How big were the chess team's accomplishments at the IHSA state tournament? One look at the competition tells all …

Posted on Monday, Feb. 13, 2006, The OG, news

[Note: Visit our gallery for photos of the tournament.]

The Uni chess team's fourth-place finish at this weekend's IHSA state tournament is worth putting into perspective.

Other Uni chess teams have placed higher than fourth, but that was back when the IHSA had a small-school division. Now it's all against all.

So how did Uni, coached by Chris Merli, fare against the big boys? Here are the final top 10 teams (out of 123), with each school's enrollment in grades 9-12 listed in parentheses:

1. Niles North (2,245)
2. Evanston Township (3,179)
3. Whitney Young (1,881)
4. Uni (241)
5. Highland Park (1,860)
6. Stevenson (4,648)
7. Maine South (2,604)
8. Barrington (2,784)
9. Quigley Prep (430)
10. Lincoln-Way Central (2,748)

Enrollment figures are taken from the IHSA's school directory.

For more coverage of the chess team, look for the next print issue of the Gargoyle, coming soon.

— Gargoyle staff