Under-16 World Champion Applauded At School In Viral Video

After the weekend, you're back in school. You open the door. You're hit with thunder-like applause from all your classmates and teachers in the hallways; everyone's proud of you.

For most teenagers, this fantasy happens only in dreams. But this was 15-year-old Polish IM Jakub Seemann's grand entrance after winning the World Youth Championship for players under 16 years old.

In a viral video originally posted on Monday, the camera follows the newly-minted world champion, still wearing his backpack and a navy blue parka, across two floors full of clapping and cheering classmates in High School No. 3 in Zabrze. At the end of his journey, the beaming international master receives a little cake.

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The tournament, which went from November 13 to 24 in Montesilvano, Italy, determined individual champions in six categories: Open-18, Open-16, Open-14, Girls-18, Girls-16, and Girls-14.

Scoring 9.5 points across the 11-round Swiss, Seemann finished in clear first in a field totaling 138 players and 71 countries.

Open-16 Final Standings | Top 20

(Full standings here.)

He earned gold in style, winning his last game on demand with a nifty queen sacrifice. After winning a pawn, he converted the advantage smoothly.

His countryman and friend, IM Jan Klimkowski, finished second in the same section, while FM Pawel Sowinski struck gold in the Open-14 division. As a result, Poland won the gold medal for overall results.

"We had a little time to prepare for his welcome. I'm shocked that the film turned out so popular on the internet," said the school's principal, Magdalena Kaernbach-Wojtas.

It wrapped up an amazing year for Seemann, who won not just the World Championship but the European Youth Chess Championship, becoming the first Polish player to complete such a double since GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek 19 years earlier.

Seemann commented:

"Winning the world championship was a fantastic affair. It's the fulfillment of dreams and a reward for really hard work! Well, and of course it's also motivation to keep training. Before the event I didn't think about the title, I had the aim of concentrating on each game. I wanted to play as well as I could. In the eighth round, I became the sole leader. Then the adrenaline rose and I became stressed about my next moves, but I thought I handled it very well and without any great adventures I kept the lead until the end."

It's the fulfillment of dreams and a reward for really hard work!

—Jakub Seemann