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SAINT LOUIS, March 6, 2011 -- The Saint Louis Invitational is wide open after round four with four players tied for first with scores of 2.5/4. Four others have scores of 2/4.
GM Ray Robson defeated GM Melikset Khachiyan to pull into a tie for first place.
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GM Julio Becerra notched a victory over GM Jesse Kraai.
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FM Darwin Yang and IM Michael Brooks agreed to a draw, which guaranteed them both a tie for first place.
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GM Alejandro Ramirez scored his first victory of the tournament to join the fray at the top of the leaderboard.
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Gm Eugene Perelshteyn and GM Joel Benjamin settled for a round-four-draw.
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Round 4 |
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| Board | White | |
Black |
| 1 | Robson, Ray | 1 - 0 |
Khachiyan, Melikset |
| 2 | Becerra, Julio | 1 - 0 |
Kraai, Jesse |
| 3 | Perelshteyn, Eugene | 1/2 - 1/2 |
Benjamin, Joel |
| 4 | Ramirez, Alejandro | 1 - 0 |
Kaidanov, Gregory |
| 5 | Yang, Darwin | 1/2 - 1/2 |
Brooks, Michael |
| Rank | Name | FIDE Rating | Points |
| 1. | Brooks, Michael |
2451 | 2.5 |
| 2. | Kaidanov, Gregory |
2580 | 2.5 |
| 3. | Ramirez, Alejandro |
2584 | 2.5 |
| 4. | Robson, Ray |
2532 |
2.5 |
| 8. | Becerra, Julio | 2549 | 2 |
| 5. | Benjamin, Joel |
2564 |
2 |
| 6. | Kraai, Jesse | 2516 | 2 |
| 7. | Yang, Darwin | 2421 | 2 |
| 9. | Khachiyan, Melikset | 2518 | 1 |
| 10. | Perelshteyn, Eugene |
2533 | 1 |
Round 5 |
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| Board | White | |
Black |
| 1 | Brooks, Michael | Robson, Ray | |
| 2 | Kaidanov, Gregory | Yang, Darwin | |
| 3 | Benjamin, Joel | Ramirez, Alejandro | |
| 4 | Kraai, Jesse | Perelshteyn, Eugene | |
| 5 | Khachiyan, Melikset |
Becerra, Julio |
|
Pairings for Round 5: The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open - Open
| Bd | Res | White | Res | Black |
| 1 | MESGEN AMANOV (2537) | BENJAMIN FINEGOLD (2565) | ||
| 2 | TIMUR ALIYEV (2346) | GORAN* VOJINOVIC (2591) | ||
| 3 | DOUG D ECKERT (2249) | ALEXAND VELIKANOV (2113) | ||
| 4 | RONALD G LUTHER (2200) | TRES RORING (2054) | ||
| 5 | SEAN VIBBERT (2138) | DANIEL BREN GATER (2143) | ||
| 6 | KEVIN Y CAO (2236) | WILLIAM M TONG (1966) | ||
| 7 | JIALIN DING (2192) | DAVID MELITI (1970) | ||
| 8 | SELDEN TRIMBLE (1945) | MARK JOEFF FERBER (2167) | ||
| 9 | MARGARET M HUA (1973) | CHRIS A FIEBER (1825) | ||
| 10 | JOHN VEECH (2224) | ISAIAH GADSON (1963) | ||
| 11 | ALEXAN* VERGILESOV (1902) | BARRY PAUL MANTHE (2085) | ||
| 12 | RODNEY VAUGHN (1829) | STEVEN COOKLEV (2064) | ||
| 13 | DANIEL EDW PARMET (2002) | JOSEPH AN GARNIER (2011) | ||
| 14 | FRANK WHITSELL (1855) | SPENCER FINEGOLD (2029) | ||
| 15 | TAIMOOR NOOR (1879) | JAMES A DAVIES (2000) | ||
| 16 | DAVID BENJA ASKIN (1896) | JAY ANDRE SHAPIRO (1400) | ||
| 17 | ADRIAN R BARLOW (1675) | ROBERT S TARAS (1887) | ||
| 18 | EMILY TALLO (2015) | WILLIAM THOMPSON (1789) | ||
| 19 | JEFFREY SCHRAGIN (1864) | DERRICK BARTOTTO (1662) | ||
| 20 | RANDY WAY GIMINEZ (1795) | KYLE AN SALZGEBER (1579) | ||
| 1 | LEO KAMGAR (1857) | BYE | ||
| ½ | BOB HOLLIMAN (2204) | BYE |
Wall Chart: The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open - Open
| # | Name/Rtng/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 |
| 1 | GORAN VOJINOVIC | W 21 | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
| 2591 14119784 | 0.5 | U0.5 | U0.5 | U0.5 | ||
| 2 | GORAN* VOJINOVIC | B 24 | W 23 | B 7 | W 4 | B 5 |
| 2591 14119784 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | ||
| 3 | BENJAMIN FINEGOLD | B 28 | W 13 | B 10 | W 5 | B 4 |
| 2565 11264417 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 4 | MESGEN AMANOV | W 30 | B 12 | W 14 | B 2 | W 3 |
| 2537 13822947 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | ||
| 5 | TIMUR ALIYEV | W 25 | B 29 | W 17 | B 3 | W 2 |
| 2346 12973317 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 6 | DOUG D ECKERT | B 27 | W 46 | W 20 | B 18 | W 16 |
| 2249 12107920 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 7 | KEVIN Y CAO | B 32 | W 18 | W 2 | B 20 | W 28 |
| 2236 12905349 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 8 | JOHN VEECH | W 34 | B 15 | W 16 | B 42 | W 29 |
| 2224 13666104 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | ||
| 9 | BOB HOLLIMAN | W 29 | W 27 | B 36 | B 28 | bye |
| 2204 10364833 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 10 | RONALD G LUTHER | B 36 | W 48 | W 3 | B 29 | W 20 |
| 2200 10365007 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 11 | JIALIN DING | W 37 | B 17 | W 33 | B 30 | W 27 |
| 2192 13717165 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 12 | MARK JOEFF FERBER | B 38 | W 4 | B 35 | W 34 | B 30 |
| 2167 14426406 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 13 | JAMES R VOELKER | W 41 | B 3 | W 30 | B 37 | ---- |
| 2151 10266696 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 14 | DANIEL BREN GATER | B 33 | W 35 | B 4 | W 41 | B 15 |
