Stevenson clinches No. 2 spot in IHSA chess tourney

A young team from Adlai E. Stevenson High School snagged the second-place title Saturday in what state organizers billed as the largest chess tournament in the country.

For the fourth time in the last five years, Stevenson placed second in the Illinois High School Association's chess tournament in Peoria. The team from Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora finished third.

Roughly 1,550 players representing 146 high school from across Illinois entered the two-day contest.

"We know going in that we are the team to beat and that we will be competitive," Stevenson Head Coach Vincent Springer said before the team headed to Peoria. "We just have to see the whole thing through this year."

Hinsdale Central clinched the No. 5 spot.

Other suburban teams that made the top 20: Neuqua Valley in Naperville; Fremd in Palatine; Cary-Grove; Wheaton-Warrenville South; Naperville Central; Wheaton North; and Palatine.