Chess Players Compete In Roanoke

On Feb. 22, 15 elementary and middle school students from the Lexington City Schools competed in the 2025 Mickey Owens Memorial Tournament in Roanoke.

Five students from Waddell participated in the Beginners section of the tournament, a section designed for elementary students playing in their first or second tournament. They were Izzy D’Alessandro, Henry Rahl, Craig Shoultz, Arham Hasan and Rose Hierman.

Five students from Waddell participated in the K-5 section of the tournament and finished in first place as an elementary school team, out of six teams. They were Ahmad Hasan, Theo Buenafe, Olin Johnson, Arianna Hemmati and Luca Favero.

Five students from Lylburn Downing and one student from Waddell participated in the K-8 section of the tournament; the LDMS teammates finished in first place as a middle school team, out of five teams. They were Harry Loughhead, Theo Rahl, Tim Simon, Rayyan Maktoomi (a student at Waddell), and Alex Eastwood.

Several students earned recognition for their individual performances. Two Waddell students, Ahmad Hasan and Theo Buenafe, earned perfect scores (four wins in four games) and finished in first and second place in the K-5 section, respectfully. One other Waddell student, Luca Favero, finished the tournament in the top 10, ending up in eighth place.

LDMS students Alex Eastwood and Tim Simon finished in the top 10 in their section, earning first place and fifth place, respectively. Alex Eastwood earned a perfect score (four wins in four games). Rayyan Maktoomi, a Waddell student playing in the more challenging middle school K-8 section, won three out of his four games, an impressive finish for an elementary school students willing to compete against older and more experienced players.