Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
West Chester student earns praise for status as national chess champion
WEST CHESTER>> Aayansh Agarwal, a Fern Hill Elementary School second grader who won the 2022 U.S. Chess National Championship in his grade level, recently visited the Pennsylvania State Capitol as a guest of state Senator Carolyn Comitta.
Agarwal and his parents, Rocky Agarwal and Puja Diwan, came to Harrisburg to celebrate his first-place win in the unrated category of the national competition organized by the U.S. Chess Federation.
Comitta, a former public school teacher and member of the Senate Education Committee, congratulated Agarwal on his victory, presented him with a special Senate citation, introduced him on the Senate floor, and invited him and his family to tour the historic state capitol building.
“Games like chess can help young people develop important skills like logic, critical thinking, problem-solving, and more,” she said. “It was a pleasure to meet with Aayansh and congratulate him on this outstanding achievement. But what impressed me the most was his desire to use his talents and skills to make the world a better place for everyone.”
Agarwal’s parents introduced him to chess at the age of 5. He quickly excelled at the game and taught himself strategy and tactics through YouTube videos. He also enjoys puzzles, mind games, mathematics, reading, soccer, and solving Rubik’s cubes. His fastest time solving a Rubik’s cube is 1 minute 40 seconds.
The 2022 U.S. Chess National K-12 Grades Championship took place over three days in early December in National Harbor, Maryland.