Overcoming competitors from multiple states, Illinois saw four of its natives winning their respective sections at the Susan Polgar World Youth, completed November 2 in Schaumburg.

The event was coordinated by ChessIQ, directed by Sevan Muradian and Vytautas Vitkauskas. Crosstables available here. Over 200 juniors competed in nine sections.

In the Under 14 section, Vincent Do prevailed on tiebreaks amid a six-pack of 4.5/6 scores. Vincent accepted a draw in the final round against Kansas' Joey Kelly, after an exciting endgame with promotion opportunities in both directions. Kelly was the section's highest-rated player entering the event. In their final matches, Jacob Furfine drew and Matthew Stevens won to join the top score group. Tej Rai finished a half-point back in a three-way tie for 7th. 32 players from six states competed in the section.

In the Under 12 section, Jason Daniels posted the lone 5.5 score to claim the championship. Daniels drew Stefan Musikic in the fifth round, denying a perfect score. Musikic held on for a draw in his final round against Ricky Wang, finishing with 5.0/6 in a two-way tie for second. Wang finished in a five-way tie for fourth with fellow Illinoisans Advaith Prabu, Adam Bareket and Jonah Karafiol along with Wisconsite Daniel Perelman. 52 from seven states competed in the U12 Boys.

Miranda Liu posted the lone perfect score in the 16-player U18-U16-U14 Girls section, her 6.0 score a full two points better than the four second place finishers. Illinois' Christine Zhang, entering the competition with a 1017 rating, finished in that 4.0 score group, along with Wisconsinites Anupama Rajendra and Chloe Wong, and Michigan's Sasha Konovalenko.

In the Under 16 Boys, Iowan Arshaq Saleem edged Texan Sam Capocyan on tiebreak points to earn the championship, both with 4.5 scores. Capocyan had actually defeated Saleem in the final round. Two Illinoisans tied for third: Akhil Kalghatgi and Nicholas Bartochowski, along with Julian Proleiko of Missouri.

In the Under 10 Boys, Wisconsin's Jacob Bakalinsky drew Aaron Gan in the final round to close out an undefeated weekend, posting the lone 5.5 score to earn the championship among 44 competitors. Arizona's Justin Friedlander took second with 5.0/6, losing to Bakalinsky in the penultimate round. Gan tied for third along with fellow Illinoisans James Zhang and Toby Yang, posting 4.5 scores. Wisconsin's Hersh Singh and Iowa's Nathan Chen were also in that 4.5 score group. 

In the Under 10 Girls, Maryland's Skylar Hsu posted 5.0/6 to win the championship, despite losing to Annika Geiersbach in the fourth round. Geiersbach tied for second with Anusha Nadkarni and Wisconsin's Gauri Menon, all three with 4.0 tallies.

Wisconsin's Divya Pandey won the Under 12 Girls with a perfect 6.0 score. Ashley Yan and New York's Elizabeth Miller tied for second with 4.0/6, losing to Pandey in the first and fourth rounds respectively. Aria Hoesley took fourth with a 3.5 score, Nadia Frieden's 3.0 was good for fifth place.

Columbia's Joshua Ruiz, a FIDE International Master, won the U18 Boys and a Webster University scholarship, posting a perfect 6.0/6 result. It was the first ever USCF-rated event for Ruiz. Illinois' Alec Feygin participated in a three-way tie for second with 4.0/6. 9 players competed in the section.

In the one-day Under 8 co-ed competition, Dimitar Mardov defeated Texan John Capocyan, Iowan Eddy Xu and fellow Illinoisan Vrishank Ramnath to earn the championship with 20 competing. Ramnath, Capocyan, and Xu finished in a six-way tie for second with 3.0/4, along with Illinois' Alex Zhao and Ethan Ding, and Aradh Kaur of Wisconsin.