Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 21, 1990 TAG: 9003212113
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
Last weekend, Ming lived up to that name again when he won the primary division of the Atlantic Chess Championships at Pulaski County High School.
He was 5-0 in the division, which is made up of chess players from kindergarten through third grade. The regional competition drew 120 players from along the Eastern Seaboard.
"Ming was just a holy terror," said Rich Jackson, a chess master from Roanoke who coaches the Draper Elementary School first-grader.
"What made it even more amazing is that primary kids are usually done by 4 or 5 p.m.," Jackson said. "The little kids, they don't understand the meaning of the word `patience.' But Ming proceeded to enter the elementary section after his tournament was over."
He won two out of three games in that division.
"Ming's a kid you need to keep a close eye on," Jackson said. "In the nationals this year, I think he'll be one of the top 30 contenders in the country - and he still has two years to play. Ming has a lot of talent right now. In two years, I'll be disappointed if he's not the national champion."
Claremont Elementary School in Pulaski won team play for the team winner for the primary division.
In the high school division, Pulaski County was the first place winner. Co-champions were Alex Chang of West Virginia and Wade Doster of North Carolina.
Pulaski Middle School was the winner of the middle school competition, with Jason Borillo, an eighth-grader from Pearisburg, and Lee Hudson, a third-grader from Charlotte, N.C., as co-champions.
Critzer Elementary School, also in Pulaski, won the elementary division. Linda Simson, a fourth-grader from Springfield, and Kevin Liu, a fourth-grader from Critzer, were co-champions.
by CNB