Samrug Narayanan jump-started his quest to repeat as our Minnesota State Champion by going 6-0 in the Premier Section of the 131st Minnesota Open Chess Tournament. Included in Samrug's stellar performance was a Round 4 victory over 11-time State Champion Sean Nagle. Samrug's Perfect 6-0 was the only one posted during the weekend from an overall field of 248 players.
In the Amateur U2000 Section it was the enduring Dan Voje defeating Barry Lazarus in a key Round 6 match-up to capture clear 1st prize with 5.5 points.
The Reserve U1700 Section featured a 1st place tie between Sanket Keni and Kyle Davis who both finished with 5.0 points.
In the Sophomore U1400 it was rising stars Evan Anderson and Jackson Daly sharing first prize with 5.0 points. Evan and Jackson will now effectively play a tie-breaker match for the opportunity to join the U1700 Section of March's Stenberg Cup State Championship Playoffs.
The Bantam U1100 featured an astonishing 92 players (representing 37% of the players at the event) and 1st prize was shared between Sammy Porta and Miles Ogden. They both had perfect scores heading into Round 6 and played to a draw to finish tied at 5.5 points.
Overall it was a fantastic weekend for our Minnesota Chess Community with the added features of the MSCA's Annual Membership Meeting on Friday Evening and the Hall of Fame Ceremony on Sunday Afternoon. Inducted as the 29th, 30th and 31st member of Minnesota's Chess Hall of Fame were GM Andrew Tang, NM Eugene Kerkay, and Hosterman Chess Coach Andy Polis.
A special thanks to the TD Team of Sarah, Jenny & Jackson for keeping this big event on time and on track.
Now, on to the March Stenberg Cup State Championship Playoffs!
