FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Six State Titles and Multiple National Invitations Highlight Outstanding Weekend for CCL Players

Akron, Ohio

March 2026

Students from CCL Chess delivered an exceptional performance at the 2026 Ohio Elementary, Middle, and High School Championships, held this past weekend in Akron, Ohio. Current and former CCL students collectively captured six state championship titles along with numerous podium finishes across championship and blitz events.

In the Elementary School Championship section, current CCL students Aanya Parul Karthikeyan and Aadhi Veerapandian Adaikappan finished among a four-way tie for first place. Aanya secured the official state championship title on tiebreaks, earning the opportunity to represent Ohio at the 7th Annual Rockefeller National Tournament of State Elementary Champions, which will be held this August in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In the Primary K-3 Championship, Mehmet Yilanli, the youngest US Chess Expert in Ohio history and a recent CCL graduate, captured the state title with a perfect score. His victory earns him the state delegate spot to the inaugural GM Maurice Ashley National Tournament of K-3 State Champions, also scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids this August. The tournament is named in honor of Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, a leading advocate for scholastic chess in the United States.

In the Middle School Championship, CCL students Shiv Karthik Srinivasan and Shaurya Kurulekar shared a six-way tie for second place, with Shiv securing the official runner-up position after tiebreaks.

In the High School Championship, CCL #36 graduate and US Chess Expert Louis Zhang and former student National Master Broderick Bauml finished tied for third place.

CCL players also dominated the State Blitz Championships, sweeping the championship titles across multiple divisions:

• Mehmet Yilanli – Elementary School Blitz State Champion
• Georgios Stavropoulos – Middle School Blitz State Champion
• NM Broderick Bauml – High School Blitz State Champion

Additional strong finishes included Shashank Palla, who earned clear second place in the Middle School Blitz Championship, and Rishi Mettapally, who shared a two-way tie for second place in the Elementary Blitz U1000 section.

CCL’s youngest generation also celebrated a milestone achievement. Mustafa Yilanli, a kindergartener and Mehmet’s younger brother, captured his first state chess title as co-champion of the K-2 U400 section. With only 18 rated games played, Mustafa also surpassed the 500 US Chess rating mark.

Other CCL students earning state trophies included Amyra Parul Karthikeyan, Oliver Ma, and Roopali Palla.

The Ohio Elementary, Middle, and High School Championships attracted nearly 300 students from across Ohio in grades K-12. The event serves as a qualifying tournament for national invitational competitions for state champions, held annually in conjunction with the U.S. Open Chess Championship.

For more than a decade, CCL Chess students have consistently dominated the state podium, qualifying numerous times for these prestigious invitational national championships and earning multiple national titles. The 2026 invitational tournaments will take place in Grand Rapids in August.

About CCL Chess

CCL Chess is one of the Midwest’s leading scholastic chess programs, dedicated to developing young players through structured instruction, competitive training, and tournament opportunities. CCL students have earned numerous state and national titles and continue to represent Ohio at the highest levels of scholastic chess competition.

 

Teams	Player	Chess Membership	March Rating	Team Rating
	Walker Griggs	14079634	2360	2173.75
CCL A	Aryan Balyan	15273590	2225
Team 8695	Siddarth Kunapuli	16368693	2094
	Mehmet Yilanli	30489673	2016
	Maxwell Chung	30555237	2023	1881.00
CCL B	Colin Park	16104281	1898
Stockfish & Chips	Bhavya Singhal	15272438	1824
	Magnolia Zhu	30393269	1779
	Louis Zhang	16785655	2048	1873.75
CCL C	Joseph kleban	13970606	2037
DeepSeek Declined	Shiv Srinivasan	17181917	1969
	Akhilesh Sasikumar	30335731	1441
	Anjana Thottimpudi	30784821	1961	1813.25
CCL D	Het Patel	17107721	1896
The Silicon CCLians	Georgios Stavropoulos	31534470	1737
	Sanjay Medicherla	14844158	1659
	Alex Zimakov	16408705	1575	1485.00
CCL E	Sai Viraj Salguti	32004268	1554
Quantum Gambit	Arjun Sai Kommineni	32067235	1525
	Roopali Palla	31165944	1286
	Shashank Palla	31160074	1524	1436.75
CCL F	Henry Wolfe	30490915	1498
Zero Emotion, Full Promotion	Lucas Zhang	30184904	1450
	Max Yang	32223884	1275
	Hunter Hong	17181855	1725	1386.75
CCL G	Ethan Wang	32089623	1402
En Passant.exe	Amogh Akshay Lohe	32086780	1269
	Hengrui Wang	31771525	1151
	Qilei Yin	32601153	1011	810.50
CCL J	Parin Bhardwaj	32578276	801
ChessBots in Training	Ahmed Rawa	30529692	780
(Junior MOTCF)	Ethan K. Zhang	31557001	650

Mehmet Yilanli, an 8-year-old CCL student from New Albany, Ohio, achieved a new peak US Chess rating of 2040 at the Queen City FIDE Open held on January 17–18 in Cincinnati, Ohio. During the event, he drew two U.S. National Masters and defeated a FIDE Master in classical games. With this performance, Mehmet earned the US Chess Expert title.

