3 GMs Split First at Thanksgiving Open

By on December 06, 2012 in

By Mike Kummer

More than 100 players came out to the Chess Club over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend to compete in our third annual Thanksgiving Open. A total of 21 titled players, including eight grandmasters, competed in the 58-player Open Section. The event featured a $10,050 guaranteed prize fund. There were a total 14 titled players in the three-day section, with the other seven opting to play in the two-day section, whoh merged after round 3.

A couple of FIDE Masters took down some tough competition in round 2. FM Doug Eckert got the better of fellow Saint Louis Arch Bishop IM Priyadarshann Kannappan, and FM Nikhilesh Kunche scored a huge upset when he defeated GM Yury Shulman in a wild game. FM Kunche played hard the following round, but was defeated by GM Denes Boros. GM Boros joined fellow GM Anatoly Bykovsky as the only two players with perfect 3-0 scores heading into the merge.

In the two-day schedule, with the time control condensed to G/65 with a five-second delay, the tourney got more unpredictable. Local "A" player Jacob Wilkins had IM Angelo Young down to 16 seconds and had a material advantage. But Angelo had a passed "d" pawn on the sixth rank and that was enough compensation to secure a draw. In round 2, No. 1-ranked GM Wesley So was upset by IM Justin Sarkar. When IM Sarkar came back to play round 3, he was shocked to see that he was paired against the No. 2 seed GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez. IM Sarkar had wrongly assumed that GM Amanov had won his game against a 2100, when in fact the game was drawn. GM Corrales Jimenez, needing a victory after drawing IM Steven Zierk the previous round, took advantage of of Sarkar's confusion to bring the full point home. IM Young recovered nicely to defeat GM Amanov in a wild time scramble.

IM Steven Zierk kept on rolling to join GM Corrales Jimenez and IM Young as the players with 2.5/3 heading into the merge. It just worked out that GM Corrales Jimenez was paired against IM Young. GM Corrales Jimenez employed a king side attack that was too strong for IM Young to take. GM Corrales Jimenez topped off the game by exploiting a devastating pin. IM Zierk had requested two half-point byes for the ensuing rounds, so his game against FM Eckert was paramount. FM Eckert was 1.5/2 vs. IMs in the event, and he was ready for the challenge. The two battled to a King-rook-four pawn endgame with Zierk having a small advantage. IM Zierk played the endgame flawlessly to convert that micro-advantage into a victory. After one astounding day, Zierk's score in the event was finalized at 4.5/6.

The winner of the GM Bykhovsky-Boros match would propel themselves into clear 1st. But the game concluded in a 23-move draw. Sunday was an interesting day as the top three boards all featured GM vs. GM match-ups. GM Corrales Jimenez beat GM Bykhovsky, GM Meier and GM Boros split the point, and GM So kept going and going and going to run his score up to four points.

In the final round, IM Sarkar had to play the No. 2 seed in the merged open, GM Georg Meier. GM Meier got the better of him to finish with a solid 5 points. The final two games in the event came down to GM So-GM Corrales Jimenez and GM Boros-GM Shulman. GM Shulman ended up sacking a piece in severe time pressure and couldn't recover. GM Boros finished with 5 points as well. GM Corrales Jimenez could win the event with a victory. He had a rook and king vs. GM So's bishop and king and had a reasonable chance at victory as GM So's king was stuck on the back row. But GM So defended well and in the end GM Corrales Jimenez took the bishop to end the tournament and secure a three-way tie for 1st place. Based on USCF tiebreaks, GM Corrales Jimenez is the official Champion of the event. But the top three prizes were divided evenly between himself, GM Meier, and GM Boros to bag them each over a grand for their performance. IM Kannappan matched IM Zierk's 4.5 points to tie for 4th place with an impressive Sunday, drawing GM Shulman and defeating fellow Saint Louis Arch Bishop IM Levan Bregadze.