| 2143 13273576 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 15 | SEAN VIBBERT | B 43 | W 8 | B 26 | B 16 | W 14 |
| 2138 21004359 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | ||
| 16 | ALEXAND VELIKANOV | W 44 | B 21 | B 8 | W 15 | B 6 |
| 2113 12879882 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | ||
| 17 | JOSHUA FRANK | B 45 | W 11 | B 5 | ---- | ---- |
| 2095 12541155 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | U2.0 | ||
| 18 | BARRY PAUL MANTHE | W 47 | B 7 | B 40 | W 6 | B 31 |
| 2085 12082760 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 19 | STEVEN COOKLEV | W 35 | B 25 | W 42 | B 44 | B 41 |
| 2064 13302856 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 20 | TRES RORING | B 39 | W 40 | B 6 | W 7 | B 10 |
| 2054 12626608 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | ||
| 21 | SPENCER FINEGOLD | B 1 | W 16 | B 48 | W 36 | B 39 |
| 2029 12665760 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | ||
| 22 | EMILY TALLO | W 40 | B 33 | W 37 | B 38 | W 44 |
| 2015 13526540 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 23 | JOSEPH AN GARNIER | B 42 | B 2 | W 41 | W 33 | B 24 |
| 2011 12852544 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 24 | DANIEL EDW PARMET | W 2 | B 39 | W 44 | B 46 | W 23 |
| 2002 12772868 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 25 | JAMES A DAVIES | B 5 | W 19 | B 38 | W 45 | B 36 |
| 2000 10363209 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | ||
| 26 | MARGARET M HUA | bye | B 44 | W 15 | B 35 | W 42 |
| 1973 13289400 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 27 | DAVID MELITI | W 6 | B 9 | W 43 | B 48 | B 11 |
| 1970 12600651 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 28 | WILLIAM M TONG | W 3 | B 37 | B 46 | W 9 | B 7 |
| 1966 12879755 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 29 | ISAIAH GADSON | B 9 | W 5 | B 47 | W 10 | B 8 |
| 1963 12929115 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 30 | SELDEN TRIMBLE | B 4 | W 38 | B 13 | W 11 | W 12 |
| 1945 10367743 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 31 | ALEXAN* VERGILESOV | bye | bye | W 45 | B 47 | W 18 |
| 1902 12882813 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 32 | ALEXAN VERGILESOV | W 7 | B 41 | ---- | ---- | ---- |
| 1902 12882813 | 0.0 | 0.0 | U0.0 | U0.0 | ||
| 33 | THOMAS SCHNEIDER | W 14 | W 22 | B 11 | B 23 | ---- |
| 1899 13488287 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 34 | DAVID BENJA ASKIN | B 8 | W 43 | W 39 | B 12 | W 48 |
| 1896 13776967 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 35 | ROBERT S TARAS | B 19 | B 14 | W 12 | W 26 | B 45 |
| 1887 12416678 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 36 | TAIMOOR NOOR | W 10 | B 45 | W 9 | B 21 | W 25 |
| 1879 12627423 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | ||
| 37 | JEFFREY SCHRAGIN | B 11 | W 28 | B 22 | W 13 | W 46 |
| 1864 12664289 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 38 | LEO KAMGAR | W 12 | B 30 | W 25 | W 22 | bye |
| 1857 13278243 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| 39 | FRANK WHITSELL | W 20 | W 24 | B 34 | B 43 | W 21 |
| 1855 12811896 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 40 | WILLIAM NESHAM | B 22 | B 20 | W 18 | ---- | ---- |
| 1846 13135370 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | U1.0 | ||
| 41 | RODNEY VAUGHN | B 13 | W 32 | B 23 | B 14 | W 19 |
| 1829 11246770 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 42 | CHRIS A FIEBER | W 23 | bye | B 19 | W 8 | B 26 |
| 1825 12649590 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 43 | RANDY WAY GIMINEZ | W 15 | B 34 | B 27 | W 39 | W 47 |
| 1795 11041019 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | ||
| 44 | WILLIAM THOMPSON | B 16 | W 26 | B 24 | W 19 | B 22 |
| 1789 12583287 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 45 | ADRIAN R BARLOW | W 17 | W 36 | B 31 | B 25 | W 35 |
| 1675 12786983 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | ||
| 46 | DERRICK BARTOTTO | bye | B 6 | W 28 | W 24 | B 37 |
| 1662 12505842 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 47 | KYLE AN SALZGEBER | B 18 | bye | W 29 | W 31 | B 43 |
| 1579 13565207 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 48 | JAY ANDRE SHAPIRO | bye | B 10 | W 21 | W 27 | B 34 |
| 1400 13554386 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Pairings for Round 5: The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open - U1800
| Bd | Res | White | Res | Black |
| 101 | BEHROOZ ME VAKIL (1759) | MICHAEL CHR ASKIN (1725) | ||
| 102 | TIMOTHY C NESHAM (1799) | DENNIS E HOURCADE (1552) | ||
| 103 | MICHAEL SALZGEBER (1492) | BOB HOWE (1691) | ||
| 104 | RONALD WASHINGTON (unr.) | STEPHEN ZHANG (1695) | ||
| 105 | VISHAL BHARADWAJ (1507) | DON HARPER (1476) | ||
| 106 | MAREK ZIOLKOWSKI (1476) | SAL R FRANCIS (1311) | ||
| 107 | JAMES WANG (1170) | ANDREW* GEISELHART (1372) | ||
| 108 | KEN CRUMPLER (1559) | SUHAS BOBBA (1346) | ||
| 109 | MATTHEW W LARSON (1410) | WENDELL A BETTON (1135) | ||
| 110 | AADIT PALANIAPPAN (1217) | NATHAN TU PHAN (1356) | ||
