Chandra, Kavutskiy, Hua Earn Title Norms at Autumn Invitational

by Tony Rich

No longer International Master, but for the first time, Grandmaster-Elect Akshat Chandra earned his final GM norm at the 2016 Saint Louis Autumn Invitational. Chandra shares the limelight with FIDE Masters Konstantin Kautskiy and Lefong Hua.

With his final round draw against reigning U.S. Women’s Champion International Master Nazi Paikidze, IM Akshat Chandra polished off an excellent tournament with 4 wins, 5 draws and 0 losses. Shortly after moving to the nation’s chess capital, this performance earned the 2015 U.S. Junior Closed Champion his final Grandmaster norm. Upon review by FIDE, we will soon be referring to the the newest member of the Saint Louis chess community as Grandmaster Akshat Chandra!

The CCSCSL is also proud to announce that FIDE Masters Konstantin Kavutskiy and Lefong Hua each earned an International Master norm. Kavutskiy, who made a similar attempt in 2014 here in Saint Louis, maintained a dominant performance with 5 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss. His only defeat was at the hands of FM Josh Colas, GM Susan Polgar’s new recruit at Webster University and another among the growing list of titled players moving to Saint Louis.

After a 10-year hiatus from tournament chess, Lefong Hua is motivated to explore his potential as a player and earn his International Master title. The Canadian FIDE Master made an important step with his final-round victory over FM Josh Colas.

Check back soon for a more detailed report, including analysis from some of the Autumn Invitational players. The Saint Louis Chess Club hosts hundreds of events each year for the improving player. If you would like more information on “norm tournaments”, please Contact Us.