San José opens the board: WSTC American Continental Stage kicks off

Event Kicks Off in San José

WHO: 29 school teams from 25 countries, including top-ranked Saco Oliveros de Lince (Peru), Harvest Park Middle School (USA), and Crescent Heights Academy (Canada). WHAT: FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026 – American Continental Stage. WHERE: DoubleTree by Hilton Cariari, San José, Costa Rica. WHEN: Exact dates not disclosed, with the Grand Final scheduled for later this year.

Tournament Format and Highlights

The tournament features an eight-round Swiss system with a time control of 45 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move. Each team consists of four main players and one reserve, with both boys and girls represented.

• Starting Rankings Top 3: 1. Saco Oliveros de Lince (avg rating 1889), 2. Harvest Park Middle School, 3. Crescent Heights Academy
• Host Country Representation: Costa Rica represented by three schools, led by Colegio Bilingüe San Francisco de Asís
• Notable Players: Jaedar Herbert and Nathan Simmons-Patterson (Queen’s College of Barbados), CM Fernando Cortes Medina (Colegio Celta Internacional, Mexico)

Opening Ceremony Sets Warm Tone

The championship opened with a unique ceremony where officials unwrapped symbolic gifts from the African Continental Stage participants, emphasizing themes of direction, perspective, and mindset. The gifts, including a chess compass, flashlight, magnet, and more, were accompanied by heartfelt messages encouraging strategic play and sportsmanship.

Source

This report is based on information published by FIDE — International Chess Federation.

Official source: https://www.fide.com/san-jose-opens-the-board-wstc-american-continental-stage-kicks-off/