CBA Chess Team wins first national crown

Acute perception, smart strategizing and daring moves earn the Christian Brothers Academy Chess Team their first-ever national championship.

The group's remarkable capture of the 2016 crown in the USCF National High School U1900 competition also won them plaudits by the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, who gave them certificates of recognition April 28.

It was the capper of an impressive string of 2015-16 wins for the chess champs in Lincroft, including the NJ Grade Championships; the 46th Annual National Chess Congress Tournament in Philadelphia; the New York City Championships; and second place in the US Chess Federation’s National K-12 Grade Championships in Orlando, FL.

The team is guided by Head Coach and math instructor Patrick Melosh, and by Assistant Coach Brian Meinders.

“This title was earned by students who combined the teamwork needed in athletics with the disciplined mindset needed to excel in the classroom,” Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso, the County’s liaison with the Superintendent of Schools, said in prepared remarks.

“In many contests, CBA is usually the hunted and is targeted as the school to beat. The national chess competition was no different," she continued. "The boys displayed resiliency and the fortitude necessary to succeed in every competition. This achievement should be lauded by everyone who lives in the County and throughout New Jersey.”