Condron Prevails at DeKalb's Orwell; 5-way Tie in Reserve
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
Venerable Class A-player James Condron went three-for-three after a first-round bye to earn the championship at the 4th Annual George Orwell Memorial.
The June 28th event was hosted by the DeKalb Chess Club and represented the conclusion of the first half of the 2014 ICA's Illinois Chess Tour. 38 competed in four sections.
Bill Brock and Jason Daniels tied for second in the Open Section, a half-point back. Daniels prevailed over Brock in a third-round upset which Brock later praised. An analysis of the game is pending publication. Daniels also claimed the top Under 1800 prize as he gained 50 rating points, blowing past the 1800-mark for the second time in his chess career.
Chelsea Harper and Tom Bareket tied for third place with 2.5 points having drawn each other in the first round.
A five-way tie in the 15-player Reserve Section earned prize money for Aidan Carey, William Lin, Jonathan Gaenzle, Joey Buklis and Elijah Patterson. Patterson was also the top scorer for Under 1400's, gaining 62 rating points from the event. Carey defeated Lin, Gaenzle defeated Carey and Lin defeated Gaenzle. Buklis went undefeated with two wins and two draws. 15 players competed in the Reserve.
In only his second USCF-rated event, James Fox was the clear winner in the U1200 Booster Section, a point better than the trio of Joseph Isaac, Troy Utzig and Scott Daniels.
An Under 800 Round Robin played with shorter time controls saw Benjamin Broach post a perfect five wins in five rounds. Broach gained 124 rating points blowing past the 800-mark. Bryce Lawson took second with 4.0/5. Rees Clark took the honors for top U600 score.