| 111 | CLARK ZHANG BERRY (1064) | DOUGLAS PICHEN (1381) | ||
| 112 | KEN WEST (1276) | ANTHONY MCGRATH (unr.) | ||
| 1 | SAMUEL BRU LEVINE (959) | BYE | ||
| ½ | JASON ZHOU (1632) | BYE |
Wall Chart: The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open - U1800
| # | Name/Rtng/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 |
| 1 | TIMOTHY C NESHAM | W 15 | B 9 | W 13 | B 3 | W 10 |
| 1799 10259193 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 2 | BEHROOZ ME VAKIL | B 17 | bye | W 4 | B 5 | W 3 |
| 1759 12541355 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | ||
| 3 | MICHAEL CHR ASKIN | W 19 | B 12 | W 29 | W 1 | B 2 |
| 1725 12530974 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 4 | STEPHEN ZHANG | B 21 | bye | B 2 | W 15 | B 29 |
| 1695 12934373 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 5 | BOB HOWE | B 16 | W 10 | B 14 | W 2 | B 12 |
| 1691 12870683 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 6 | JASON ZHOU | W 22 | B 13 | W 15 | B 19 | bye |
| 1632 14085162 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 7 | NAMIT GAUR | B 23 | W 14 | B 18 | ---- | ---- |
| 1616 13071903 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | U1.0 | ||
| 8 | STEVE KORENBLAT | W 20 | B 29 | bye | ---- | ---- |
| 1615 11453651 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | U1.5 | ||
| 9 | KEN CRUMPLER | B 24 | W 1 | B 21 | W 23 | W 20 |
| 1559 12699083 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | ||
| 10 | DENNIS E HOURCADE | W 28 | B 5 | W 23 | B 14 | B 1 |
| 1552 14313506 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 11 | VISHAL BHARADWAJ | B 29 | W 18 | W 24 | B 21 | W 13 |
| 1507 12934399 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 12 | MICHAEL SALZGEBER | W 25 | W 3 | B 28 | B 18 | W 5 |
| 1492 13721183 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 13 | DON HARPER | B 26 | W 6 | B 1 | W 29 | B 11 |
| 1476 12933055 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 14 | MAREK ZIOLKOWSKI | W 27 | B 7 | W 5 | W 10 | W 21 |
| 1476 12737002 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 15 | MATTHEW W LARSON | B 1 | W 20 | B 6 | B 4 | W 25 |
| 1410 14278511 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 16 | DOUGLAS PICHEN | W 5 | B 28 | W 22 | B 24 | B 26 |
| 1381 12510789 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 17 | ANDREW GEISELHART | W 2 | B 22 | ---- | ---- | ---- |
| 1372 12874466 | 0.0 | 1.0 | U1.0 | U1.0 | ||
| 18 | ANDREW* GEISELHART | bye | B 11 | W 7 | W 12 | B 24 |
| 1372 12874466 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 19 | NATHAN TU PHAN | B 3 | bye | W 25 | W 6 | B 23 |
| 1356 13278415 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 20 | SUHAS BOBBA | B 8 | B 15 | W 27 | W 28 | B 9 |
| 1346 13809858 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 21 | SAL R FRANCIS | W 4 | B 27 | W 9 | W 11 | B 14 |
| 1311 14590018 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 22 | KEN WEST | B 6 | W 17 | B 16 | bye | W 28 |
| 1276 12544320 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 23 | AADIT PALANIAPPAN | W 7 | bye | B 10 | B 9 | W 19 |
| 1217 12920948 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | ||
| 24 | JAMES WANG | W 9 | bye | B 11 | W 16 | W 18 |
| 1170 14454683 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 25 | WENDELL A BETTON | B 12 | bye | B 19 | W 26 | B 15 |
| 1135 12719986 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 26 | CLARK ZHANG BERRY | W 13 | bye | bye | B 25 | W 16 |
| 1064 14439534 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 27 | SAMUEL BRU LEVINE | B 14 | W 21 | B 20 | bye | bye |
| 959 13522793 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | ||
| 28 | ANTHONY MCGRATH | B 10 | W 16 | W 12 | B 20 | B 22 |
| unr. | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 29 | RONALD WASHINGTON | W 11 | W 8 | B 3 | B 13 | W 4 |
| unr. 14619248 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 |
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SAINT LOUIS, March 6, 2011--The Saint Louis Invitational has one clear leader after three rounds. GM Gregory Kaidanov (2.5/3) scored a victory against GM Eugene Perelshteyn last night to secure the lead. He also defeated GM Melikset Khachiyan and drew GM Julio Becerra in rounds one and two.
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IM Michael Brooks (2/3) continued his solid play in round three with a draw against GM Alejandro Ramirez. Ramirez (1.5/3) has three draws in the first three rounds.
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Brooks shares a tie for second place with GM Jesse Kraai (2/3), who scored two victories yesterday with wins over Khachiyan an GM Ray Robson.
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Ray scored a much-needed victory over FM Darwin Yang in round three.
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Becera and GM Joel Benjamin dueled late into the night before finally agreeing to a draw after 72 moves.
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Round four action is underway now! Watch the live video feed or the live games now!
