Patrick Hummel Wins 1999 High School Championship

Congratulations to Patrick Hummel of Las Vegas, Nevada on winning the 1999 National High School Championship!

The complete text of the U.S. Chess Federation press release follows:

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric C. Johnson
April 12, 1999 (914) 562-8350
Press Release #12 of 1999

HUMMEL GAINS HIGH SCHOOL TITLE IN SOUTH DAKOTA

Patrick Hummel won the 1999 National High School Championship, held April 9-11 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The tournament attracted 929 players seeking to compete in the first USCF National Scholastic Championship ever held in South Dakota.

Hummel, 14, of Las Vegas, Nev., scored 6 1/2 out of a possible 7 points to finish first in a championship field of 340 players. Defending champion Marcel Martinez joined a 9-way tie for second place with 6 points, finishing in fifth place on tiebreak.

Stuyvesant High School, of New York, N.Y., won the team competition in the championship section with 21 1/2 out of a possible 28 points. Team scores were determined by the combined performance of each school’s top four scorers.

Leela Doppalapudi, 16, of Gilbert, Ariz., posted an undefeated 7-0 score to win the Under 1300 section. A total of 282 players competed. Gilbert High School, powered by Doppalapudi’s strong performance, won the team competition with 21 1/2 points.

Peter Bayliss, 16, of Overland Park, Kan., and Dan Sorg, 17, of Capron, Ill., each finished with perfect 7-0 scores to tie for first place in the Under 1000 section. A total of 307 players competed. Bayless finished first on tiebreak points, but each player is considered to be a co-champion. Shawnee Mission East High School, of Shawnee, Kan., won the team competition with 22 1/2 points.

The 1999 National High School Championship was co-sponsored by the U.S. Chess Federation, local organizers De and David Knudson, and the Sioux Empire Chess Club.