Three Illinoisans Share 2015 Iowa Open Championship

Inducing the fifth-round resignation of WGM Camilla Baginskaite with seconds left on her clock brought Illinois IM Angelo Young into a four-way tie for the championship of the 2015 Iowa Open. With the best tiebreaks amid the 4.5 score group, Young received the first place plaque in the shape of Iowa.

Young tied Illinois Masters Gopal Menon and Pete Karagianis along with Missouri IM Michael Brooks. Brooks had won (or tied for first in) the last three Iowa Opens; Karagianis has been a multi-time winner of the event.

Karagianis and Brooks had agreed to an early draw in the fifth round, before Menon and Young joined the fun with last round victories.

10-year old Patrick Rao created a lot of buzz at the Open with his second-round upset over a 1900 and a fourth-round upset over a 2100.

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Out of Staters Sweep US Junior and US Senior Opens

Awonder Liang (left)Wisconsin youth won three of the four sections at the 2015 US Junior Open completed June 14 in Schaumburg.  Massachusetts GM Alexander Ivanov won the 2015 US Senior Open.

Both events were organized by Sevan Muradian of ChessIQ and Glenn Panner of Chess Weekend and were hosted at the Hyatt Regency of Schaumburg. Crosstables are viewable for the Junior Open and the Senior Open.

12-year old Awonder Liang of Wisconsin was perfect in the U18 section defeating Atulya Shetty of Michigan in the final round.  

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Eric Rosen Maps Path to IM Status

For the benefit of USCF readers, Illinois' Eric Rosen outlined his roadmap to becoming an International Master. Rosen achieved his third and final IM norm at the recent Philadelphia Open.

USCF Article

The Niles North graduate and University of Illinois Computer Science student offers hints applicable to every chess player including "set goals that have nothing to do with rating" and "get off to a good start".

My personal favorite is #7: "Grow Facial Hair". This may serve as an impediment to some juniors, but happens to be the one key I have mastered personally.

One down, six to go for me!

 

2015 USAT North Held in Schaumburg

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Crosstables published here.

GM Avrukh Claims '14 Greater Midwest Class Championship

Third time is a charm: Illinois' newest grandmaster, GM Boris Avrukh has finally earned an outright championship in an American event. With his fifth-round victory over GM Nikola Mitkov, Avrukh secured the lone 4.5 tally atop of field of 35 entrants in a combined Masters and Experts section of the Greater Midwest Class.

Earlier Avrukh had drawn GM Vlad Georgiev in the second round denying him a perfect score. Avrukh's provisional USCF rating has now eclipsed 2700. In three events since moving to Illinois from Israel, Avrukh has 12 wins, three draws and zero losses.

GM Georgiev shared runner-up status with FM Alexander Velikanov of Wisconsin, both with 4.0 results.  A five-way tie for fourth place at 3.5 featured GM Mitkov, New York's William Fisher -- a FIDE Master and the 11th-rated Under 21 year old in the US, and Illinois stalwarts IM Florin Felecan, Zach Kasiurak and Jacob Furfine.

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