After he took the computer portion of the test yesterday, Daniel Chi (Speller 127) thought it was a little tricky.
This morning, the Michigan eighth grader spelled "barukhzy" correctly to advance to Round 3.
Daniel's sister, Hannah, competed in the Bee in 2008, but Daniel didn't make the trip. This is his first trip to D.C.
Now, Hannah is a nursing student at Andrews University in Michigan. She's here cheering her brother on.
"He stands a better chance than me," said Hannah, who said she was eliminated in the semi-finals, placing 64th. "It's really tense in there for me to sit on the sidelines."
Hannah said she served as an inspiration for her brother to compete. Daniel disagreed.
Was he just saying that because she was his sister?
Absolutely.
"I feel like I'm ready," he said.