Chess tournaments are unique, stand-alone events, that often taken on a personality of their own. The tournament "personality" can be based on the venue, the tournament hall, the weather (yes the weather), the format, the closely contested time scramble games, the vibe from the champion's run, and many other random "chess" variables.
This year's rendition of the Northern Open took on the personality of "chess talent'. There were a number of players who displayed their chess talent and very few of the displays were surprising. Rather, they were generally the result of the observed hard work and diligence these players have invested in their chess games over the last year.
Let's start with our co-champions in the Premier Section. Sammy Narayanan & Joseph Wan scored 4.5 points to pace the field. Sammy has won everything he has come across in Minnesota chess these last few years...and recently added a 3rd IM Norm to his chess resume. So Sammy being Co-Champion is not a surprise. However, the endgame confidence and winning determination he displayed were Magnus-esque as he relentlessly pursued wins in positions that held only the slightest edge. For example, a knight vs bishop with even pawn count...or a Queen and 3-pawns endgame where the only edge was a slightly stronger pawn structure. That's Magnus. That's chess talent. And not to be outdone, Iowa's chess road warrior Joseph Wan had key victories against incredibly underrated Minnesota players such as David Schabert, Vivian Yang & Alexander Augustine...and he also knocked off Josiah Jorenby who was this year's Grand Prix Winner. That's chess talent.
Other talented displays came from the rapidly improving Chris Gill who scored 3.5 points and raised his rating 58 points to 2073...the super solid Long Chen who scored 2.5 points and gained 45 rating points to land at 1765...and the emerging Vivian Yang who scored 3.0 points on her way to an 82 point rating gain all the way up to 1955. These are all players who have carefully honed their chess games and were ready for these break-through results.
💵 Prize Winners 💵
In the U1800 it was Harry Breheim leading the way with 4.5 points. I will let you all enjoy Harry's chess talent when you meet across the board. My suggestion is assume he is 200 points better than his 1733 rating and adjust your expectations accordingly.
Ethan Harrison has made a big splash on the Minnesota chess scene this past year...and he had NM Okey Iwu in some difficulties in RD3 of this event...but it was younger brother Jesse Harrison that took the spotlight this time by scoring 4.0 points in the U1800 and gaining 161 points to land at 1606. Jacob Pikus also had a great U1800 event with a 129-point rating gain up to 1473. Jacob's only loss by the way was to Jesse in RD3.
In the U1400 there was a 4-way tie for 1st place at 4 points between Tyler Pamperin, Paulo Soto, Austin Hale, & Miles Ogden. These are 4 talented chess players who have jumped into the 1300+ rating space very quickly...and will soon be visiting a higher-rated section near you!! Be ready for them.
Finally, in the U900 it was unrated newcomer Trygbe Zabel putting up the only 5-0 perfect score of the weekend to achieve a provisional rating of 1431P5. That's chess talent and a very fast start to Trygbe's rated chess career! Close behind in a 3-way tie with 4 points were Angela Lee, Jasper Leopold & Ed Bourgeois.
Overall the Northern Open was a big success with 139 players competing in Roseville over the September 21-22 weekend. A special thanks to the MSCA for a well organized event...and to TDs Dane Zagar & Jack Bellinger for a well run event.
📰 Related: Jorenby is Minnesota’s Grand Prix Champ! 🏆️ 🏁
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