This milestone establishes a new CCL and Ohio record, as Mehmet reached a 2000+ rating while in second grade, surpassing Chris Shen’s long-standing third-grade record that had stood for 12 years.

According to US Chess age-based rankings, Mehmet is currently among the top U.S. players at age 8. Since beginning his chess training in April 2022, he has shown remarkable progress. His recent scholastic achievements include:

• 2025 Ohio Grade-Level State Champion
• National Champion (2nd Grade) at the 2025 US National K–12 Grade Championships
• K–6 National Blitz Co-Champion (officially third place on tiebreaks) at the same event in Spokane, Washington

Under CCL standards, Mehmet becomes the 39th CCL graduate. He will continue his training with CCL coaches as he pursues the National Master title. His primary coach is Life Master Walker Griggs.

Congratulations to Mehmet and Coach Griggs on this outstanding achievement.

The Legacy of a CCL Graduate

The skills developed in becoming a CCL graduate transfer to a successful future. We are continually amazed by the accomplishments of CCL alumni as they move into new chapters of their lives, achievements we are confident we will see in Maxwell’s future as well.

Typical CCL graduate milestones include:

• 1 year in CCL – achieving a 2000 rating

• 4 years in CCL – achieving a 1900 rating

• 5 years in CCL – achieving an 1800 rating

To see our previous 38 graduates, please click this link

CCL Chess proudly celebrates these standards of excellence and looks forward to watching Mehmet continue this tradition of success.

 

CCL Chess Congratulates Its 38th Chess Graduate: Maxwell Chung

 

CCL Chess is proud to celebrate its 38th official graduate, Maxwell Chung, a dedicated 7th-grade student whose remarkable growth, passion, and perseverance have made him one of CCL’s standout young talents.

Maxwell’s love for strategy began early. Whether it was board games or card games—especially Monopoly—he gravitated toward anything that required planning and foresight. But chess, interestingly, came later. During the COVID-19 lockdown, feeling restless at home, Maxwell began playing chess entirely on his own, moving both black and white pieces across the board. After the pandemic, Maxwell began formal coaching with CCL Chess founder, National Master Alan Casden, a mentor who quickly became both a trusted coach and cherished friend. Alan’s humor, warmth, and steady encouragement made every lesson a highlight of Maxwell’s month. Maxwell’s family often heard him say, “Alan’s suggestions work!” a phrase repeated each time a coaching tip helped him score a win.

Just two weeks after starting with Alan, Maxwell competed at the 2022 National Elementary Chess Championship, earning 7th place in the K–3 non-rated section—an early glimpse of his emerging talent.

Alan soon introduced Maxwell to Atanas, telling him, “To become a stronger player, you need to improve your openings—and Atanas can help.” The prediction proved true. Within just 18 months of coaching under Atanas, Maxwell’s rating skyrocketed from 1270 to 2000, a milestone few young players ever achieve. Along the way, he collected an impressive list of titles and honors, cementing his place as one of Ohio’s fastest-rising scholastic players.

“We can never say ‘thank you’ enough to Alan and Atanas for their guidance and support,” Maxwell’s family shared.

Outside of competition, he loves reading, often borrowing books from Alan’s personal collection. “And also thank you, Alan’s library, for fueling that curiosity!” the parents said.

Maxwell’s journey doesn’t end with graduation. He remains deeply committed within CCL Chess to competing and growing, and his next big goal is to stand on the podium at a national championship. He also looks forward to seeing fellow CCL members at many future tournaments.

Key Achievements

• 2025 Cleveland Open – undefeated, $350 prize, U2100 Section

• 2024 Ohio Grade Level – Tied 2nd place, Grade 6

• 2023 Ohio Grade Level – Co-Champion, 5th grade

• 2023 Ohio Chess Congress – 1st place, U-1200 Section

• 2022 National Elementary Championship (Columbus, OH) – 7th place, K–3 unrated section; earned first rating: 521

CCL Chess is honored to celebrate Maxwell’s accomplishments, growth, and dedication. His hard work exemplifies the spirit of our program, and we cannot wait to see where his chess journey leads next.

Congratulations, Maxwell, CCL Chess Graduate #38!

The Legacy of a CCL Graduate

The skills developed in becoming a CCL graduate transfer to a successful future. We are continually amazed by the accomplishments of CCL alumni as they move into new chapters of their lives, achievements we are confident we will see in Maxwell’s future as well.

Typical CCL graduate milestones include:

• 1 year in CCL – achieving a 2000 rating

• 4 years in CCL – achieving a 1900 rating

• 5 years in CCL – achieving an 1800 rating

To see our previous 37 graduates, please click this link

CCL Chess proudly celebrates these standards of excellence and looks forward to watching Maxwell continue this tradition of success.