chess School In Columbus Represents Ohio
Columbus, Ohio is not considered a chess capital. Rather, it is much better known as the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes and the fast food company Wendy’s.
Yet something is quickly brewing in Columbus, and it’s not just beer. The CCL Chess School has popularized the game of chess, in no small part due to the influx of impressive international coaches including GMs Milos Perunovic and Ivan Ivanisevic.
The CCL’s head of coaching, IM Atanas Kizov, will man board one for the Columbus Cardinals. Kizov is a former champion of his native Macedonia and has played for and captained the Macedonian Olympiad team on numerous occasions. He has helped promote chess worldwide and is a beloved coach in Columbus.
One of the CCL’s best students is Maggie Feng. Feng made history as the first female player to win the U.S. Junior High Nationals. Although she had a roller coaster 2016, her FIDE rating is once again nearing 2200. This 16-year-old is dangerous and trending upward.
Maggie Feng. Photo from http://cclchess.com.
Mika Brattain is an 18-year-old freshman at Ohio State University. The Cardinals certainly welcome the engineering student, whose 2380 strength will be needed to keep Columbus competitive. Perhaps Brattain’s best performance is his international master norm at the 2014 World Open, when he scored 4.5/9 against a field including five grandmasters and three international masters.
Columbus’ roster is rounded out by U.S. National Masters: 13-year-old Vincent Baker (currently 1971 FIDE), 12-year-old Christopher Shen (2166 FIDE),and 10-year-old Jason Wang (2006 FIDE). But don’t be fooled by this relatively low-rated lineup. If the Cardinals can recruit some of the titled coaches that work at the CCL, this team will immediately become much stronger.
Christopher Shen. Photo from http://cclchess.com.
The PRO Chess League welcomes the Columbus Cardinals!
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