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Master Trek - March 8, 2008

Unquestionably the strongest Master Trek Grand Prix Cup of the year took place on Saturday, March 8th, at ASU. From the top heavy 1900 and Up Section, consisting of two titled players and an average rating above 2000, to the closely contested Armageddon Blitz Playoff in the 1300-1599, the tournament was full of exciting, tough chess wire to wire.

Per usual, we will start our review in the top section. Cuban IM, Dionisio Aldama, informed ACE Friday night that he would be participating in the event. Once he arrived, first place was never in question, and he finished perfect. With all the great players there, even I left my temporary retirement to play a game against young Joshua Zhu. Every game in this section was a tough fight. For example, Ben Marmont, who has played as well as anyone of late, had several winning positions but failed to cash in each time against tough defense from his opponents. The Wiley Veteran, Mark Moore, managed to slip his way into second place, narrowly escaping the onslaught of youth. And rising Arizona star, David Adelberg, held his own amongst the strong competition to finish in third.

The only other perfect 4-0 score in the tournament came from John Gurczak in the 1600-1899 section. Although John clearly deserved to win, he would be the first to tell you that his games were by no means easy. His finish was enough to put him in a virtual tie with John Williams and Daniel Pecherski for first place in the Grand Prix Cup Standings. Although the season is young, the standings are looking a lot like the NBA’s Western Conference with more than 15 players separated by a mere 3-point spread! It should be exciting down the stretch! (I may be one of the last 25 NBA fans in existence, but I just can’t stop talking about the Suns… I apologize in advance.)

The 1300-1599 was the only section requiring an Armageddon battle to finish things off, and what a game it was. James Werra and Daniel Harmonick played one of the most exciting Blitz games since the addition of our tie-break playoff. The game came down to the final seconds, and when Werra pulled away, I was a little disappointed to see it end. It only took one Grand Prix Cup for James Werra to confirm that he would be in the race until the end. He is now tied for third place with 4 points.

Don’t stop reading yet, because the lowest section was no snooze fest either! At this point, two of my top Game of the Month candidates are from these young up-and-comers. Copper Canyon’s own Alec Andersen and Richard Qi finished with the top two spots (watch out for that team at States)! Overall, the section saw four new players join in the Grand Prix Cup hunt: Nathan Coll, Rachel Eng, Jacob Arnold, and Martin Kuhnel.

Thanks again to all who participated… See you on the 29th!

-Daniel Rensch

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