Asif Solomon, an 8th-grader at AMIT Ginsburg Bar Ilan Gush Dan Junior and Senior High School for Boys, won first place at the national chess championship for youth under the age of 14.
Solomon, who is also a member of the Petach Tikva chess club, will represent Israel at the European chess championships in Latvia this summer. This will be his fourth time representing Israel at this competition for young chess players.
Hundreds of students from across Israel participated in the national championships. Participants were required to play the rigorous game for four to eight hours per day during the competition, testing both their physical and psychological resilience.
Solomon has been playing chess for a number of years, and this is his second time being crowned national champion. Four years ago, he took the top spot in the under age 10 category.
Tomer Shuper, the principal of AMIT Bar Ilan, said the school is proud of Asif’s victory and hopes he has a similar one this summer in Riga. “Asif is an example for perseverance and determination,” he said.
