On Saturday, December 6, Newton Middle School was abuzz with strategy, focus, and friendly competition as 158 students from across Littleton Public Schools gathered for the annual K–12 Chess Tournament. With players representing Grades Kindergarten through 12, the event saw 79 simultaneous matches across five intense rounds in a non-elimination format.
Students demonstrated impressive patience, sportsmanship, and skill throughout the day in what has become a favorite tradition among LPS chess enthusiasts.
A huge thank you goes out to Newton Middle School for hosting the event, as well as to all the incredible staff and volunteers who made the day a success: especially the GT team, Newton Middle School staff, Priscilla Morales, and tournament master Karthika Sakthi. Special appreciation is also extended to the dedicated coaches from Kings of Chess, whose mentorship helps LPS students grow their skills year-round.
This tournament is a shining example of how Littleton Public Schools supports academic enrichment and critical thinking skills beyond the classroom, just one more way We Grow Together!
Congratulations to the winners in each division:
Kindergarten–First Grade Division
1st place: Leo Gleason (Littleton Preparatory)
2nd place: Finn Wise (Charles Hay Elementary, Englewood Public Schools)
3rd Place: Zev Ohriner (Lenski Elementary)
4th Place: River McCall (Little Raven Elementary)
5th Place: Sophie Steedman (Runyon Elementary)
6th Place: Camden Price (Runyon Elementary)
7th Place: Monroe Ramirez (Gaskill Elementary)
8th Place: Solie Sizemore (Runyon Elementary)
Second Grade Division
1st Place: Julian Okken (Gaskill Elementary)
2nd Place: Harrison Moldane (Wilder Elementary)
3rd Place: Grayson Broyles (Wilder Elementary)
4th Place: Yannik Scholl (Wilder Elementary)
5th Place: Ian Liffrig (Gaskill Elementary)
6th Place: Alexander Cromie (Ford Elementary)
7th Place John Cadkin (Ford Elementary)
8th Place: Charlie Lessman (Wilder Elementary)
Third Grade Division
1st Place: Henry Gienapp (Hopkins Elementary)
2nd Place: Tom Cherubin (Runyon Elementary)
3rd Place: Henry Bertuleit (Hopkins Elementary)
4th Place: Jimmy Bednorz (Hopkins Elementary)
5th Place: Ryler Weil (Ford Elementary)
6th Place: Roran McKechnie (Sandburg Elementary)
7th Place: Felix Helms (Runyon Elementary)
8th Place: Aila Rolling (Runyon Elementary)
Fourth Grade Division
1st Place: Joshua North (Sandburg Elementary)
2nd Place: Joey Vargas (Wilder Elementary)
3rd Place: Skyler Smith (Hopkins Elementary)
4th Place: Lachlan McNulty (Ford Elementary)
5th Place: Ansel Stewart (Runyon Elementary)
6th Place: Ivan Sienknecht (Sandburg Elementary)
7th Place: Archer Alldredge (Sandburg Elementary)
8th Place: Mac Sizemore (Runyon Elementary)
Fifth Grade Division
1st Place: Owen Hendrix (Gaskill Elementary)
2nd Place: Camden Marshall (Little Raven Elementary)
3rd Place: Adam Dix (Ford Elementary)
4th Place: Jonah Okken (Gaskill Elementary)
5th Place: Avery Bernier (Runyon Elementary)
6th Place: Thomas Wells (Littleton Preparatory)
7th Place: Elsa Krasin (Runyon Elementary)
8th Place: Rohan Szakal (Runyon Elementary)
Middle School Division
1st Place: Shankar Parasuram (Littleton Academy)
2nd Place: Kate Clas (Euclid Middle School)
3rd Place: Mason Scholl (Powell Middle School)
4th Place: Drew Fedak (Powell Middle School)
5th Place: William Gleason (Littleton High School)
6th Place: Adam Cohrs (Newton Middle School)
7th Place: Sullivan Troch (Newton Middle School)
8th Place: Matias Garcia (Newton Middle School)
Kings of Chess Brilliant Player Award: Sionely Rodriguez-Santiago (Goddard Middle School)
High School Division
1st Place: Grayson Manuel (Littleton High School)
2nd Place: Eli Cohrs (Arapahoe High School)
3rd Place: Peter Dodge (Heritage High School)
Kings of Chess Brilliant Player Award: Nicholas Un (Littleton High School)
