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The 2018 Saint Louis Norm Congress took place February 8th to 13th and featured two ten-player fields comprised of hungry juniors, veteran IMs and GMs, and other top players from the USA and abroad, competing for $15,000 in prize money.
International students from Texas Tech University took clear first in both the GM and IM tournaments. Pavlo Vorontsov was first in the GM event with 6.0 / 9 with Russia's Sergei Matsenko outclassing his nearest rival by two full points, scoring 7.0 / 9.
One player had a standout performance which was more than enough for an IM norm: Stavroula Tsolakidou scored 5½ to finish in clear second place in the GM tournament. ChessBase readers may recall her name from an impressive performance a few months ago at the European Team Championship. She also finished fourth in the World Junior Championship for Girls.
Stavroula Tsolakidou | Photo: Austin Fuller, Saint Louis Chess Club
The other woman in the tournament also did well. FM Tatev Abrahamyan already has the required norms for the IM title, but needs to get her Elo rating above 2400. Her 4½ / 9 score, while only good enough for seventh place, still nets her about 37 rating points, and was well above her expected score.
Had a good tournament at the #NormCongress even with all the ups and downs. Thanks to @STLChessClub for another great event! All the info can be found here: https://t.co/FFfOselotS
— Tatev Abrahamyan (@Tatev__A) February 14, 2018
Next stop: @ReykjavikOpen
Unfortunately for other norm seekers, no one met the requisite minimum score.
All webcasts from GM Josh Friedel and Ben Simon.
The Fashionable Caro-Kann Vol.1
The dynamic play based on a strong strategic foundation has always fascinated me, and in these DVDs I have suggested the lines which I personally prefer and employ in practice.
