The so-called grade-level is divided into grades, each grade has one group, mixed boys and girls, from kindergarten (K) to twelfth grade, a total of thirteen groups. The first place in each group is the national champion, and if there is a tie, it will use tie-breaker. My students have had the honor of winning first-grade national championships twice.
There are a large number of participants every year, and this year it is close to the country's most developed area for chess, so there will be more people going. At present, the number of applicants has exceeded 2,200, and the states with the most are New York, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Florida. In terms of grades, there are more than 200 students from Grade 2 to Grade 7 each. With a large mixed group, it's really hard to say who will win.
Another feature of the student tournaments is that there are teams, one team per school (per grade). It is the wish of many children to take a trophy back for the school. Our goal this year is also to win a team award.