The 2015 Illinois Open State Chess Championship saw 94 contenders in the Open section, including five grandmasters, four international masters, and one woman international master.

After six hard-fought rounds, the Illinois state champion title will be shared by three, GM Alexander Goldin, GM Nikola Mitkov, and IM Florin Felecan, with non-Illinois resident IMs Priyadharshan Kannappan and Justin Tan also tying for the top spot, all with 5.0 points.

Six others were tied at 4.5 points, including GM Boris Avrukh, WIM Viktorija Ni, CM David Peng, and Masters Petros Karagianis, Jacob Furfine, and out-of-stater Nicholas Rosenthal.

After five rounds, Goldin, Kannappan, and Tan shared the lead with 4.5 points. Goldin was matched against Kannappan in the final round, with a draw resulting. Tan was matched against 4.0 Avrukh in the final round, also resulting in a draw. Mitkov and Felecan, both with 4.0 after five rounds, needed wins against GM Dimitry Gurevich and IM Angelo Young to get to 5.0 points and a tie for first.

The Reserve (U1800) section saw 93 competitors, with top honors being shared by Daumants Hazners and Kevin Ho, each with 5.5 points. Four others finished with 5.0 points, including Pranav Krishnamurthy, Slawomir Borkowski, Omkar Prabhavalkar, and Deniz Gulecyuz.

After five rounds, Ho stood alone with a perfect 5.0 score, followed by Krishnamurthy and Hazners with 4.5. Ho was matched with Krishnamurthy in round six, and a draw gave Ho his final 5.5 score. Hazners was matched against 4.0 M. Barrie Richmond, and won his game to tie Ho for top honors.

As can be expected, there were many upsets throughout the tournament. ICA member Ken Marshall donated $150 to fund two upset prizes, $75 in each section, to honor his friend and accomplished Illinois chess player, Ray Doyle Satterlee, who passed away 10 years ago. Ken's article from the July/August 2006 edition of the Illinois Chess Bulletin memorializing Ray's life can be found here.

The winner of the Ray Doyle Satterlee Upset Prize in the Open section was Pranav Sriram, for his win over FM Aung Zin, a difference of 439 rating points. In the Reserve section, the Ray Doyle Satterlee Upset Prize winner was Aren Emrikian, for his win over Paul Peterson, a difference of 701 rating points. Ken has also indicated that he will fund an upset prize in the upcoming Illinois Senior Open.

The 187 competitors at this year's Illinois Open was the most since 2004. The Open section being FIDE-rated this year, and the participation of the FIDE-titled players is a positive that makes the Illinois Open an attractive event for a growing number of Illinois and non-resident players.

Wayne Clark and Tim Just again directed the state championship tournament, with Bill Buklis serving as an assistant TD. Illinois chess players have been lucky to have Wayne and Tim as the backbone of the Illinois Open, directing this tournament for so many years. The ICA also wishes to thank Sevan Muradian and ChessIQ for providing boards, sets, and clocks for the tournament.