75 chess players competed in St. Cloud on May 20/21 and launched Minnesota's New Summer Grand Prix Series! This tournament represented the first significant USCF rated event in St. Cloud in more than two decades. Attendance was strong, the River's Edge Convention Center site was spacious, and the tournament direction was excellent under the leadership of USCF Senior TD Sarah Emmons.
Follow the standings on our Grand Prix Scoreboard!
In the ultra competitive Open Section that featured 7 Masters, Jackson Wahl took clear 1st Prize with 4/5 points. Jackson won a key match-up in round 5 against Vaibhav Kalpaka, one of Minnesota's emerging young masters who was featured in the most recent edition of the Minnesota Chess Journal. With this win Jackson takes the early lead in the Summer Grand Prix Series which journeys next to Duluth/Superior for the Lake Superior Open on June 24/25.
In the U1900, it was Minnesota's 2023 prize money leader Michael Haynes taking clear 1st with 4/5 points. Michael has been dominant in the lower sections over the past year and will no doubt soon become a tough competitor in the Open sections. In the U1500, it was Own Pelletier and Sanket Keni (Unrated) sharing 1st Prize with 4/5 points. In the U1100, Ben Kasten ran the table with a perfect 5-0 score to take top honors.
Congratulations to the prize winners, the TDs, and St. Cloud's Chess Community on a wonderful event. See everyone in Duluth/Superior in a few weeks as the Summer Grand Prix Series continues!