After several closely contested rounds of online play during the 2025-26 Metro Area Chess League season, the top-finishing schools met in downtown McLean, VA this past Saturday to decide the champion. Congratulations to the Richard Montgomery High School team that swept the play-offs, defeating Oakton High School and Gonzaga College High School to win their first title. Oakton finished in second place.
Gonzaga’s Will Moorhouse won his games on first board, but Richard Montgomery’s third and fourth boards won their games with Makar Brazhnikov and Michael Chen respectively, and the lower boards made the difference.
We were disappointed that the fourth team to qualify for the playoffs did not show up, as that meant that four players had to sit out each round. However, the students who did show up showed great skill and discipline and all three matches were played well.
The league for next year will begin in November. High schools that want to join should register before November 9, 2026.
