The Youth Chess Foundation of Chicago concluded its 2015-2016 season with a May 14 five-round, three-section tournament at Burbank Elementary School in northwest Chicago with 219 competing.

According to organizer Mike Cardinale, this brought the season totals across the six events to 1,834 entries, for an average of 306 players per event. All the events provided free entry with a generous line up of trophies thanks to donations and countless hours of volunteer time. This is Cardinale's 14th year organizing the events.

YCFC tournaments offer different section arrays depending on the historic turnout for that time of year. As it is late in the school year, the Burbank tournament was constituted in three sections, Grades K-4, Grades 5-8 and an Advanced Section.

In the K-4 Novice section, Joshua Crouse from St. Ethelreda defeated Jake Mangiulio of Wildwood in a playoff after both finished with five wins in five attempts.

Lenart's Gus Kim (3rd on tiebreaks) and Bateman's Ivan Suarez (4th) both had four wins and a draw for a 4.5 result.

Skinner North won the team championship with 16.0, a point ahead of Burbank. Bateman placed third with 13.5.

98 competed in the K-4 Novice section!

Armando Besa of Edgebrook had the lone perfect score in the Grades 5-8 section. The trio of Charlie Wade-Schroeder of Waters and St. Ethelreda teammates Marquis Douthard and Elijah Williams all posted 4.5's with Elijah taking third on tiebreaks, Charlie fourth and Marquis fifth.

With 17 players in the event, host Burbank placed first with 14.0 points from their top four. Oriole Park was second with 13.0. Three teams, Kinzie, Nobel and Altus compiled 12.5 totals with Kinzie taking third on tiebreaks.

78 played in the 5-8 Novice section.

In the 43-player Advanced Section, a pair of Bateman competitors topped the charts with Umair Ahmed sweeping the section and taking first with Leonard Rionaulis posting 4.5 with a second round draw.

A three-way tie for third at 4.0 included Christopher Gora of Ogden (3rd), Jack Heller at Skinner North (4th) and Layla Rodriguez of Bateman (5th).

Helped by the one-two punch from Umair and Leonard, Bateman ran away with the Advanced championships with 13.5 points from their top quartet. Bateman had 12 of the 43 players in the section, with no other team entering more than five.

Lenart placed second with 10.0 while Kinzie nabbed third with 8.0.