Saint Louis Invitational Crosstable
| Pairing | Name | FIDE Rating | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total |
| 1 | Ramirez, Alejandro | 2584 | x | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1.5 | ||||||
| 2 | Yang, Darwin | 2421 | 1/2 | x | 1 | 0 |
1.5 | ||||||
| 3 | Brooks, Michael | 2451 | 1/2 | x | 1 | 1/2 | 2 | ||||||
| 4 | Kaidanov, Gregory | 2580 | x | 1 | 1/2 | 1 | 2.5 | ||||||
| 5 | Benjamin, Joel | 2564 | x | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 1.5 | ||||||
| 6 | Kraai, Jesse | 2516 | 0 | x | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| 7 | Khachiyan, Melikset | 2518 | 0 | 1 | 0 | x | 1 | ||||||
| 8 | Becerra, Julio | 2549 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | x | 1 | ||||||
| 9 | Perelshteyn, Eugene | 2533 | 0 | 1/2 | 0 | x | 0.5 | ||||||
| 10 | Robson, Ray | 2532 | 1/2 | 1 |
0 | x | 1.5 |
Round 3 |
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| Board | White | |
Black |
| 1 | Yang, Darwin | 0 - 1 |
Robson, Ray |
| 2 | Brooks, Michael | 1/2 - 1/2 |
Ramirez, Alejandro |
| 3 | Kaidanov, Gregory | 1 - 0 |
Perelshteyn, Eugene |
| 4 | Benjamin, Joel | 1/2 - 1/2 | Becerra, Julio |
| 5 | Kraai, Jesse | 1 - 0 |
Khachiyan, Melikset |
THE BILL WRIGHT SAINT LOUIS OPEN
The top four by rating all lead the Saint Louis Open after the fields merged in round three.
IM Goran Vojinovic (3/3) got off to a hot start after re-entering the tourney. He won his first two games easily, then had a tough opponent in NM Kevin Cao for round three. Kevin managed to keep the game tense but fell apart towards the end due to time pressure.
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Ron Luther is known for his offbeat opening play. In this encounter he played the Two Knight's variation against GM Ben Finegold's (3/3) Caro Kann defense. Luther sought early action on the F-file by doubling his rooks, but Finegold was quick to stifle this play with 21..f6. The game soon transitioned into a complicated ending where the GM's superior calculating ability proved too great for the national master.
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Josh Frank was clearly outplaying, and even winning, against Timur Aliyev (3/3). The position was soon teeming with tactics, which made conditions ripe for a blunder. Frank slipped first and couldn't recover.
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David Askin successfully closed the position, which put a stop to Frank Whitsell's counterplay before it began. Askin then launched a queenside assault, leading to destruction on the A file.
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GM Mesgen Amanov also has a score of 3/3.
The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open: Pairings for Round 4
| Bd | Res | White | Res | Black |
| 1 | GORAN* VOJINOVIC (2591) | MESGEN AMANOV (2537) | ||
| 2 | BENJAMIN FINEGOLD (2565) | TIMUR ALIYEV (2346) | ||
| 3 | ALEXAND VELIKANOV (2113) | SEAN VIBBERT (2138) | ||
| 4 | TRES RORING (2054) | KEVIN Y CAO (2236) | ||
| 5 | BARRY PAUL MANTHE (2085) | DOUG D ECKERT (2249) | ||
| 6 | WILLIAM M TONG (1966) | BOB HOLLIMAN (2204) | ||
| 7 | ISAIAH GADSON (1963) | RONALD G LUTHER (2200) | ||
| 8 | SELDEN TRIMBLE (1945) | JIALIN DING (2192) | ||
| 9 | DANIEL BREN GATER (2143) | RODNEY VAUGHN (1829) | ||
| 10 | CHRIS A FIEBER (1825) | JOHN VEECH (2224) | ||
| 11 | MARK JOEFF FERBER (2167) | DAVID BENJA ASKIN (1896) | ||
| 12 | ROBERT S TARAS (1887) | MARGARET M HUA (1973) | ||
| 13 | JAY ANDRE SHAPIRO (1400) | DAVID MELITI (1970) | ||
| 14 | JEFFREY SCHRAGIN (1864) | JAMES R VOELKER (2151) | ||
| 15 | WILLIAM THOMPSON (1789) | STEVEN COOKLEV (2064) | ||
| 16 | SPENCER FINEGOLD (2029) | TAIMOOR NOOR (1879) | ||
| 17 | JOSEPH AN GARNIER (2011) | THOMAS SCHNEIDER (1899) | ||
| 18 | DERRICK BARTOTTO (1662) | DANIEL EDW PARMET (2002) | ||
| 19 | JAMES A DAVIES (2000) | ADRIAN R BARLOW (1675) | ||
| 20 | KYLE AN SALZGEBER (1579) | ALEXAN* VERGILESOV (1902) | ||
| 21 | RANDY WAY GIMINEZ (1795) | FRANK WHITSELL (1855) | ||
| 22 | LEO KAMGAR (1857) |
EMILY TALLO (2015) |
Wall Chart (after three rounds)
| # | Name/Rtng/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 |
| 1 | GORAN VOJINOVIC | W 21 | ---- | ---- | ---- |
| 2591 14119784 | 0.5 | U0.5 | U0.5 | ||
| 2 | GORAN* VOJINOVIC | B 24 | W 23 | B 7 | W 4 |
| 2591 14119784 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 3 | BENJAMIN FINEGOLD | B 28 | W 13 | B 10 | W 5 |
| 2565 11264417 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 4 | MESGEN AMANOV | W 30 | B 12 | W 14 | B 2 |
| 2537 13822947 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 5 | TIMUR ALIYEV | W 25 | B 29 | W 17 | B 3 |
| 2346 12973317 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 6 | DOUG D ECKERT | B 27 | W 46 | W 20 | B 18 |
| 2249 12107920 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | ||
| 7 | KEVIN Y CAO | B 32 | W 18 | W 2 | B 20 |
| 2236 12905349 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 8 | JOHN VEECH | W 34 | B 15 | W 16 | B 42 |
| 2224 13666104 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 9 | BOB HOLLIMAN | W 29 | W 27 | B 36 | B 28 |
| 2204 10364833 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 10 | RONALD G LUTHER | B 36 | W 48 | W 3 | B 29 |
| 2200 10365007 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 11 | JIALIN DING | W 37 | B 17 | W 33 | B 30 |
| 2192 13717165 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 12 | MARK JOEFF FERBER | B 38 | W 4 | B 35 | W 34 |
| 2167 14426406 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | ||
| 13 | JAMES R VOELKER | W 41 | B 3 | W 30 | B 37 |
| 2151 10266696 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 14 | DANIEL BREN GATER | B 33 | W 35 | B 4 | W 41 |
| 2143 13273576 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 15 | SEAN VIBBERT | B 43 | W 8 | B 26 | B 16 |
