Aadil Ail from Harrisburg North Middle School represented South Dakota in the tournament from his home with 2 cameras on him.
“The tournament didn’t go that well for me but the experience was great. It also made me feel better that I was going against the best competition in my age group over the whole country! That’s crazy! I never thought I would get an experience like that.” – Aadil Ali
“Three weeks ago, I attended the Barber Tournament — a chess competition for the best middle school chess players in the country. Each state had one student representative; among them was me, representing the Mount Rushmore state of South Dakota.
As a competitor, I participated in six games in the span of two days. I learned a lot about new openings, offenses, defenses, and endgame tactics from every single game. These strategies have influenced my game by teaching me how to overcome obstacles and find innovative solutions. Competing in games on my computer and setting up webcams was substantially different from competing in traditional tournaments. The first webcam was a computer camera, showing competitors’ faces, and the second was another device showing the chess board. It was uncomfortable to play with two webcams because I felt like I was being watched closely at all times. However, I adapted quickly to the change.
I was honored to be given the opportunity to play in a national tournament amongst the best middle school chess players in the country. I am thankful to Destiny Jorenby for inviting me and for John Rockefeller and Eric Vigil for watching over the games as the TDs.” – Aadil Ali
Round 1: Aadil Ali (USCF 932) South Dakota vs. Jayant Maheshwari (USCF 2059) Maryland
Round 2: Oliver Houchin (USCF 1660) Kentucky vs. Aadil Ali (USCF 932) South Dakota
Round 3: Aadil Ali (USCF 932) South Dakota vs. Victoria Outkin (USCF 1351) New Mexico
Round 4: Aadil Ali (USCF 932) South Dakota vs. Aidan Krueger (USCF 1572) Iowa
Round 5: Ryan Hunter (USCF 740) Alaska vs. Aadil Ali (USCF 932) South Dakota
Round 6: John Boylin IV (USCF 1319) West Virginia vs. Aadil Ali (USCF 932) South Dakota