“After reaching 2100 USCF in 2015, my chess progress stagnated, but over these past few months I was able to put all the pieces together and reach 2200. My real breakthrough tournament was 3 months ago at the Golden State Open, where I scored 2.5/3 against FMs in the last 3 rounds to win the U2300 prize. After that, I knew it was just a matter of time until I reached NM, and in 2 more tournaments I had achieved my goal. It’s taken a while, but I’m glad I finally got there.”
-Derek
Congratulations to Derek Zhang of Bellevue, Washington, who achieved a 2200 U.S. Chess rating as a result of scoring 5 of 7 points in the U2200 section at the 11th Annual Philadelphia Open, Philadelphia, Pa., April 12-16. Here is a link to the crosstable: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201704167042.2