ICA Tour
Daniels, Schmidt Prevail at Bradley Summer Open
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
A fourth-round head-to-head draw gave two Bloomington-Normal area players the co-championship at the 51st Bradley Summer Open, held August 16 in Peoria.
Junior Jason Daniels and Scott Schmidt entered the final round with perfect 3-0 scores. Both blostered their post-event ratings above 1900 for the first time.
USCF Master Pete Karagianis and USCF Expert Bill Brock tied for third place with 3.0/4 scores, a half-point back. Karagianis drew Peoria-area junior Andrew Fei in the second round and took a half-point bye in the final round. Brock defeated Fei, a two-time Peoria City Champion, in the third round, recovering from a loss to Daniels in the second round.
Bradley Summer Open crosstables can be viewed here.
Condron Prevails at DeKalb's Orwell; 5-way Tie in Reserve
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
Venerable Class A-player James Condron went three-for-three after a first-round bye to earn the championship at the 4th Annual George Orwell Memorial.
The June 28th event was hosted by the DeKalb Chess Club and represented the conclusion of the first half of the 2014 ICA's Illinois Chess Tour. 38 competed in four sections.
Bill Brock and Jason Daniels tied for second in the Open Section, a half-point back. Daniels prevailed over Brock in a third-round upset which Brock later praised. An analysis of the game is pending publication. Daniels also claimed the top Under 1800 prize as he gained 50 rating points, blowing past the 1800-mark for the second time in his chess career.
Chelsea Harper and Tom Bareket tied for third place with 2.5 points having drawn each other in the first round.
Turgut, Guerra Top '14 Chicago Class
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
With a rapid draw in the fifth round, IM David Guerra of Missouri and Illinois' Tansel Turgut claimed top honors at the 2014 Chicago Class, both with 4.5/5. With a superior tiebreak, Dr. Turgut claimed the bonus prize, earning $1500.
Dr. Turgut's path to the co-championship was no easy one, as he defeated a pair of Grandmasters -- and the two highest-rated players in the event -- in the third and fourth rounds.
GM Dmitry Gurevich - Turgut's victim in the third round - finished tied for third with Missouri IM Priyadharshan Kannappan, both with 4.0's. Illinois' Zach Kasiurak had the same score, tying for the top U2400 prize.
Indiana's Sameer Manchanda won the Expert section with a 4.5/5, drawing Illinois' David Plotkin in the final round. Plotkin was among a six-pack with 4.0 in the section which also included Thomas Murphy, and three Illinois junior players: Anshul Adve, Jacob Furfine and Aydin Turgut. Manchanda pocketed $1400.
Illinois Competitors Shine at 2014 Chicago Open
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
While a pair of international entrants shared top honors in the Open Section, Illinois players will be cashing a number of checks from the 2014 Chicago Open which concluded May 26.
In particular, a number of Warren Junior Scholars did their host state -- and the Warren program -- proud, collecting over $12,500 in prize money. 34 Scholars participated in the Open, including 31 of 38 (82%) of those living in the Greater Chicago area.
The Continental Chess Association guaranteed $100,000 in prizes for the 22nd Annual Chicago Open, hosted for the seventh time at the Westin North Shore in Wheeling. Around 700 players competed in nine sections.
Amenian Grandmaster Gabriel Sargissian and Indian International Master Priyadharshan Kannappan (now based in Missouri) posted 7.0/9's to split first and second place prize money, $7500 a piece. Sargissian took home an additional $200 bonus for earning the higher tiebreak.
Karagianis Enjoys Home Cooking to Sweep '14 Normal Open
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
Pete Karagianis went 4-0-0 to take top honors at the 2014 Normal Open, the fourth stop on the Illinois Chess Tour.
Karagianis takes a commanding lead in the Open Tour Standings with 15.5, five and a half points ahead of the pack.
The Bloomington-Normal area chess coach defeated two Class A and two Class C opponents, closing out the event with a victory over Peoria-area junior player Andrew Fei.
Sixteen competed in the May 17th tournament, officiated by Jeffrey Smith.
Rosen, Karagianis Top 50th Greater Peoria Open
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- Written by Carl Dolson Carl Dolson
Peoria is a city rich in chess history and tradition, with active clubs operating continuously since the 1930s. Peoria hosted the 46th U.S. Open in July, 1945 at the Pere Marquette Hotel, which still stands in the heart of Peoria’s downtown district.
Murrel Rhodes was a Bradley University undergrad when he organized the first Greater Peoria Open in 1965. Master Ross Sprague won that inaugural event. Over the succeeding years, the Greater Peoria Open victor has included many masters, a few Senior Masters, and the U.S. Women’s Champion.
The 50th annual event took place April 26 and 27 at the Grand Hotel in Peoria, with Murrel again organizing a “beefed up” event, both in terms of guaranteed prize money offered and the number of master-level players committing to play. Crosstables available here.
Peng, Karagianis Top Springfield's '14 Mote Memorial
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
The Eleventh Annual David Mote Memorial Open, held March 29, drew the highest turnout of any one-day event in Springfield since 2001.
The tournament is the second stop on the ICA's 2014 Illinois Chess Tour.
Forty chess players, including large contingents from the Peoria and Bloomington areas, came to play at Douglas United Methodist Church.
At the end of the day, there were a pair of perfect 4-0 scores: Pete Karagianis, of Bloomington; and Tian Lu Peng, of Springfield.
Who Wants to Play a Master? Peoria Open Turns 50!
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- Written by BIill Feldman BIill Feldman
The Greater Peoria Chess Federation is doing it up big for the Golden Anniversary of their signature event: The Peoria Open. The third stop on the ICA's Illinois Chess Tour will feature a two-day extravaganza at the Grand Hotel April 26 and 27.
Restricting the Reserve Section to Under 1400, the event promises most Open players are likely to get a shot at playing at least one USCF master.
Collegiate Final Four Illini Club participants Eric Rosen, Michael Auger and Akshay Indusekar have all pre-registered.
Pete Karagianis and Tianlu Peng -- co-champions of the recent David Mote Memorial, the second 2014 tour event, are also signed up.
Tour Prizes on the Line this Sunday at Illinois Class
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- Written by Michael Cardinale Michael Cardinale
The top five spots in three Tour sections will be decided this Sunday at the Hilton Naperville/Lisle during the 2013 Illinois Class Championships, the final stop on the 2013 Illinois Chess Tour. Plaques will be awarded to the top five in each division – Open, Reserve-Adult and Reserve-Scholastic, with an additional cash prize for first place - $400.00 in the Open section, and $150.00 in each Reserve section.
The Class is a four round event, and entrants who play at least two rounds are eligible for a one-point participation bonus, providing a maximum of five points available to Tour players at this event.
The most commanding lead belongs to Tej Rai in the Reserve - Scholastic section, where he holds a 24.0-21.0 edge over Aydin Turgut. Rai needs just one point in two rounds played to clinch first place.