KML Chess Wins Division 1 State Title

The KML Chess team earned a score of 3.5 in four rounds to win the Division 1 state title this weekend at the 2025 Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Championship. The Chargers were seeded 8th of 12 teams in the division going into the tournament. 

The Chargers had their eyes on the D1 prize, having won Division 2 state championships in 2023 and 2024. The team could have played as the top seed in Division 2, and chose to test their strength against the Division 1 teams.

KML started with a draw in Round 1 against last year's D1 champs, University School Milwaukee, then moved on to defeat Wisconsin Lutheran, Muskego, and the formidable Chesterton Academy Green Bay to win the championship outright. 

Board 1 Carson Reik (senior) led the team with three wins and a draw in four rounds. Board 2 Dylan Hanson (sophomore), Board 3 Sawyer Yogerst (senior), and Board 4 Kyle Sayovongsa (senior) each finished with three wins.

The Charger JV team finished fifth of 12 teams in the JV section, with contributions from Joey Pedersen, Sophie Poradek, Alexis Watters, and David Dorn.

For the next year, the Chargers will take care of the state chess traveling cup, which lists the names of winners dating back to 1970. Find that list here.

The KML Chess motto is, "All glory to the King!" That is especially true this year, as we celebrate the talents of these players and their determination to play through whatever challenges they faced along the way. Whether celebrating accomplishments or fighting through challenges - on the board and in life - we know Jesus Christ is beside us, and in the end He reigns above all. May all of our players take that confidence with them next season or whatever is next for them in life.

Varsity Division 1

Junior Varsity

Both teams with Advisor Ben Walter, Advisor Angie Molkentin, Coach Ron Klemann

Round 4 vs. Chesterton Academy

Round 2 vs. Wisconsin Lutheran

Going over games between rounds.

Carson under pressure in the final round.

#2 Seeded KML Fights, Ends Up Fifth at 2025 City Championship

The KML A Team finished 5th out of 16 teams in a tight race at the 2025 City Championships this week. This was a perfect warm-up experience for the State Tournament, as we tested our teams.

The City Tournament is scored by game points as opposed to match points. So our 4-person teams needed to win on every board possible to contend for the championship. 

The Chargers took care of business in the first 2 rounds, undefeated on all boards, the only team in the field of 16 with a perfect score. Round 3 was a little tougher with 2 wins and 2 losses against Brookfield East. Going into Round 4, KML remained among the top 3 teams with a chance to win. We were paired with top-rated USM, and Round 4 did not go our way. 

Dylan Hanson and Sawyer Yogerst won 3 out of their 4 games for the day and Carson Reik and Kyle Sayavongsa won 2 of their 4. All in all, this is a very good performance in a field of teams at this level, even though we didn't finish as high as we hoped as the 2nd seeded team going in.

KML B came in 8th place out of 16 teams, a great finish for our second team. Evan Senfleben and Zachary Kesting won 3 of their 4 games. Senior Will Kesting had the tough job of playing Board 1, taking on all the best players. Newcomer David Dorn held his own on Board 4. KML C gained valuable experience playing in this format, managing their game, the clock, and notation. 

It was such a pleasure to chaperone 3 KML teams, with our A team playing on the top tables, our B team supporting and showing strength for our future, and our C team learning. Our experienced players modeled sportsmanship and resilience for our newer players.

Stay sharp, Chargers, as we prepare for the State Tournament! Remember, the State Tournament is scored differently - 2.5 wins out of 4 in a round is a win for the team, with game points and opponent strength as tiebreakers. It also has a slightly longer time control (G-45 instead of G-30). Our goal is to continue to play well for our chance to play at the top boards once again.

KML Players with Strong Performance at 2024-25 WI Junior Open

12 KML chess players attended the 2024-25 WI Junior Open, a qualifying event for the 2025 US Open. Three KML players contended with the best in the Open Section while nine others gained valuable experience in the Reserve Section.  

Notable finishes included:

OPEN SECTION

• Carson Reik - 4th place overall out of the 46 players in the section, with 4 wins in 5 rounds - highest finish for a KML player since we began attending the Junior Open ten years ago. 

• Dylan Hanson - 6th place overall with 3 wins and a draw in 5 rounds. Won best of the Under 800 Rated Class. Picked up 356 rating points - a huge number and great accomplishment.

• Sawyer Yogerst - 10th place with 3 wins and a draw in 5 rounds. Won best of the 1000-1199 Rating Class. 

RESERVE SECTION:

• Riley Lechmaier - 5th place overall out of the 46 players in the section, with 4 wins in 5 rounds. 

• Evan Senfleben - With 2 wins and 2 draws in 5 rounds, won best of all the Unrated Players in the section. 

Praise God for the talents of our team and their faithful use of those talents. Go Charger Chess!

A Wonderful 2024 KML Chess Camp

Thanks to our high school players and coaches who once again put on a great camp. Young players from Kindergarten through 9th grade spent four days learning opening principles, castling, squares pieces love, checkmating, and basic tactics. 

Keep practicing, chess players! Keep your pieces safe!

2023-24 Post-Season Awards

 KML Chess awards are given each year for 

• Participation: Players are designated as either “Club” or “Team” members. 