| 2138 21004359 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 16 | ALEXAND VELIKANOV | W 44 | B 21 | B 8 | W 15 |
| 2113 12879882 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 17 | JOSHUA FRANK | B 45 | W 11 | B 5 | ---- |
| 2095 12541155 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 18 | BARRY PAUL MANTHE | W 47 | B 7 | B 40 | W 6 |
| 2085 12082760 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 19 | STEVEN COOKLEV | W 35 | B 25 | W 42 | B 44 |
| 2064 13302856 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 20 | TRES RORING | B 39 | W 40 | B 6 | W 7 |
| 2054 12626608 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | ||
| 21 | SPENCER FINEGOLD | B 1 | W 16 | B 48 | W 36 |
| 2029 12665760 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | ||
| 22 | EMILY TALLO | W 40 | B 33 | W 37 | B 38 |
| 2015 13526540 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| 23 | JOSEPH AN GARNIER | B 42 | B 2 | W 41 | W 33 |
| 2011 12852544 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 24 | DANIEL EDW PARMET | W 2 | B 39 | W 44 | B 46 |
| 2002 12772868 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | ||
| 25 | JAMES A DAVIES | B 5 | W 19 | B 38 | W 45 |
| 2000 10363209 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 26 | MARGARET M HUA | bye | B 44 | W 15 | B 35 |
| 1973 13289400 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 27 | DAVID MELITI | W 6 | B 9 | W 43 | B 48 |
| 1970 12600651 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 28 | WILLIAM M TONG | W 3 | B 37 | B 46 | W 9 |
| 1966 12879755 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 29 | ISAIAH GADSON | B 9 | W 5 | B 47 | W 10 |
| 1963 12929115 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 30 | SELDEN TRIMBLE | B 4 | W 38 | B 13 | W 11 |
| 1945 10367743 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 31 | ALEXAN* VERGILESOV | bye | bye | W 45 | B 47 |
| 1902 12882813 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 32 | ALEXAN VERGILESOV | W 7 | B 41 | ---- | ---- |
| 1902 12882813 | 0.0 | 0.0 | U0.0 | ||
| 33 | THOMAS SCHNEIDER | W 14 | W 22 | B 11 | B 23 |
| 1899 13488287 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 34 | DAVID BENJA ASKIN | B 8 | W 43 | W 39 | B 12 |
| 1896 13776967 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 35 | ROBERT S TARAS | B 19 | B 14 | W 12 | W 26 |
| 1887 12416678 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | ||
| 36 | TAIMOOR NOOR | W 10 | B 45 | W 9 | B 21 |
| 1879 12627423 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 37 | JEFFREY SCHRAGIN | B 11 | W 28 | B 22 | W 13 |
| 1864 12664289 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 38 | LEO KAMGAR | W 12 | B 30 | W 25 | W 22 |
| 1857 13278243 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| 39 | FRANK WHITSELL | W 20 | W 24 | B 34 | B 43 |
| 1855 12811896 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | ||
| 40 | WILLIAM NESHAM | B 22 | B 20 | W 18 | ---- |
| 1846 13135370 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 41 | RODNEY VAUGHN | B 13 | W 32 | B 23 | B 14 |
| 1829 11246770 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 42 | CHRIS A FIEBER | W 23 | bye | B 19 | W 8 |
| 1825 12649590 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 43 | RANDY WAY GIMINEZ | W 15 | B 34 | B 27 | W 39 |
| 1795 11041019 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | ||
| 44 | WILLIAM THOMPSON | B 16 | W 26 | B 24 | W 19 |
| 1789 12583287 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | ||
| 45 | ADRIAN R BARLOW | W 17 | W 36 | B 31 | B 25 |
| 1675 12786983 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 46 | DERRICK BARTOTTO | bye | B 6 | W 28 | W 24 |
| 1662 12505842 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 47 | KYLE AN SALZGEBER | B 18 | bye | W 29 | W 31 |
| 1579 13565207 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 48 | JAY ANDRE SHAPIRO | bye | B 10 | W 21 | W 27 |
| 1400 13554386 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
[imagefield_assist|fid=9167|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=249]
SAINT LOUIS, March 5, 2011 -- After two rounds, two unlikely names appear in a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard of the Saint Louis Invitational. IM Michael Brooks followed up yesterday's impressive victory against GM Julio Becerra by holding a draw with black against GM Eugene Perelshteyn.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-brooks-perel]
FM Darwin Yang, who also pulled off a surprise victory yesterday, managed to hold a draw against GM Alejandro Ramirez, the highest-rated player in the field.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-yang-ramirez]
Both Brooks and Darwin have scores of 1.5/2, which is good enough to share a tie with GM Gregory Kaidanov, who drew Becerra in round two.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-kaidanov-becerra]
GM Jesse Kraai managed to grind down GM Ray Robson, who got into time trouble after he played an opening that Kraai said he had seen him play in the past.
"It’s not like I won the game out of the opening, but as black, I got a position where I felt I was comfortable and he was down on the clock. So already I have a big practical advantage," Kraai said. "We got into some kind of a fighting position, but then we get into a position where I have more time, and he's got less and the French is my thing. it’s the only thing I can do well, and it was a very French position."
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-kraai-robson]
GM Melikset Khachiyan scored a nice victory against GM Joel Benjamin in round two to pull within striking distance of the leaders.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-melik-benjamin]
Round three action is underway. Follow the games live here.
