08/18/2026
The Texas Junior Open is officially in the books, and the girls didn’t just come to compete. They dominated. 🏆♟️
Female players took 1st place in the U11 (Annika Manchanda), U15 (Julia Cruz), and U21 (Sunny Zhang) sections.
This tournament was more than just another chess event. It was a statement about what is possible when we create the right opportunities for our students.
Creating opportunities for the champions of our region to compete for a Texas State Championship, just a quick drive from home, is a step in the right direction toward fostering success for our students. And our students are showing us exactly what happens when those opportunities exist.
The Texas Junior Open was rated, and once again we saw an incredible rating gain across the event: +673 net rating points. These players are getting better every day, and the results are showing it.
US Chess Rating Crosstables: https://ratings.uschess.org/event/202608160103
We were blessed to see so many incredible players and families from across our region and the state come out and compete. We saw clubs form teams and compete for top prizes. Most importantly, we saw our students step onto a statewide stage with some of the best young players in Texas and prove that they belong there.
And, of course, our U21 State Champion didn’t leave empty-handed. Sunny Zhang took 1st place in U21 and earned the championship title, along with the massive, fully blinged-out champion chain. 🥇⛓️😂
Final Standings: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DNPchHXXoT91VTdroq3RS4mzJiDyfz3xMQQasvUEH_k/edit?usp=sharing
U21 Cash Prize Winners:
🥇 1st Place: Sunny Zhang
🥈 T-2nd Place: Timothy Qin
🥈 T-2nd Place: CM Advik Manchanda
🏆 Top Female: Morgan Rodriguez
A very special thank you to Chief Tournament Director Brandon Flores for helping us make the U21 section FIDE rated. We are getting closer and closer to having events filled with FIDE-rated players, and that is something we are extremely excited about.
We are also incredibly grateful to the Texas Chess Association - TCA for giving us the opportunity to run events like this.
It can be discouraging when some people still refuse to share our flyers or support what we are trying to build. But the families and students who have supported us from the beginning have seen the growth firsthand. They have watched their students improve, gain confidence, compete at higher levels, and take advantage of opportunities that simply weren’t available to them before.
That support means more than people know. It keeps us going. We will continue doing everything we can to make sure every student knows that there are people who believe in them, care about their development, and are willing to invest in their future.
And just as importantly, we want the parents who invest so much time, money, and energy into their children to see that same investment being made back into them.
Our region is moving forward.
Our students are getting stronger.
And we are just getting started. ♟️❤️
