By Jason Woolem, Chess Instructor
The 10th Annual Metro Class Championship saw 69 players come and compete across 6 different sections. The time control was 90 minutes with a 30 second increment starting on Move 1.
The tournament was broken down by the USCF ratings of each player which left 6 different sections. The Master Section, which was FIDE Rated, had a prize fund of $1800 and 9 players participate. The Master Section 1st place prize was $1000, 2nd place was $500, and 3rd was $300. It was GM Yaroslav Zherebukh who came out on top with a 3.5 out of 4 score; GM Alex Shimanov finished in 2nd with 3 out of 4; and GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez, NM Aaron Grabinsky, and WGM Anna Sharevich finished in a three-way tie for 3rd with 2.5 out of 4.
In the rest of the sections, a $250 1st place prize was up for grabs.
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Class A had 7 players and had a three-way tie for 1st between Luke Ye, Merrick Zhang, and Cael Douglas Province, who all scored 3 out of 4.
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Class B had 11 players and was won by Behrooz Vakil with a score of 3 out of 4.
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Class C had 10 players and was won by Nischal Ada with a perfect score of 4 out of 4.
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Class D had 8 players and was won by Alex Zhang with a score of 3 out of 4.
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Finally, the Under 1200 and Unrated section had the most players with 24 and was won by Newman Shen with a perfect score of 4 out of 4.
Personally, I had a great learning experience in my 3rd Round game. I was able to show why a King and Pawn versus a King is a draw in a certain position.
There are many different videos that can be found on the Saint Louis Chess Club YouTube page from numerous of our different lecturers on this topic.
The next event will be the 3 To Get Ready Open on March 3rd. This tournament will be split in 3 sections, Open, U1833, and U1333. The tournament will be three rounds and has a $333 prize fund. Entry fee for the tournament is $13.33 ($3 if you are registered before March 2nd). For more details and to register, visit our website. We hope to see you there!
