Woodridge Girls Help Lead Jefferson Chess Team to Victory

Article written by Diane Moca, freelance reporter, and fact-checked by Joe Wechman, coach.

Jefferson Junior High successfully defended its championship reign at the season-ending chess conference tournament, with two girls at the helm.

The team took first place at the Southeast DuPage Elementary Athletic Association (SDEAA) tournament for the second year in a row, in another nail-biting finish that came down to the final few matches Jan. 30 at Lace School in Darien. This is the fourth championship for the team in the past five years.

The Jefferson Junior High team from Woodridge was tied with the Gower Middle School team from Burr Ridge at 21.5 points each, heading into the final round. Each team consists of 10 players ranked by skill level, from first board to tenth board, who play one game per round against an opponent at the same board level. Jefferson earned an impressive 8.5 points in the fourth round to take the title with 30 points total. (A win earns one point; a draw is half a point.)

During the two-month season, the team of mostly eighth graders was led by Amber Moca at first board and Prathika Senthil at second board. The combination led the team to consistent victories, with Jefferson tying for second in the season standings after first-place Westview Hills Middle School in Westmont. Coach Joe Wechman said it was the first time in the 13 years he has been coaching that both top board positions were held by girls. While boys have traditionally dominated school chess teams, this year’s tournament showed the changing landscape of the sport, as several of the eight conference teams featured one or two girls in the top 10 spots.

The Jefferson team also rose to the top of the tournament thanks to three board winners who beat out the rest of the competitors at their position: third board Rohan Sethi with a 4-0 record, fourth board Kyle Leonard with a 4-0 record, and Jack Clark, who tied as sixth board winner with a 3-1 tournament record.

Strong finishes from Ayyan Ahmad (fifth board), Nolan Mason (seventh board), Alex Hernandez (eighth board), Joseph Williams (ninth board) and Osman Khan (tenth board) also gave the Jefferson team the edge to repeat the title.

Jefferson has taken home a first or second place trophy at the conference tournament for the past five years, and placed first in the conference standings last year as well. The Jefferson chess dynasty was buoyed by several players who inspired younger siblings to join the team even before reaching junior high: Eighth graders Prathika Senthil began competing three years ago, Kyle Leonard earned a top 10 spot four years ago, and Amber Moca starting playing in matches five years ago, when older brothers Austin Moca, Aaron Leonard and Pradeep Senthil (Kumar) helped the team claim its first conference tournament victory in 21 years.

Former teammates came out to support Jefferson at the tournament and assist at some of the practices during the season, helping coach Wechman build a popular program attracting about 30 players, some of whom will return next year in the hopes of continuing the Jefferson chess legacy.

Pictured (In Front With Trophy): Amber Moca. From left to right (Front Row): Nolan Mason, Prathika Senthil, Osman Khan, Rohan Sethi, Jacob Dolin, Kyle Leonard, Ayyan Ahmad. (Back Row): Alex Hernandez, Joseph Williams, Nick Lewis, Coach Wechman, Colin Baker and Jack Clark.

Pictured (left to right) Board winners Kyle Leonard, Jack Clark, Rohan Sethi

Pictured (left to right) Second board Prathika Senthil, first board Amber Moca, Coach Joe Wechman