Round 2 |
|||
| Board | White | Black | |
| 1 | Robson, Ray | 0 - 1 |
Kraai, Jesse |
| 2 | Khachiyan, Melikset | 1 - 0 |
Benjamin, Joel |
| 3 | Becerra, Julio | 1/2 - 1/2 |
Kaidanov, Gregory |
| 4 | Perelshteyn, Eugene | 1/2 - 1/2 |
Brooks, Michael |
| 5 | Ramirez, Alejandro | 1/2 - 1/2 |
Yang, Darwin |
THE BILL WRIGHT SAINT LOUIS OPEN: DAY TWO
After suffering an upset draw against Spencer Finegold last night, IM Goran Vojinovic withdrew and re-entered into the two-day option, which kicked off this morning. Vojinovic employed the King's Indian defense against Dan Parmet and won with a crushing attack against Parmet's king.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-goran-parmet]
His follow-up game in the two-day section came against Joe Garnier, and Vojinovic represented his IM title once more with an easy victory.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-goran-garnier]
In his second game, GM Ben Finegold squared off against CCSCSL Board Member and local Expert Jim Voelker. Voelker put up a spirited fight against the resident GM, but Finegold proved to be too much and cruised to his second victory of the tourney.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-finegold-voelker]
Sean Vibbert, 14, of Indiana took on Wisconsin Master John Veech, 15, in round two. White played the Yugoslav Attack against the Sicilian Dragon. Black deviated on move 16 with e6. White usually plays 14. Na4 instead of 14. Nxd5.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-vibbert-veech]
David Meliti managed to score a nice draw against local Master Doug Eckert. The opening was a London System by white. The middle game stalled due to a mass exchange of minor pieces, which resulted in a technical rook-and-pawn ending. The lower-rated Meliti successfully defended against his master-level opponent.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-eckert-melliti]
Standings: The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open - Open Section
| # | Name | Rtng | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Tot | TBrk[M] | TBrk[S] | TBrk[C] | TBrk[O] |
| 1 | BENJAMIN FINEGOLD | 2565 | W23 | W15 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | MESGEN AMANOV | 2537 | W24 | W21 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | DANIEL BREN GATER | 2143 | W25 | W17 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | GORAN* VOJINOVIC | 2591 | W37 | W19 | 2.0 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 | 2.5 |
| 5 | TRES RORING | 2054 | W38 | W22 | 2.0 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 | 2.5 |
| 6 | RONALD G LUTHER | 2200 | W26 | W27 | 2.0 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 | 2 |
| 7 | TIMUR ALIYEV | 2346 | W42 | W16 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | KEVIN Y CAO | 2236 | W43 | W18 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 9 | JOSHUA FRANK | 2095 | W44 | W20 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 10 | JOHN VEECH | 2224 | W39 | D11 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 3 |
| 11 | SEAN VIBBERT | 2138 | W40 | D10 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 3 |
| 12 | DOUG D ECKERT | 2249 | D36 | W29 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 | ALEXAND VELIKANOV | 2113 | D34 | W35 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 14 | MARGARET M HUA | 1973 | H--- | W34 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 15 | JAMES R VOELKER | 2151 | W31 | L1 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 16 | ISAIAH GADSON | 1963 | W28 | L7 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 17 | ROBERT S TARAS | 1887 | W30 | L3 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 18 | BARRY PAUL MANTHE | 2085 | W33 | L8 | 1.0 | 0 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 19 | JOSEPH AN GARNIER | 2011 | W32 | L4 | 1.0 | 0 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 20 | JIALIN DING | 2192 | W46 | L9 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 21 | MARK JOEFF FERBER | 2167 | W47 | L2 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 22 | WILLIAM NESHAM | 1846 | W45 | L5 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 23 | WILLIAM M TONG | 1966 | L1 | W46 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 24 | SELDEN TRIMBLE | 1945 | L2 | W47 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | THOMAS SCHNEIDER | 1899 | L3 | W45 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 26 | TAIMOOR NOOR | 1879 | L6 | W44 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 27 | JAY ANDRE SHAPIRO | 1400 | B--- | L6 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 28 | BOB HOLLIMAN | 2204 | L16 | W36 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.5 | 1 | 3 |
| 29 | DERRICK BARTOTTO | 1662 | B--- | L12 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 30 | STEVEN COOKLEV | 2064 | L17 | W42 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 31 | RODNEY VAUGHN | 1829 | L15 | W43 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 32 | CHRIS A FIEBER | 1825 | L19 | B--- | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 33 | KYLE AN SALZGEBER | 1579 | L18 | B--- | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 34 | WILLIAM THOMPSON | 1789 | D13 | L14 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 35 | SPENCER FINEGOLD | 2029 | D41 | L13 | 0.5 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | 3 |
| 36 | DAVID MELITI | 1970 | D12 | L28 | 0.5 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | 3 |
| 37 | DANIEL EDW PARMET | 2002 | L4 | D38 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 3.5 |
| 38 | FRANK WHITSELL | 1855 | L5 | D37 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 3.5 |
| 39 | DAVID BENJA ASKIN | 1896 | L10 | D40 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.5 | 3 |
| 40 | RANDY WAY GIMINEZ | 1795 | L11 | D39 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.5 | 3 |
| 41 | GORAN VOJINOVIC | 2591 | D35 | U--- | 0.5 | 0 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 42 | JAMES A DAVIES | 2000 | L7 | L30 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 43 | ALEXAN VERGILESOV | 1902 | L8 | L31 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 44 | ADRIAN R BARLOW | 1675 | L9 | L26 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 45 | EMILY TALLO | 2015 | L22 | L25 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 46 | JEFFREY SCHRAGIN | 1864 | L20 | L23 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 47 | LEO KAMGAR | 1857 | L21 | L24 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Standings: The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open - U1800 Section
| # | Name | Rtng | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Tot | TBrk[M] | TBrk[S] | TBrk[C] | TBrk[O] |
| 1 | TIMOTHY C NESHAM | 1799 | W16 | W13 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | RONALD WASHINGTON | unr. | W14 | W9 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | MICHAEL CHR ASKIN | 1725 | W23 | W11 | 2.0 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 | 2.5 |
