With a rapid draw in the fifth round, IM David Guerra of Missouri and Illinois' Tansel Turgut claimed top honors at the 2014 Chicago Class, both with 4.5/5. With a superior tiebreak, Dr. Turgut claimed the bonus prize, earning $1500.

Dr. Turgut's path to the co-championship was no easy one, as he defeated a pair of Grandmasters -- and the two highest-rated players in the event -- in the third and fourth rounds.

GM Dmitry Gurevich - Turgut's victim in the third round - finished tied for third with Missouri IM Priyadharshan Kannappan, both with 4.0's. Illinois' Zach Kasiurak had the same score, tying for the top U2400 prize.

Indiana's Sameer Manchanda won the Expert section with a 4.5/5, drawing Illinois' David Plotkin in the final round. Plotkin was among a six-pack with 4.0 in the section which also included Thomas Murphy, and three Illinois junior players: Anshul Adve, Jacob Furfine and Aydin Turgut. Manchanda pocketed $1400.

Another six-pack tied for top honors in the Class A, including WFM Yanjinlkham Bayarsaikhan, Anuj Dahiya, Douglas Middleton, Shawn Rhoney and Rishi Narayanan, all with 4.0/5.

Wisconsin's Pranav Kulkarni won the Class B with 4.5, as Illinois' Alec Feygin and Indiana's Sam Witwer finished a half-point back. Kukarni claimed a check worth $1400.

Brian Gong went a perfect 5-0-0 to claim the Class C, with fellow Illinois junior Henry Curcio finishing a half-point back in clear second. Brian earned $1200 with his championship.

Class D competition saw Whitney Young's Stephen Horvath finish with five victories in five rounds, with three players finishing a full-point back, tied for second: Mackenzie Collins of Wisconsin and Illinois' Bolortuya Tumurbaatar and Ethan Gagliano.

Illinois' Prathik Kandimalla also needed a perfect 5.0 score to win the Class E section, a half-point ahead of Darek Nowak and Madhav Parthasarathy.

361 competed in the 2014 Chicago Class, almost 100 more entrants than in 2013. The event concluded July 20th at the Westin North Shore in Wheeling. The event was sponsored by the Contentintal Chess Association with National TD Wayne Clark serving as the Chief TD. Over $20,000 in prize money was distributed.

The Continental Chess website for the event can be seen here.