Tom Polgar-Shutzman defeated his first IM to share 1st Place U2200 with Iskandar Aripov. Chess enthusiast Thomas Gaul drew WGM Anna Sharevich in the final round to take home the U2000 prize.

In the 21-player U1800 section, Chess Club members came to play. Guofu Zhou started strong winning his first three in fabulous fashion before succumbing to fellow Club member Ian Gilchrist who won all four of his games on Saturday. Nathan Phan had 3.5/4 going into Sunday's match as he was only nicked for a draw in round 1 by Lindenwood University student Micah Lossee. Julian Proleiko, lost his first match to seasoned veteran Randy Giminez in the first round, then drew a fellow 1500 in round 2. His Saturday was much better as he won both games setting himself up for success on Sunday.

Onto Sunday. Nathan Phan ended Ian Gilchrist winning streak at four to increase his score to 4.5/5. Guofu Zhou continued his downward spiral as he was defeated by Gimenez, who now stood at 4/5. Micah Losee put Nathaniel Sobery out of his misery with a nice win. Julian Proleiko defeated a 1700 in a wild one to give him 3.5/5.

In the final round, Nathan Phan could not manage to draw Randy Giminez, so his score was stuck at 4.5 points. Giminez advanced to 5 points. Gilchrist rebounded from his only loss in the tournament to defeat Nozima Aripova. Gimenez and Gilchrest split the 1st-2nd prize and earned a $750 payday.

Proleiko won again to finish with 4.5 points which was good enough for the Top U1600 prize of $450! Julian raised his rating 129 points to land him at 1636. Julian got his first rating of 571 on February 25, 2012, broke the 1000 point threshold at the end of June, then broke 1400 in mid-October. So with constant dedication to the game, in just 9 months, Julian has steadily increased his rating over 1,000 points!

Losee won again to share third place with Phan. Despite her last round loss, Nozima Aripova joined her brother, Iskandar, in the winner's circle as she took home 2nd Place U1600.

In the 25-player U1400 section, many players came in with high hopes of winning the $1,000 grand prize. Chess Club newcomer James Ivy had a provisional rating of 1376 going into the event after defeating some good competition in ladder matches. Dennis Sprowles from Kentucky was also playing in his first tournament as his fiancee' called in to register him. She had no problem paying the $99 entry fee as she was confident that her soon-to-be-husband would sweep the field. Robert White returned to tournament action after a seven-year hiatus. Erik Tkachenko, $5 Satellite Winner, was going to try and keep his momentum alive. The only player not feeling good was U1400 section Reigning Champion Mike Buckley. Last year, his goal was to win two games in the event. He ended up winning all five of his games to collect the "G." This year his goal was just to avoid his nemesis, little Nigina Aripova, who got the better of him in the $5 Satellite.

Onto the games, the tournament newbies, Ivy and Sprowles both got off on the wrong foot by losing their first official tournament game. Then they were paired in the next round, meaning the loser would effectively have no shot at the Championship title. Sprowles emerged as the victor to keep his slim hopes of glory alive. White did not have to shake off any rust as he finished his first day 4-0. Erik positioned himself nicely for Sunday as he finished the day 3-1. Owen Bitting scored 2.5/4 after being upset by a 1000 in the first round despite being up material for the majority of the game. Buckley only managed 2/4 on the first day of the event, after being defeated by Intermediate Class regular Loren Lenzen in the 3rd round. Lenzen had 3.5 points going into round 5. Which brings us to Sunday--the money day. On board 1, Lenzen faced off against White. White was doing well and had a forcing combination to win Lenzen's rook or knight. But instead, White got too tricky as he threatened the rook and checkmate. One problem: Lenzen, who wasn't in check, had set-up his own two move checkmate combination. Lenzen improved to 4.5/5 while White was stuck at 4. Dennis Sprowles knocked out Erik Tkanchenko to improve 4-1.