| 4 | DON HARPER | 1476 | W24 | W15 | 2.0 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 | 2.5 |
| 5 | BOB HOWE | 1691 | W26 | W10 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | MAREK ZIOLKOWSKI | 1476 | W27 | W12 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 7 | BEHROOZ ME VAKIL | 1759 | W17 | H--- | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | STEPHEN ZHANG | 1695 | W18 | H--- | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | STEVE KORENBLAT | 1615 | W28 | L2 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | DENNIS E HOURCADE | 1552 | W19 | L5 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 11 | MICHAEL SALZGEBER | 1492 | W25 | L3 | 1.0 | 0 | 2.5 | 2 | 3.5 |
| 12 | NAMIT GAUR | 1616 | W21 | L6 | 1.0 | 0 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 13 | KEN CRUMPLER | 1559 | W22 | L1 | 1.0 | 0 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 14 | VISHAL BHARADWAJ | 1507 | L2 | W20 | 1.0 | 0 | 2.5 | 1 | 4 |
| 15 | JASON ZHOU | 1632 | W29 | L4 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 16 | MATTHEW W LARSON | 1410 | L1 | W28 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 17 | ANDREW GEISELHART | 1372 | L7 | W29 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.5 | 1 | 2.5 |
| 18 | SAL R FRANCIS | 1311 | L8 | W27 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.5 | 1 | 2.5 |
| 19 | ANTHONY MCGRATH | unr. | L10 | W26 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | ANDREW* GEISELHART | 1372 | B--- | L14 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | AADIT PALANIAPPAN | 1217 | L12 | B--- | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | JAMES WANG | 1170 | L13 | B--- | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 | NATHAN TU PHAN | 1356 | L3 | H--- | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 24 | CLARK ZHANG BERRY | 1064 | L4 | H--- | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 25 | WENDELL A BETTON | 1135 | L11 | H--- | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 26 | DOUGLAS PICHEN | 1381 | L5 | L19 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 27 | SAMUEL BRU LEVINE | 959 | L6 | L18 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 28 | SUHAS BOBBA | 1346 | L9 | L16 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 29 | KEN WEST | 1276 | L15 | L17 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
THE SAINT LOUIS INVITATIONAL: DAY ONE
[imagefield_assist|fid=9159|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=IM Michael Brooks, left, scored an upset victory over GM Julio Becerra in round one of the Saint Louis Invitational. |desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=345]
SAINT LOUIS, March 4, 2011 -- On Friday, 10 hopefuls gathered at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis for the Saint Louis Invitational, but only two will leave with a ticket to the 2011 U.S. Championship. The round-robin tournament kicked off at 6 p.m. CDT with eight grandmasters, one international master, and one FIDE master all vying for two final invitations to compete for the title in Saint Louis next month.
The field consists of:
- GM Alejandro Ramirez
- GM Gregory Kaidanov
- GM Joel Benjamin
- GM Julio Becerra
- GM Eugene Perelshteyn
- GM Ray Robson
- GM Melikset Khachiyan
- GM Jesse Kraai
- FM Darwin Yang
- IM Michael Brooks
IM Michael Brooks, the lowest rated player in the field, scored the first victory of the tourney with a huge first-round upset of GM Julio Becerra. Becerra played the Najdorf, an opening that Brooks has played for years, and was unable to fend off the lower-rated Brooks.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-brooks-becerra]
FM Darwin Yang also scored a big upset win over GM Eugene Perelshteyn.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-yang-perl]
GM Joel Benjamin won a wild game against GM Jesse Kraai.
“I played an opening that is a little bit risky, because I’m
going to try to win my games,” Benjamin said. “The nature of this tournament,
you’ve got to come here to finish at least second. You’ve got to win a lot of
games. There’s nothing to be gained by being in the middle somewhere.”
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-benjamin-kraai]
GM Gregory Kaidanov defeated GM Melikset Khachiyan. While low on time, Khachiyan overlooked a queen sacrifice that would have ultimately won him a piece.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-kaidanov-khach]
The game between GM Ray Robson and GM Alejandro Ramirez boiled down to a queen-and-pawn endgame, and after Robson captured a pawn (33...Qxa2), Ramirez was able to fore perpetual check to secure the draw.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-robson-ramirez]
Round 1 |
|||
| Board | White | |
Black |
| 1 | Ramirez, Alejandro | 1/2-1/2 | Robson, Ray |
| 2 | Yang, Darwin | 1-0 | Perelshteyn, Eugene |
| 3 | Brooks, Michael | 1-0 | Becerra, Julio |
| 4 | Kaidanov, Gregory | 1-0 | Khachiyan, Melikset |
| 5 | Benjamin, Joel | 1-0 | Kraai, Jesse |
THE BILL WRIGHT SAINT LOUIS OPEN: DAY ONE
The first three days of the invitational are being held concurrently with the Bill Wright Saint Louis Open. More than 40 participants took part in round one off the three-day option. Another 20+ have signed up for the 2-day option, which begins tomorrow, and organizers expect 10-15 more walk-ins tomorrow morning. The fields will merge for round three.
In the open section, IM Goran Vojinovic, the highest rated player in the field, suffered an upset after drawing Expert Spencer Finegold. Vojinovic played the Reti with white. Spencer defended with the uncommon Polish defense. the game quickly leveled out and a draw was inevitable. Vojinovic withdrew and re-entered to play in the two-day schedule.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-finegold-goran]
Selden Trimble mishandled the Chigorin Defense against GM Mesgen Amanov, and the grandmaster took advantage of the miscalculation to cruise to an easy victory.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-trimble-amanov]
Resident GM Ben Finegold outplayed young up-and-comer William Tong in the black side of an English opening. Finegold won two pawns in the opening after some suspicious moves by William, as six of his first 12 moves were with the king's knight.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-finegold-tong]
Missouri's newest Master, Kevin Cao, defeated CCSCSL Scholastic Coordinator Alex Vergilesov. The game started with an offbeat variation of the Ruy-Lopez. Vergilesov overextended his center and Kevin quickly blew it up winning a pawn in the process. Kevin finished the game with a nice tactic.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-alex-cao]
Wisconsin Master John Veech used a slow positional crush to grind down CCSCSL member David Askin.
