NHS Holds Schoolwide Chess Tournament

After four rounds of competition and three hours of play, Newtown High School student Haotian Zheng emerged victorious in the NHS Open Chess Tournament held Wednesday, April 22. Haotian’s perfect score of four points placed him above the other contestants of ten students and staff.

Chris Parker was alone in second with three points and a group of six players — Nate Crevier, Paul Garofalo, Arnold Geng, Matt Pruner, NHS science teacher Christopher Carly, and NHS culinary teacher Brian Neumeyer — tied for third with two points each.

The pivotal moment in the competition came in the third round when Haotian and Chris Parker faced off against one another. According to NMS science teacher Steve Malary, through the first two rounds, the students were dead even with two wins apiece. However, Haotian cemented his first place finish with a fourth round victory over Paul Garofalo.