By: Alyson Buschena, Worthington Daily Globe
OKOBOJI, Iowa — The seventh annual Okoboji Open, the largest chess tournament in the tri-state area, took place Friday through Sunday at the Arrowwood Resort.
The event drew a record 62 players - many of them with high rankings - including Awonder Liang, a Wisconsin native and, at 9 years old, the youngest chess master in U.S. history. Tournament director Hank Anzis said Liang’s participation in the event boosted attendance and interest.
Also at the competition was international master and professional chess player and coach John Bartholomew. On Friday night, Bartholomew hosted an exhibition in which he simultaneously played 12 games of chess against 12 competitors. In an hour and a half, he defeated 11 and tied with the 12th, Sam Smith, Anzis said.
The tournament had no age limits and competitors ranged from 9 to 75 years old.
“If you're breathing, you can play,” Anzis said with a laugh.
Anzis explained that each of the timed games last about four hours. The tournament was arranged according to skill level, based on each player’s ranking.
One benefit of the Okoboji Open, Anzis added, is that the venue is large enough to allow for lots of room between games.
“So if they guy next to them didn’t take a bath, it doesn’t matter because they are 10 feet away,” Anzis said with a laugh.
Awonder Liang, 10, of Madison, Wis., ponders his next move.
(Brian Korthals/Daily Globe)
On Sunday afternoon, Bartholomew defeated Andrew Tang in the final round to win the first prize.
“He won his first three games, but couldn’t beat Prasantha Amarasinghe and had to surrender a draw," Anzis said. "Going into the last round, he managed to win."
This was the third consecutive Okoboji Open win for Bartholomew.
Four competitors - Gokul Thangavel, Buck Finn, Louis Leonard and Dave Wangle - all tied for the reserve.
After beating a national master Saturday night, Liang lost two games on Sunday and didn’t come away with any prizes. However, “he did really good, he’s still the youngest and his future is bright,” Anzis said.(more)
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