2017 Missouri Open Results
by Randy Merrell
Eighty chess players attended the 2017 Missouri Open Chess Championship held at Unity Village Missouri. Amazingly exactly forty in each section.Thanks to a $500 donated guaranteed first place prize the tournament qualified for the Grand Prix circuit with 6 Grand Prix points. All rounds started within just a few minutes of the advertised time. The Unity Village Hotel was praised as a wonderful venue. The only problem I’m aware of was the proximity of the tables to the air conditioning vents. We eventually found a way to correct the issue.
Open
Boards one and two in the open section held everyone’s attention. In the fourth round a draw with Abhishek Mallela put IM Michael Brooks within reach. Master Ken Jones win over Ron Luther setup the final board one match. However a win by Brooks over Jones, and Ron Luther’s draw with Abhishek Mallela on board two put Brooks over the top for the championship.
Reserve
Ryan Duan dominated the Reserve section. Finishing a half point out front with a perfect 5.0. Because he elected to enter ineligible for prizes 1st place money went to Xueyi Chen. The first Missouri player was Wesley Willis who won the championship plaque and a share of second place with 4.0 score. Losing only to Cael Province who also took part of the 2nd place prize, along with Charles Carlson.
| Pairing Number | Name | Cash | Non-Cash Prize | Prize Credited to Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICHAEL A BROOKS (4.5/2390) | 500 | Plaque | Place: 1 – $500 |
| 20 | JONATHA GOLLAPUDI (4.0/1810) | 125 | U2000/1 – $125 | |
| 2 | ABHISHEK MALLELA (4.0/2228) | 125 | Place: 2 – $250 | |
| 6 | SAMUEL ISA FOWLER (4.0/2091) | 125 | ||
| 30 | BRYCEN M PARKER (3.0/1693) | 100 | U1800/1 – $100 |
| Pairing Number | Name | Cash | Non-Cash Prize | Prize Credited to Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | XUEYI CHEN (4.5/1450) | 200 | Place: 1 – $200 | |
| 8 | CAEL DOU PROVINCE (4.0/1491) | 34 | Place: 2 – $100 | |
| 7 | WESLEY DAL WILLIS (4.0/1506) | 34 | Plaque | |
| 10 | CHARLES W CARLSON (4.0/1472) | 34 | ||
| 18 | KEN WEST (3.0/1200) | 100 | Class D/1 – $100 | |
| 20 | ACHILLES B MILLER (3.0/1158) | 34 | Class E/1 – $100 | |
| 19 | CELINA ZHOU (3.0/1183) | 34 | ||
| 29 | THOMAS WEI (3.0/1036) | 34 | ||
| 38 | CRAIG A GUSTAFSON (2.5/0) | 100 | U1000-Unr/1 – $100 |
USCF Tournament Crosstable (link)
Here are some games from the event:
Round 4: NM Kenneth Jones (annotator) vs NM Ron Luther
Round 5: IM Michael Brooks vs NM Kenneth Jones (annotator)