The Stroudsburg chess team sent its varsity roster to the Chess Eastern Pennslyvania Conference (EPC) competition on Thursday, February 8th. The team’s varsity roster consists of Jacob Bajek, 11, Hassan Malik, 12, Alex Morales, 12, Jeremy Fanelli, 12, Megan Lisnik, 10, Duncan Ruschman, 10, and Matt Sanchez, 11. They competed in person for only the 2nd time this year and took on schools ranging from East Stroudsburg South to Parkland.
Coach Sherie Stauffer said, “They got to play other players in person and use a board you physically move while on a computer it’s different.”
When competing in person, Matt Sanchez stated, “The atmosphere is better and you can read the person’s eyes which helps to predict or counter his next move.”
Everyone from the Stroudsburg chess team recorded a victory at the competition with Duncan Ruschman, 10, leading the Mountaineers with 3 wins en route to making the finals. Jacob Bajek, Matt Sanchez, Jeremy Fanelli, and Megan Lisnik all racked up 2 wins while Alex Morales and Hassan Malik recorded 1 win each.
If you are interested in joining the chess team for next year, contact Coach Stauffer at sstauff@sburg.org.
Gallery • 4 Photos
Stauffer
Jacob Bajek, who had 2 wins, and Hassan Malik, who had 1 win, compete in EPC Tournament on February 8th, 2024.
Photo taken by Coach Stauffer, used with permission.