Bitting was gifted a point via forfeit when his opponent assumed the game started at Noon and not 10 a.m. James Ivy got on the plus side with his third consecutive win. Unfortunately, for "Mike the Buck", he was too sick to proceed in the event but managed a rating gain of 35 points. Respectable, but a far cry from his astounding 475 point jump a year ago. Heading into the final round, Bitting claimed he was in "the perfect position" with 3.5/5 despite being tied for 4th place and only three place prizes to be awarded. Owen's dream came crashing down as Brett Eckert defeated him to knock him out of the money completely. It turns out Owen would have received $150 if he would have won game six. Instead, Brett got the payday. To the victor go the spoils. Ivy continued his winning streak, but it was too little, too late, as four points was a half point out of the money. Little Nigina Aripova, earned a huge upset victory in the final round and competed the payday trifecta for her family. She gained nearly 300 rating points and a whopping $250.

Lenzen, a half point ahead of the field, couldn't manage the draw, as newcomer Sprowles barrage of checkmate threats earned him his 5th in a row. That opened the door for White, who quickly jumped on his chance to get a share of the 1st-place prize. Co-Champions. White and Sprowles both tied for 1st-2nd and divided those prizes which meant each went home with $700. Both were very gracious winners and both happy with their paycheck.

Thanks for everyone for coming out to support this event. With over 100 players, it was a great success.