• The TEAM members met attendance criteria and competed for KML

• CLUB members did not compete and are still listed as club members if they met attendance criteria 

• Varsity and JV Letters (According to KML and our criteria) 

• Team Accomplishments

• Individual Special Recognition

KML Chess Letter Winners

JV Letter:

Luke Wurtz

Varsity Letters:

Dylan Hanson

Zachary Kesting

Carson Reik

Sawyer Yogerst

Will Kesting

Kyle Sayvongsa

Cal Martin

Ethan Eernisse

Matthew Hilzley

Joey Pedersen

Natalie Nolte

Todd Tischer

Nathanael Himsel

Rookie of the Year:

Dylan Hanson

Workhorse Award:

Carson Reik

Diligence Award:

Will Kesting

Queen Award:

Natalie Nolte

King (MVP) Award:

Sawyer Yogerst

Senior Leadership Awards:

Nathanael Himsel

Matt Hilzley

Charger Chess Wins 2nd Division 2 State Championship and Finishes 2nd Overall at State Tournament

KML Chess won its 2nd straight Division 2 state championship this past weekend, finishing ahead of 8 other Division 2 teams. In addition, KML finished 2nd overall at the state tournament, out-scoring 6 Division 1 teams en route to 2nd place in the field of 26. The Chargers’ only loss was to the top seeded Division 1 team, University School Milwaukee, winner of the D1 and overall state championship.

Going into the contest, the Chargers expected to contend in Division 1 by rating. (US Chess ratings are earned during the year by performance in rated events.) Enough higher rated teams entered at state this year, and by tournament time the Chargers found themselves bumped from the last seed in Division 1 to the 1st seed in Division 2 and the 9th seed overall in the 26-team field.

The 26 teams were divided into 3 divisions by rating, although the first two rounds give all teams the opportunity to climb in the standings and challenge for the overall championship, regardless of division. In Round 1, the Chargers beat a quality Division 1 Brookfield East team that was seeded #2 overall. In Round 2, the Chargers beat Division 1 Wauwatosa West. In Round 3, KML found themselves paired against the top seeded USM. It was an opportunity. In that match, KML scored excellent tiebreaker points with Senior Matthew Hilzley’s win on Board 3.

Winning three of four rounds earned KML the Division 2 championship. Their quality wins against D1 teams created excellent tiebreakers and contributed to KML’s 2nd place finish overall.

Individually, Junior Carson Reik won 3 of his 4 games on Board 1 and earned the Division 2 Board 1 Champion title. Junior Sawyer Yogerst also won 3 of 4 on Board 2. Hilzley contributed a clutch win and a draw, and Freshman Dylan Hanson won 2 of 4 on Board 4.

KML also fielded a second team that competed in Division 3 by rating. That team finished 5th out of 9 teams in Division 3 and 18th of 26 overall. Leading the second team was Senior Nathanael Himsel who was nearly perfect on Board 1 through 4 rounds, scoring 3 wins and a draw. He earned Division 3 Board 1 Champion honors.

With this year’s accomplishments, the Chargers improved on their 2023 state tournament performance, when they won the Division 2 state title and finished 8th overall in that year’s field of 30 teams. While the Chargers entered the 2024 contest believing they could win again in Division 2, they set their sights on climbing in the overall standings and winning against Division 1 teams. Their 2nd place overall finish fulfilled those hopes and surpassed anyone’s expectations of them—except their own. They were ready for the challenge. It was the highest any KML team has placed in the state chess tournament since KML's program began in 2013.

Team depth and determination are necessary to win in a team event at this level, and the Chargers have both of those qualities. All glory to God who graciously gives us these gifts and the opportunities to use them.

KML A Team:
Board 1 Carson Reik

Board 2 Sawyer Yogerst

Board 3 Matthew Hilzley

Board 4 Dylan Hanson

KML B Team:
Board 1 Nathanael Himsel

Board 2 Will Kesting

Board 3 Natalie Nolte

Board 4 Kyle Sayavongsa

KML JV:
Joey Pedersen

Zachary Kesting

Coaches:
Mr. Ron Klemann
Mr. Ben Walter

Advisor:
Angie Molkentin

KML A

KML B

Division 2 Board 1 Champion Carson Reik
Division 3 Board 1 Champion Nathanael Himsel

Seniors Matthew Hilzley and Nathanael Himsel

The sportsmanship of chess

Reviewing, coaching and encouraging between rounds

at Reeve Memorial Union, UW-Oshkosh:

KML Chargers Take 3rd in Milwaukee City Chess Championship

KML chess fielded three teams in the Milwaukee City Championships on Friday, March 8. KML A finished third overall in a very tight field. KML A players were Carson Reik, Sawyer Yogerst, Dylan Hanson and Matt Hilzley. 

The KML B and C teams tested line-ups and gained valuable experience playing in a team competition. This experience is important to build as the Chargers prepare for the state meet later this month.

TEAM	SEED	TOTAL SCORE
USM A	1	15
USM B	4	11
KML A	5	10.5
MSL A	2	10
REAG A	6	10
REAG B	8	10
BEAST A	3	9.5
Marq A	17	8.5
KEW A	10	7
MSL B	12	7
USM C	7	6.5
MIX A	18	6.5
KEW B	15	6
KML C	16	6
CMH A	11	5.5
USM D	9	5
REAG C	13	5
KML B	14	5

Congratulations to all of our players who have worked hard this season and made each other better players. You are using your talents in service to your King!