Not everyone playing at the 2013 Chicago Open presented Grandmaster credentials at the door. This didn't keep some excellent chess from being demonstrated across multiple sections.

In the Under 1900, Illinois-native and University of Miami (Florida) collegian Jeremy Berman took top honors earning a $5,000 check for his 6.5/7 result.

A half-point back, Illinois' Tian Peng and Ohio's Michael Higgins tied for second and third, taking home $1,850 apiece. Berman defeated Higgins in the fifth round and Peng in the sixth round to thoroughly earn his title.

Also in the U1900, Illinoisians Daniel Jones, Timothy Zhou, Joe Fennessey and Matthew Barbian, along with Ian Barruel of Virginia, all tied with 5.5/7 finishes, tying for 4th through 8th place, pocketing $660 apiece. After accounting for re-entries, 109 players faced off in the tournament's largest section. 

In Under 1700 competition, Igor Melnikov's 6.5/7 result came with a $5,000 payout. In the past two decades, Melnikov's only other USCF-entry was a 1995 quick-rated event. A full point back with 5.5/7, Illinois-based Cameron Heino and Naperville North chess coach Jeff Di Orio tied for 2nd through 5th (along with a couple out-of-staters), all taking home $1,375 checks. ]

U1500: Gunbileg Myagmasuren of California parlayed his 1373 provisional rating into a perfect 7.0/7 score and a $4,000 windfall. Myagmasuren had competed in only one prior USCF event, a March tournament where he went 2-1-2 against Class D competition. Under the CCA rules, that single event was sufficient to qualify for a full payout in the Open. Illinois-registered Santiago Mata took clear second with a 6.0/7 tally, earning $2,000. By a full point, Mata improved upon his 2012 finish in the same section, which had placed him in a tie for 7th-12th.

Lack of USCF-experience did not deter Mergen Ovezov from earning a 5.5 score and taking home $650 for his third-through-sixth-place tie. Theron Plaines, Edward Zhang, Malik Brewley, Daniel Wilson and Joshua Prupes all finished with solid 5.0/7 postings, recouping over half their entry fees, banking $144.45 in a 7th-through-14th, eight-way tie. Wilson had been in the running for a share of the championship until his seventh-round loss to Myagmasuren. Prupes had won his first five rounds, before losing to Myagmasuren and Mata in his final two games.

U1300: In only his fourth USCF-rated event, Alexey Kochemirovskiy compiled a 6.0/7 score, taking away $3000. Based on his three "warm up" events over the prior three months, Kochemirovskiy had compiled an uninspiring 3-win, 6-loss, 3-draw record and a modest 1072 provisional rating. Thanks to the Open, he added five wins and two draws to that career record, boosting his rating above 1400. Just off the pace, Ryan Obermeyer and Ian Freeman were among the five-way 5.5 cluster, each taking home $820 checks.

U1100 All-ages: Michael Liberman's 6.5/7 earned him $1,000. Sam Zschack, in part due to a fifth-round loss to Liberman, finished with 5.5, earning clear second and a $700 check. Unrateds Marta Borowska, Phil McCully and Dubodh Mahendale split $1,000 three ways with 5.0/7 results.

With a 4.0/7 score, Reginald Jackson was the top Under 900 score, defeating Dennis Doyle on tiebreaks. Carrick Younkin was the best Under 700 finisher with a similar 4.0 result.  Niles North underclassmen Lyle Rubin and Adam Rubinberg topped the field of U1100 Juniors. Lyle's 6.5/7 won him the first place trophy and $1,000. Teammate Adam was only a half-point back with 6.0/7, earning $700.Missouri's Lixin Zheng, Iowa's Quinn Lafrentz and Illinois' Ross Schneider (a Niles North sophomore) each compiled 5.5/7 results, splitting $1,000 three ways.

On the Niles North team, Lyle played sixth board as a freshman, Adam played seventh board as a sophomore, and Ross played eighth board. Incoming teammate Nahiyan Chowdhury finished with five points. Something tells me the Niles North High School team may be a force to be reckoned with next year.

Christopher Rupprecht topped the U900 entrants with a 4.5 score. Ir-Jen Shan finished with an identical score to lead all U700's. Ir-Jen entered this event with a rating of 100, the lowest allowed in USCF calculations, based on a single 2006 event held in Des Plaines. What a difference seven years can make!

Amar Jerath won the Under 500 trophy with two points and Ethan Baca's 3.0/7 was the top score among previously unrated players. Altogether, 71 competitors entered the U1100 Junior event.