Two young chess prodigies from Barrington recently showcased their skills on a national stage, representing the state at prestigious scholastic tournaments in Norfolk, Va.

Levon He, a 17-year-old student at Barrington High School, and his 11-year-old sister, Nina Yang, competed in the 40th annual GM Arnold Denker National Tournament of High School State Champions and the 12th annual WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions, respectively, from July 27 to 30.

Levon faced off against a field of some of the country’s top young chess players — the competition included Sharvesh Deviprasath, Maximillian Lu, and Sandeep Sethuraman. Levon finished 20th overall and earned three points with the strong finish.

Levon, who recently earned the title of Candidate Master, is currently ranked as the third-best chess player in Rhode Island. This was his second appearance at the Denker Tournament, having won four points in seven tournaments to tie for sixth place in last year’s event.

Nina, who will be a rising sixth-grader at Barrington Middle School this August, began playing chess at age five after being inspired by her older brother. 

Nina earned 1.5 points and finished tied for 43rd while representing Rhode Island at the 12th annual WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions. This year’s tournament featured top players such as Zoey Tang, Megan Paragua and Kelsey Liu. (The Haring tournament is different as players are separated by gender and not by age. Nina had to challenge other girls who are high school students or middle school students.)

In addition to her competitive achievements, Nina also shares her love of chess with others by teaching the game on Saturdays. She donates a portion of the tuition fees to the Super Joey Foundation, which supports families in the U.S. affected by childhood cancer. 

Both Levon and Nina were awarded $300 scholarships from the Southeast New England Chess Association for their efforts.