Arthur Guo wins National Open in Las Vegas

National Open: five players share first

The National Open is a traditional tournament that is played over five days with a lot of double rounds. Participants can take part in different events, either over three, four or five days and over nine rounds or seven rounds. This is probably also where the "bye" was invented for the players who have very little time: You sit out a round and still get half a point. In addition to the Open, there are numerous junior competitions.

Walter Tevis' novel The Queens Gambit also mentions the tournament, in which Tevis played in the 1970s.

The Open started last Wednesday and ended the following Sunday. Among the more than 130 participants in the main tournament were numerous grandmasters and some well-known names such as Gregory Kaidanov, Alexander Yermolinsky, the young Hungarian GM Benjamin Gledura, online bullet expert Andrew Tang, the former FIDE Vice World Champion Vladimir Akopian, who lost here in Las Vegas in 1999 to Alexander Khalifman in the final of the FIDE Knockout World Championship, "Blindfold King" Timur Gareyev or the Cuban grandmaster Lazaro Bruzon.

Gareyev is known for his original style and his crazy ideas, not only at the board.

The Elo favourite was Ukrainian-born Ilya Nyzhnyk (2679). In his younger years Nyzhnyk played some time in Germany in the Second Bundesliga before emigrating to the USA.

Nyzhnyk finished with 7.0/9, as did four other players: Andrew Hong, Emilio Corodva, Lazaro Bruzon and Arthur Guo. Of these, 15-year-old IM Arthur Guo had the best tiebreak and won the tournament.

In round 7 Guo had Black against Hans Niemann and outplayed the grandmaster from the U.S.

23... Bxf2+ 24.Kh1? A step in the wrong direction. Better was 24.Kxf2 Rc2+ 25.Kg1 Rxb2 26.Ne7+ Kh8 27.Rab1 and White can still fight for a draw.

24...Rc2 25.Be5 25.Rab1 Rd8 26.Be5 Be2–+

25...Bc5

26.Rac1 Black threatened 26.-- Rd8, causing White great problems on the diagonal b7–h1, e.g.: 27.Be4 Rxd1+ 28.Rxd1 Be2 29.Bxc2 Bf3#

26...Rxc1 27.Rxc1 Rd8 28.Bg2 f6 29.Bf4 29.Ba1 Rd2 and White can hardly move.

29...Bd3 30.Ne3 g5 and the bishop is trapped. 0–1

Final standings

No. Ttl Name                       St  ID       FIDE  USCF TB1  Pts Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Rnd4 Rnd5 Rnd6 Rnd7 Rnd8 Rnd9 Prize  Place                                 
 1 IM  Guo,Arthur                 GA  14772092 2359  2447   42   7 W120 W127 W 17 L 14 W 37 W 16 W 15 D 13 D  4 $3,780 1st - 3rd / 1st U2400 / Edmondson Cup 
 2 GM  Nyzhnyk,Illia              UKR 15477488 2679  2776 41.5   7 W 67  -H- D  8 W 54 W 39 W 23 D  3 D  6 W 15 $3,780 1st - 3rd                             
 3 IM  Hong,Andrew                CA  14941904 2453  2543   41   7 W 57 W102 L 13 W 41 W 62 W 14 D  2 D  7 W 36 $3,780 1st - 3rd / 1st U2500                 
 4 GM  Cordova Daza,Emilio        PER 13208885 2590  2655 40.5   7 D 41 W 85 W 31 D 37 W 56 D  8 W 22 W 18 D  1 $3,780 1st - 3rd                             
 5 GM  Bruzon Batista,Lazaro      MO  15199286 2639  2725 38.5   7 W 66 W125 D 37  -H- W 27  -H- W  9 D  8 W 13 $3,780 1st - 3rd                             
 6 FM  Sorokin,Aleksey            RUS 17003082 2521  2628 42.5 6.5 W 77 W 75 W 18 D  7 D 14 W 51 D 13 D  2 D  8 $486   4th - 10th                            
 7 IM  Theodorou,Nikolas          GRE 16770955 2566  2657 42.5 6.5 W 29 W 78 W129 D  6 D 16 D 24 W 23 D  3 D 10 $486   4th - 10th                            
 8 FM  Griffith,Kyron             CA  12860484 2351  2461 42.5 6.5 D 97 W121 D  2 W 96 W 34 D  4 W 69 D  5 D  6 $486   4th - 10th                            
 9 IM  Wang,Justin                TX  14930904 2447  2540 41.5 6.5 W110 W100 D 15 D 19 W 78 W 10 L  5 D 14 W 22 $486   4th - 10th                            
10 GM  Gledura,Benjamin           HUN 16429168 2633  2721   40 6.5 W109 W 30 L 25 W 81 W 38 L  9 W 37 W 17 D  7 $486   4th - 10th                            
11 FM  Posthuma,Joshua            MI  13856778 2256  2399 38.5 6.5 W128 D 19 W 69 D107 L 65 D 34 W 96 W 27 W 23 $486   4th - 10th                            
12 FM  Vibbert,Sean               TN  21004359 2270  2391   35 6.5 W131 D107 D 26 D 17 L 52 W 82 W 59 W 70 W 37 $486   4th - 10th                            
13 GM  Hakobyan,Aram              ARM 16863605 2598  2683 44.5   6 W 98 W 28 W  3 W 22 D 23 D 15 D  6 D  1 L  5 $179   GM/WGM/For. IM Bonus                  
14 GM  Akopian,Vladimir           CA  12561112 2638  2734 43.5   6 D 92 W 40 W 52 W  1 D  6 L  3 W 24 D  9 D 20 $179   GM/WGM/For. IM Bonus                  
15 GM  Niemann,Hans               CT  15041466 2567  2620   42   6 W 80 W 61 D  9 W 58 W 25 D 13 L  1 W 39 L  2 $179   GM/WGM/For. IM Bonus                  
16 GM  Gareyev,Timur              KS  13262157 2606  2692 41.5   6 W 33 W 24 W 20 D 25 D  7 L  1 L 39 W 29 W 42 $179   GM/WGM/For. IM Bonus                  
17 GM  Belous,Vladimir            RUS 16004571 2520  2614 40.5   6 W 71 W 43 L  1 D 12 D 28 W 78 W 42 L 10 W 38 $179   GM/WGM/For. IM Bonus                  
18 IM  Stearman,Josiah            CA  14006506 2364  2467   40   6 W 94 W 84 L  6 W100 D 22 W107 W 65 L  4 D 19 
19 GM  Stremavicius,Titas         LTU 15874756 2469  2551 37.5   6 W 47 D 11 W 82 D  9 L 51 W 54 D 38 W 56 D 18 $179   GM/WGM/For. IM Bonus                  
20 IM  Yoo,Christopher Woojin     CA  15244943 2457  2540   37   6 W 64 W 53 L 16 W 60 L 24 W 67 D 21 W 52 D 14 

135 players...

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