Inland Empire Open (Richland, WA)

From: NW Chess Center Forum posted by David Griffin.

There were 38 players along with 2 houseplayers in the event. There was a 6 way tie for 1st Overall.

1st Overall with 4 points

(2232) Bragg (3-0-2)= 4
(2102) Merwin (3-0-2)= 4
(2063) McClary (3-0-2)= 4
(1995) Gale (3-0-2)= 4
(1800) Dippre (3-0-2)= 4
(1510) May, A (4-1-0)= 4

Best B

(1641) Mathews (3-1-1)= 3.5

2nd B

(174?) Benson (2-1-1) + a 1/2 pt. bye = 3
(1714) Salisbury (2-1-2)= 3
(1692) Weyland (2-1-2)= 3
(1671) Fabian (2-1-2)= 3
(1632) Trullinger (3-2-0)

2nd C

(157?) McMahon (1-2-2)
(1550) He (2-3-0)
(1532) Brendemihl (1-2-2)
(1464) Rivera (1-2-1)+ a 1/2 pt. bye

1st D and under

(1367) Wilson (3-2-0)
(Unr.) Bryn, A. (2-1-2)
(Unr.) Bryn, S. (2-1-2)

Biggest Upset

(1510) May, A Rd. 4 defeated (2092) Campbell 582 pts

IEO Road Show A Success! – Eastern Washington’s oldest and longest running tournament, the Inland Empire Open, hit the road to celebrate its 50^th anniversary. Led by top-rated FM David Bragg of Seattle and three experts, 38 players competed for the $1,000 guaranteed prize fund. The tourney was held in Richland on April 24 and 25, 2004 -- exactly fifty years to the day first event was held on April 24 and 25, 1954.

Upsets, most pulled off by rapidly improving teenagers, could be found in every round of the event. A series of draws on the top three boards in the last round led to a six way tie for first with 4-1 scores among Bragg, experts Steve Merwin and Lewis McClary, class “A” players Geoff Gale and Marc Dippre, and teenager Andy May (1510), a “C” class player.  May also recorded the biggest upset of the tourney when he downed expert Matt Campbell (2092) in round 4. He also beat two “A” players en route to his share of the title.

May was not the only youngster with a strong weekend performance. Blake Salisbury (1714) of Clatskanie, OR, scored 3.5 while having to play the top three players in consecutive rounds! He drew with Bragg in round two and defeated Campbell in round 3, before falling to Merwin in round four. North Bend’s Matt Wilson (1367) scored 3.0 and tied for the best score in the “D” class. Todd May, Andy’s brother, defeated a 1900 player en route to a 2.5 finish. Another teenager, Yang So He, won two games.

The event also had an international flavor due to the presence of Steinar Bryn and his 16-year-old son Asklid. The senior Bryn is a Norwegian diplomat who is teaching at Pacific Lutheran University for a semester. The two ventured over from Tacoma, joined the USCF, and their respective 3.0 scores shared the “D and under” category prizes with Wilson. The younger Bryn sports a Norwegian rating of 1850. His only loss was to McClary on board 2 in round three, where the veteran’s endgame skills led him to pull out the victory in an even position.

Dan Mathews, with 3.5, captured the “B” prize. Other class prize winners included Salisbury, Dustin Benson, Phil Weyland, Steve Fabian, and John Trullinger (3.0) tying for second in the “B” category.  There was a four-way tie for second in the “C” class with Bill McMahon, Yang So He, Steve Brendemihl, and Joe Rivera all scoring 2.0.

The turnout was larger than expected, with most players coming from the Columbia Basin region where there have not been any formal USCF events in several years. The facility was first rate. The event was staged at the new Richland Community Center located in the beautiful Ammon Park along the Columbia River. Those familiar with hydro races in the Tri-Cities will be familiar with the area. An anonymous donor who also played in the event covered the hefty fee for use of the facility. The $1000 prize fund was guaranteed by the Gary Younker Foundation. The Foundation was started in honor of late Spokane CC stalwart Gary Younker and is designed to promote chess in the Inland Empire region.

The success of this event led to the decision to sponsor another major event (perhaps a revival of the Columbia Cup) next year at the same location. The tournament benefactor will again sponsor use of the facility. The Inland Empire Open will itself return to Spokane for next year.

Portland Chess Club April G/60 (Portland, OR)

The winner was Nick Raptis.

Grants Pass Open (Grants Pass, OR)

1st-2nd Corey Russell, OR and Steven Joplin CA both 4.5 out of 5. There were 26 players.