Montgomery County Public Schools

The Northwest High School chess team is the first team from Maryland to win a national high school title in chess. The team scored its victory in April at the National Scholastic Chess Championships in Nashville, Tennessee. The competition drew competitors from schools across the United States.

Twenty-four students from Northwest played in four of five competitive sections. The school placed in the top five in all four of its played sections.

At the end of the three-day tournament, Northwest High School was acclaimed best overall team for its accomplishments. In the K-12 under 1500 category, the Northwest team was number one in the nation. In K-12 under 900, the team placed second in the nation. The team placed fifth in the K-12 under 1200 and K-12 unrated categories.

The Northwest chess team was established eight years ago and currently has about 40 members. The team is coached by Robert Youngblood, who was named Coach of the Year at the tournament in Nashville.

For more information, contact Coach Robert Youngblood at 301-601-4628.