Waubonsie Valley capped off an outstanding 2026 season by finishing as the team chess state runner-up at the two-day tournament. After entering state as the top overall seed, the Warriors were narrowly defeated by Stevenson as the state champion.
Best ever finish for the Warriors
Stevenson won the title thanks to a 5-3 head-to-head victory over the Warriors in round seven.
The second-place finish is the best in school history for Waubonsie Valley, which improved on a fifth-place finish in 2025. Anshul Shetty went undefeated with seven victories for Waubonsie, while Anjaneya Rao earned 5.5 points with four wins and three draws. Krithin Arunkumar and Bhavish Patel each picked up five wins for their team compared to just two defeats.
It was the best team chess finish for a Naperville area school since Naperville North won the 2015 state championship.
Neuqua Valley earns a top-five finish
The Warriors were not the only local school with a historic finish. After winning the Glenbard West sectional, Neuqua Valley ended the tournament in fifth place, the best in program history. Freshman Alan Zhan earned six victories with just one defeat. Steven Bozue and Carter Hanninen both picked up five wins and one draw for the Wildcats.
Naperville Central finished the tournament in 38th place, with Metea Valley in 28th place. Benet Academy finished in the top 20 in 17th place, along with Naperville North in 13th place. Chicago Payton took home the third-place state trophy, just ahead of Dunlap in fourth place.
