Fernbank Elementary school students win chess championship

ATLANTA - A team of seven fourth- and fifth-graders from Fernbank Elementary School in DeKalb County are at the top of their game - chess, that is. <br> <br> The team returned to Atlanta on Monday night, one day after winning the U.S. Chess Federation&#39;s national championship for grades kindergarten through fifth grade in Portland, Oregon. <br> <br> The Fernbank team defeated almost 100 teams from 37 states. <br> <br> Members are: Justin Warren, Jackson Miller, Brennan Vito and twins, Quinn and Cal Shallenberger and Aluda and Pikria Saliashvili. They practice together for an hour after school each Tuesday, officials said. <br> <br> The group competed in individual matches, with each win going toward a cumulative team total. In addition, several of the children are coached privately. <br> <br> Fernbank won the state championship three years in a row, but did not crack the top 25 in last year&#39;s national tournament. <br> <br> The team is now practicing for the U.S. Chess Federation&#39;s National Scholastic Grade Championships, which will be held in Atlanta in December.