Scholarship Prizes Competing In America’s Quietest Sport (NAPSA)—America’s quietest sport can boast a dozen new champions who have captured $20,000 in scholarship prizes at the National Finals of The AmericInn Chess Championship. One of the nation’s largest corporate sponsored chess competitions, The AmericInn Chess Championship began last fall, when more than 700 competitors, ages 19 and younger, competed in 127 qualifying rounds held at AmericInns across the U.S.A. Nearly 200 section winners of those competitions gathered at RiverCentre in St. Paul, MN, where the following 12 brilliant young competitors captured scholarship prizes totaling $20,000: OPEN SECTION 1. John Bartholomew, 18, Eagan, MN,winning $5,000 2. Victor Feldberg, 19, New Hope, MN,winning $2,000 3. Timothy Moroney, 16, Beverly Hills, MI, winning $1,000 4. Keaton F. Kiewra, 17, Lincoln, NE, winning $600 TOP UNDER1400 SECTION 1. Jacob Kaganovich, 11, Plymouth, MN,winning $4,000 2.Adam Bissonette, 13, Eden Prairie, MN, winning $1,500 3. Quan Nguyen, 13, Plymouth, MN,winning, $750 4. Adam Zach, 16, Dickinson, ND, winning $400 TOP UNDER 1000/UNRATED SECTION 1. Hang Nguyen, 11, Plymouth, MN,winning $3,000 2. Anton Orlichenko, 16, Rochester, MN,winning $1,000 3. Justin Buhl, 11, Vadnais Heights, MN, winning $500 4. William J. Setzer, 15, Hudson, WI, winning $250 “We are thrilled to be sponsoring this significant and valuable com- @ petition for the fourth consecutive time,” said Jon Kennedy, senior vice president of marketing and franchise development, AmericInn International, LLC. “AmericInn sponsorship is valuable due to the scholarships and because playing chess is a boon to any child’s intellectual development,” he said. According to the United States Chess Federation (USCF), who sanctioned the National Finals, young chess players score higher on standardized tests than nonchessplayers. “Chessplaying positively impacts a child’s intellectual development and cognitive reasoning,” said Maurice Ashley, international grandmaster. “We are fortunate to have AmericInn setting the stage, for children to becomeattracted to chess.” AmericInn International, LLC, Chanhassen, MN, is dedicated to providing guests a quiet night’s stay, thanks to its unique masonry construction. Because chess players like a quiet place to play, AmericInns are the perfect site for chess tournaments. There are more than 220 properties open or under development in 30 states. To learn more about AmericInn and The AmericInn Chess Championship, www.americinn.com. visit
