An impressive 1,247 players crowded the pairing sheets at the start of the 2023 National Middle School (K-8) Championship in Round Rock, TX, taking place April 21 through 23. It’s true that everything is bigger in Texas, with this year's total number of participants eclipsing last year’s total of 945 kids playing in Grapevine, TX. The turnout is just short of the 2019 edition’s 1,287 players also in Grapevine, TX. So, on second thought, the only thing that's bigger than Texas is, well, more Texas!