3rd Annual Thanksgiving Open: Open Section

#	Name	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Rd 5	Rd 6	Tot	Prize
1	GM FIDEL CORRALES JIMENEZ	W41	D6	W8	W17	W7	D4	5.0	1066.67
2	GM GEORG MEIER	W33	W35	D10	W11	D3	W8	5.0	1066.67
3	GM DENES BOROS	W16	W15	W23	D7	D2	W14	5.0	1066.67
4	GM WESLEY SO	W38	L8	W50	W34	W10	D1	4.5	133.33
5	IM PRIYADHARSHAN KANNAPPAN	W37	L9	W18	W23	D14	W13	4.5	133.33
6	IM STEVEN C ZIERK	W50	D1	W25	W9	H---	H---	4.5	133.33
7	GM ANATOLY BYKHOVSKY	W18	W12	W34	D3	L1	D9	4.0
8	IM JUSTIN SARKAR	W54	W4	L1	W19	W21	L2	4.0
9	FM DOUG D ECKERT	W55	W5	D21	L6	W15	D7	4.0
10	GM ANDRE DIAMANT	W27	W48	D2	D13	L4	W22	4.0
11	IM JAKE KLEIMAN	W58	D30	W22	L2	D13	W29	4.0
12	FM KONSTAN KAVUTSKIY	W20	L7	W31	L21	W25	W26	4.0
13	IM LEVAN BREGADZE	D43	W29	W30	D10	D11	L5	3.5
14	GM YURY SHULMAN	W26	L23	W49	W35	D5	L3	3.5
15	THOMAS M ULRICH	W28	L3	D16	W27	L9	W36	3.5
16	TOM POLGAR-SHUTZMAN	L3	W55	D15	D32	D23	W35	3.5	400.00
17	IM ANGELO YOUNG	D24	W42	W52	L1	D22	H---	3.5
18	ISKANDAR ARIPOV	L7	W28	L5	W49	D35	W39	3.5	400.00
19	WGM ANNA SHAREVICH	H---	D24	W53	L8	W38	D20	3.5
20	THOMAS GAUL	L12	D33	W56	H---	X48	D19	3.5	450.00
21	IM MACKENZIE MOLNER	W31	D22	D9	W12	L8	U---	3.0
22	KEVIN Y CAO	W46	D21	L11	W38	D17	L10	3.0
23	FM NIKHILESH KUNCHE	W44	W14	L3	L5	D16	H---	3.0
24	JACOB WILKINS	D17	D19	L38	D41	W37	D30	3.0	83.33
25	ZHAOZHI LI	W39	D52	L6	W37	L12	H---	3.0
26	TIM C STEINER	L14	W44	L35	W50	W28	L12	3.0
27	ZACH WILLIAM STUART	L10	W57	D32	L15	X49	D33	3.0	83.33
28	RODNEY VAUGHN	L15	L18	W57	W54	L26	W43	3.0	83.33
29	JAMES R VOELKER	W47	L13	D36	W43	H---	L11	3.0
30	MARK FERBER	W51	D11	L13	D36	H---	D24	3.0
31	MATTHEW W LARSON	L21	W46	L12	H---	D43	W44	3.0
32	BOB HOLLIMAN	W45	L34	D27	D16	D36	H---	3.0
33	JAMES MCLAUGHLIN	L2	D20	L43	W45	W44	D27	3.0
34	IM MICHAEL A BROOKS	W56	W32	L7	L4	H---	H---	3.0
35	IM VITALY NEIMER	W36	L2	W26	L14	D18	L16	2.5
36	DAVID BENJAMIN ASKIN	L35	W51	D29	D30	D32	L15	2.5
37	MARGARET M HUA	L5	W45	D48	L25	L24	W51	2.5
38	FLORENTINO INUMERABLE	L4	W54	W24	L22	L19	H---	2.5
39	HANSON HAO	L25	D40	L41	W55	X42	L18	2.5
40	VIKRAM ARUN	L52	D39	W42	D48	U---	H---	2.5
41	ALEXAN VERGILESOV	L1	L50	W39	D24	H---	H---	2.5
42	DWIGHT P BEASLEY	H---	L17	L40	W51	F39	W45	2.5
43	RACHEL J ULRICH	D13	L49	W33	L29	D31	L28	2.0
44	JASON ZHOU	L23	L26	W47	W53	L33	L31	2.0
45	JOSEPH C STAFFORD	L32	L37	W46	L33	W54	L42	2.0
46	JONATHAN SCHRANTZ	L22	L31	L45	W47	W53	U---	2.0
47	JASON METPALLY	L29	D56	L44	L46	W50	H---	2.0
48	SPENCER FINEGOLD	W57	L10	D37	D40	F20	U---	2.0
49	ALBERT D HOWLETT	H---	W43	L14	L18	H---	U---	2.0
50	DAVID S GILCHRIST	L6	W41	L4	L26	L47	D53	1.5
51	VANITA YOUNG	L30	L36	D55	L42	B---	L37	1.5
52	GM MESGEN AMANOV	W40	D25	L17	U---	U---	U---	1.5
53	SERDAR AYKENT	H---	H---	L19	L44	L46	D50	1.5
54	ARSHAQ SALEEM	L8	L38	B---	L28	L45	U---	1.0
55	STEPHEN LANDRUM	L9	L16	D51	L39	U---	U---	0.5
56	WILLIAM NESHAM	L34	D47	L20	U---	U---	U---	0.5
57	TIMOTHY C NESHAM	L48	L27	L28	U---	U---	U---	0.0
58	MATT BARRETT	L11	U---	U---	U---	U---	U---	0.0

