FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 15, 2004

The Edward R. Murrow high school chess team heads to the White House after winning the national chess championship last spring in Dallas

The championship chess team from Brooklyn defeated 1,200 students from nearly 350 schools across the country to win the national title

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today brought Brooklyn's Edward R. Murrow High School Chess Team - the 2004 National Champions - to the White House today to be congratulated by President Bush. After winning the national chess championship last April, the Edward R. Murrow chess team met with Senator Schumer in his New York City office. After congratulating the victorious team, Schumer sent a request to the President that their remarkable achievement be honored with an official visit to the White House.

Senator Schumer escorted the chess team into the oval office.

"This is a tremendous day for a tremendous group of young New Yorkers," Schumer said. "The President wanted to meet with the Murrow High School team because their guts, smarts, and grace under fire make all of us proud. As a Brooklynite and senator representing New York, I couldn't be prouder."

Coach Eliot Weiss, a calculus teacher, founded the Murrow chess club over 20 years ago and has led his team to winning the last 5 New York State titles. Last year's national championship team was made up of eight players, including Salvijus Bercys, the 2004 New York State High School chess champ, Dimitriy Minevich, Ilya Kotlyanskiy, Will Edgard, Nile Smith, Olga Novikova, Oscar Santana and Alex Lenderman.

When Schumer was a Congressman, his Brooklyn District Office was five avenues away from Murrow, and for years he hosted an internship program with the school's students.

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