Community Corner

White Plains Third Grader Excels at NYC Chess Tournament

Daniel Hagen, 8, of White Plains, took third place Sunday at the Tri-State Chess Championship held at New York City's Bryant Park.

Bonnie Hagen knew the chess bug had bit her son, Daniel Hagen, shortly after his aunt, Sherrie Eskow, taught him how to play at the age of 6. 

But Bonnie said she didn’t realize  how much the game had attracted his interest until she had the chance to play him.

“He was talking trash like he was Muhammad Ali,” Hagen said. “He said he was going to beat me in seven moves and he did.”

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Daniel Hagen, an 8-year-old who is entering the third grade at the Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School in White Plains, took third place Sunday at the Tri-State Chess Championship held at Bryant Park in New York City.  Tri-State Chess is an organization dedicated to establishing competitive chess programs in elementary schools throughout the Tri-State area.

“I wasn’t nervous because I’ve played in other tournaments before and won,” Hagen said.

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In March, Daniel and 10 other classmates won the Westchester County Scholastic Chess Championship.

In addition to playing chess, Daniel loves to play the piano and is a big fan of the video game Minecraft. But chess figures to play a big role in the way he spend the rest of his summer.

“In August he’s planning to go to chess camp for two weeks because he really loves it,” Bonnie said. “He won third place this team, but I think he’d like to try for second or first place.”


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