Pizitz student wins state chess tournament

Sarvagna Velidandla won first place in the 2017 Alabama State Scholastic Chess Tournament, held March 11-12 in Madison, Alabama. 

Velidandla competed in the K-6 elementary section, and was the first place trophy winner on tie breaks. She went on to become the Alabama State Elementary Chess Co-Champion. 

The state tournament is Alabama's biggest chess tournament of the year. Sarvagna is a 6th grader at Pizitz Middle School. She also traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to play in the Supernationals Chess Tournament May 11-14.

And this year's events are not Velidandla's first brush with chess success.

Sarvagna has 25 chess trophies since she started playing chess in the summer of 2012, including one from the 2013 super national chess tournament where she won first place in the K-3 section.

Sarvagna will also be traveling to St. Louis, Missouri, in July to play in the 14th Annual Susan Polgar Girls Invitational Tournament July 22-27.

Susan Polgar was a Women's World Chess champion and invites all the girl state champions every year to play in the invitational tournament. 

Sarvagna has been invited twice and this will be her third time participating in the prestigious tournament.

--Submitted by Uma Velidandla