Lemont Finishes 31st At 2025 IHSA Chess State Finals

LEMONT, IL — Head coach Ken Suslek’s Lemont High School chess team placed 31st at the 2025 IHSA Chess State Finals, which were contested at the Peoria Civic Center on Feb. 14-15, according to a release from LHS. Lemont has advanced to the IHSA State Finals 28 straight years, and has won multiple state finals contests each of those seasons.

A state finals participant each year since 1998, Lemont won four of seven state finals matches and placed fifth among all Class 3A teams, the school said. For the first time in its history, it opened state finals play with three straight victories, topping Prospect (49.5-18.5), Andrew (41.5-26.5) and Oak Park-River Forest (42.5-25.5) before falling short against Dunlap (44-24).

On the second day, Lemont rebounded for a victory over Benet Academy (50-18), but closed with setbacks against Lane Tech (42-26) and Niles North (40-28), according to LHS.

All players who score at least 5.5 points at the competition earn medals, and Lemont had two such players in 2025. Senior Vikram Oberai scored 6.0 points at Board 1, posting a 6-1 record. He became the first player in program history to win at least six matches in multiple state finals appearances; he also did so at Board 1 in 2022. Senior Alex Lazarowicz scored 5.5 points, which included an undefeated 5-0-1 record at Board 8.

LHS said freshmen John Perry (Board 5; four wins, one draw) and Ganesh Kolli (Board 6; four wins, one draw) each scored 4.5 points, while senior Preston Gierman (Board 4; three wins, two draws) had 4.0 points. Seniors Adi Oberai (Board 2; two wins, one draw) and Anisha Oberai (Board 3; one win, three draws) each scored 2.5 points, while freshman Alex Tchernev (Board 7; two draws) scored 1.0 point.

Lemont advanced to the state finals after winning two matches at the IHSA Hinsdale Central Sectional, topping Argo (62.5-5.5) and Wheaton Warrenville South (36.5-31.5) before coming up short against Waubonsie Valley (59.5-8.5) and sectional champion Hinsdale Central (59.5-8.5). Lazarowicz won all three of his matches, while Kolli, Tchernev and Anisha Oberai each won twice, the school said.

Lemont dominated the South Suburban Conference-Blue Division, posting a 12-0 record in conference matches. Gierman, Adi Oberai, Anisha Oberai and Vikram Oberai each earned All-SSC honors this season as Lemont capped the year with a 28-6 record in dual matches.

Lemont recorded five state finals victories each year from 2022-24. It has placed among the top 20 twice, including a program-best 15th place finish in 2024, the school said.