The onset of scholastic chess in the United States began in the early 1970s due to the "Fischer Boom", the phenomenon of markedly increased interest in chess in the United States due to the ascendency of eventual world champion Bobby Fischer.
Of course, with the exception of the few students competing at the top level, most participants are there to make friends, learn new skills, and simply have a good time.
This format encourages players of all levels to compete for trophies and awards against opponents of similar playing ability.
With so many scoring possibilities based on many individual outcomes, the team event usually causes the most discussion, planning and anticipation between coaches, players, and parents.
Only five players in history have won the National Elementary, Junior High School and High School championships: Joel Benjamin, Joshua Waitzkin, Nawrose Nur, Danial Asaria, and Harutyun Akopyan; only Waitzkin, Nur, and Asaria have won the National Primary championship as well.
1966) include Larry Christiansen, Patrick Wolff, Joshua Waitzkin, Tal Shaked, Hikaru Nakamura, Robert Hess, Ray Robson, and Akshat Chandra.
Previous winners of this championship include Tal Shaked, Vinay Bhat, Aaron Pixton, and Jordy Mont-Reynaud.
Previous winners include Alexander Fishbein, Ilya Gurevich, Jesse Kraai, and Abby Marshall.
However, beginning in 1997, there has been a single event known as the Supernationals where all events are held in one place simultaneously; the idea of the Supernationals was born in the early 1990s partially in response to concerns that young prodigies may win more than one championship in the same year (for example, the national elementary and national junior high school championship).