[new_pgn|path=content/slo-veech-askin]
Saint Louis Invitational round two pairings:
Round 2 |
|||
| Board | White | Black | |
| 1 | Robson, Ray | Kraai, Jesse | |
| 2 | Khachiyan, Melikset | Benjamin, Joel | |
| 3 | Becerra, Julio | Kaidanov, Gregory | |
| 4 | Perelshteyn, Eugene | Brooks, Michael | |
| 5 | Ramirez, Alejandro | Yang, Darwin |
|
Pairings for Round 2: The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open - Open Section
| Bd | Res | White | Res | Black |
| 1 | BENJAMIN FINEGOLD (2565) | JAMES R VOELKER (2151) | ||
| 2 | MARK JOEFF FERBER (2167) | MESGEN AMANOV (2537) | ||
| 3 | KEVIN Y CAO (2236) | BARRY PAUL MANTHE (2085) | ||
| 4 | SEAN VIBBERT (2138) | JOHN VEECH (2224) | ||
| 5 | RONALD G LUTHER (2200) | JAY ANDRE SHAPIRO (1400) | ||
| 6 | JOSHUA FRANK (2095) | JIALIN DING (2192) | ||
| 7 | SPENCER FINEGOLD (2029) | ALEXAND VELIKANOV (2113) | ||
| 8 | WILLIAM THOMPSON (1789) | MARGARET M HUA (1973) | ||
| 9 | JEFFREY SCHRAGIN (1864) | WILLIAM M TONG (1966) | ||
| 10 | SELDEN TRIMBLE (1945) | LEO KAMGAR (1857) | ||
| 11 | RODNEY VAUGHN (1829) | ALEXAN VERGILESOV (1902) | ||
| 12 | DAVID BENJA ASKIN (1896) | RANDY WAY GIMINEZ (1795) | ||
| 13 | ADRIAN R BARLOW (1675) | TAIMOOR NOOR (1879) | ||
| 1 | KYLE AN SALZGEBER (1579) | BYE |
Wall Chart - The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open: Open Section
#
Name/Rtng/ID
Rd 1
Rd 2
1
GORAN VOJINOVIC
W 14
----
2591 14119784
0.5
2
BENJAMIN FINEGOLD
B 16
W 9
2565 11264417
1.0
3
MESGEN AMANOV
W 17
B 8
2537 13822947
1.0
4
KEVIN Y CAO
B 18
W 13
2236 12905349
1.0
5
JOHN VEECH
W 19
B 10
2224 13666104
1.0
6
RONALD G LUTHER
B 20
W 28
2200 10365007
1.0
7
JIALIN DING
W 21
B 12
2192 13717165
1.0
8
MARK JOEFF FERBER
B 22
W 3
2167 14426406
1.0
9
JAMES R VOELKER
W 23
B 2
2151 10266696
1.0
10
SEAN VIBBERT
B 24
W 5
2138 21004359
1.0
11
ALEXAND VELIKANOV
W 25
B 14
2113 12879882
0.5
12
JOSHUA FRANK
B 26
W 7
2095 12541155
1.0
13
BARRY PAUL MANTHE
W 27
B 4
2085 12082760
1.0
14
SPENCER FINEGOLD
B 1
W 11
2029 12665760
0.5
15
MARGARET M HUA
bye
B 25
1973 13289400
0.5
16
WILLIAM M TONG
W 2
B 21
1966 12879755
0.0
17
SELDEN TRIMBLE
B 3
W 22
1945 10367743
0.0
18
ALEXAN VERGILESOV
W 4
B 23
1902 12882813
0.0
19
DAVID BENJA ASKIN
B 5
W 24
1896 13776967
0.0
20
TAIMOOR NOOR
W 6
B 26
1879 12627423
0.0
21
JEFFREY SCHRAGIN
B 7
W 16
1864 12664289
0.0
22
LEO KAMGAR
W 8
B 17
1857 13278243
0.0
23
RODNEY VAUGHN
B 9
W 18
1829 11246770
0.0
24
RANDY WAY GIMINEZ
W 10
B 19
1795 11041019
0.0
25
WILLIAM THOMPSON
B 11
W 15
1789 12583287
0.5
26
ADRIAN R BARLOW
W 12
W 20
1675 12786983
0.0
27
KYLE AN SALZGEBER
B 13
bye
1579 13565207
0.0
28
JAY ANDRE SHAPIRO
bye
B 6
1400 13554386
1.0
Pairings for Round 2. The Bill Wright Saint Louis Open: 3 Day U1800
| Bd | Res | White | Res | Black |
| 101 | MICHAEL SALZGEBER (1492) | MICHAEL CHR ASKIN (1725) | ||
| 102 | DON HARPER (1476) | JASON ZHOU (1632) | ||
| 103 | NAMIT GAUR (1616) | MAREK ZIOLKOWSKI (1476) | ||
| 104 | KEN WEST (1276) | ANDREW GEISELHART (1372) | ||
| 105 | SAMUEL BRU LEVINE (959) | SAL R FRANCIS (1311) | ||
| 1 | AADIT PALANIAPPAN (1217) | BYE | ||
| ½ | STEPHEN ZHANG (1695) | BYE | ||
| ½ | NATHAN TU PHAN (1356) | BYE | ||
| ½ | BEHROOZ ME VAKIL (1759) | BYE | ||
| ½ | WENDELL A BETTON (1135) | BYE | ||
| ½ | CLARK ZHANG BERRY (1064) | BYE |