3rd Annual Thanksgiving Open: U1800

#	Name	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Rd 5	Rd 6	Tot	Prize
1	RANDY W GIMINEZ	W5	L9	W7	W12	W10	W3	5.0	750.00
2	IAN P GILCHRIST	W12	W11	W21	W10	L3	W7	5.0	750.00
3	NATHAN TU PHAN	D4	W19	W15	W6	W2	L1	4.5	150.00
4	MICAH LOSEE	D3	W8	L6	W17	W11	W10	4.5	150.00
5	JULIAN PROLEIKO	L1	D17	W8	W20	W15	W6	4.5	450.00
6	BRUCE BRAIK	B---	D15	W4	L3	W9	L5	3.5
7	NOZIMA ARIPOVA	D8	W22	L1	W13	W16	L2	3.5	250.00
8	MICHAEL HENSLEY	D7	L4	L5	B---	W18	W16	3.5
9	CLARK ZHANG BERRY	W22	W1	L10	D16	L6	W11	3.5
10	GUOFU ZHOU	W17	W20	W9	L2	L1	L4	3.0
11	NATHANIEL SOBERY	B---	L2	W14	W21	L4	L9	3.0
12	STEVE KORENBLAT	L2	B---	W13	L1	L14	W17	3.0
13	SCOTT W SENSIBA	D18	W14	L12	L7	D17	W19	3.0
14	VIRGILIO FORRO	H---	L13	L11	W19	W12	H---	3.0
15	DENNIS HUMPHRIES	W16	D6	L3	W18	L5	U---	2.5
16	JUSTIN L GRIMES	L15	B---	W20	D9	L7	L8	2.5
17	WILLIAM KERNS	L10	D5	W19	L4	D13	L12	2.0
18	FRANK LIEN	D13	L21	B---	L15	L8	D20	2.0
19	MAREK ZIOLKOWSKI	H---	L3	L17	L14	W20	L13	1.5
20	ANNE E ULRICH	B---	L10	L16	L5	L19	D18	1.5
21	DAN B* HOLMES	H---	W18	L2	L11	U---	U---	1.5
22	DAN B HOLMES	L9	L7	U---	U---	U---	U---	0.0

3rd Annual Thanksgiving Open: U1400

#	Name	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Rd 5	Rd 6	Tot	Probable Prize
1	ROBERT M WHITE	W20	W13	W5	W4	L3	W8	5.0	700.00
2	DENNIS R SPROWLS	L11	W6	W18	W5	W12	W3	5.0	700.00
3	LOREN A LENZEN	W8	D16	W23	W15	W1	L2	4.5	150.00
4	BRETT ECKERT	W25	W12	W11	L1	D8	W9	4.5	150.00
5	CARLOS E ORTIZ	W24	W21	L1	L2	W17	W12	4.0
6	JAMES IVY	L18	L2	W25	W14	W16	W11	4.0
7	NIGINA ARIPOVA	B---	L17	W22	L9	W20	W15	4.0	250.00
8	ABDUL ABDUS-SHAKOOR	L3	B---	W21	W11	D4	L1	3.5	150.00
9	OWEN O BITTING	L13	D15	W24	W7	W10	L4	3.5
10	BRUCE W POTRATZ	W14	H---	W17	U---	L9	W20	3.5
11	HARPER EVAN SMITH	W2	W18	L4	L8	W21	L6	3.0
12	ERIK TKACHENKO	W22	L4	W14	W13	L2	L5	3.0
13	SI R LI	W9	L1	W19	L12	D15	H---	3.0
14	JOHN A CHAPIN	L10	B---	L12	L6	W25	W21	3.0
15	DIAMOND ABDUS-SHAKOOR	D23	D9	W16	L3	D13	L7	2.5
16	LIAM T STORAN	W19	D3	L15	D17	L6	D22	2.5	225.00
17	DAVID B REITZ	H---	W7	L10	D16	L5	D19	2.5
18	GABRIEL R SISON	W6	L11	L2	L20	H---	W25	2.5
19	AMIT KADAN	L16	W24	L13	U---	W22	D17	2.5
20	DAVID BRATON	L1	L23	B---	W18	L7	L10	2.0
21	ERIK ELY	B---	L5	L8	W25	L11	L14	2.0	125.00
22	JOHN BEAN	L12	D25	L7	B---	L19	D16	2.0
23	MIKE BUCKLEY	D15	W20	L3	H---	U---	U---	2.0
24	GREG VANVALKENBURG	L5	L19	L9	H---	H---	H---	1.5
25	MARIAH RIGSBY	L4	D22	L6	L21	L14	L18	0.5