April 10 Report

On April 10th we welcomed back players to ICA’s Super Saturday Quads! Once again we would like to thank all participants for joining us! Special welcome to all our new players: Shashank, David, Cameron, Ridit, and Max! Here are the highlights of this week`s tournament:

In Over 1000 Section 1, we witnessed one of the strongest top sections in Super Saturday Quads ever! With an average rating above 2000 and a master in the section, this was surely a pleasure to watch. In the end, longtime ICA member Max came out on top, with Ethan and Gary only trailing behind by 0.5 points. We turn to Max’s second game against Gary for the game of the week, where Max used his passed pawns and pieces’ activity to overpower his opponent in a same-colored bishop endgame. See the game here: https://www.chess.com/game/live/11820229709. Congrats!

In Over 1000 Section 2, we saw a perfect performance by none other than Audrey Z.! This week, Audrey showed us who the real queen of endgames is! Each one of Audrey’s games ended up in an endgame, where Audrey used tactics to win material, or simply outplayed her opponents with passed pawns. Well done!

In Over 1000 Section 3, although drawing in the first round to Pedro, Showrya played his next two games flawlessly, earning him 2.5 points and the crown of first place! Showrya got himself out of sticky situations by playing tactically and winning both of his opponents’ queen in the winning games. Well played!

In Under 1000 Section 1, we saw new player Cameron showing everyone how it’s done! With one win after the other, after the other, Cameron secured first place in style, without losing a game! That is just the beginning for this superstar here in Super Saturday Quads. Awesome job!

In Under 1000 Section 2, we saw a lot of familiar faces, but in the end, it was Mark who came out on top, winning three out of three of his games! Mark’s aggressive playstyle put him in advantageous positions, where he either earned more material, or even ended up checkmating his opponent on the spot! Good games!

In Under 1000 Section 3, we saw a tie for first place. Matt and Kirill both earned 2 points each! When the two winners went against each other, Matt got the best of Kirill, but with his earlier loss in the first round to Dhruva, Matt ended up with the same number of points as Kirill. Well played to both winners, and well deserved!

In Under 1000 Section 4, we have another tie for first place, this time each winner had 2.5 points! The two winners are none other than Grayson and newcomer Shashank! When the two went head-to-head, Grayson managed to promote a pawn to a second queen in the middle game, but Shashank forced a draw with perpetual checks! Well played in all games to both players!

In Under 1000 Section 5, we had yet a third tie for first place in the tournament, with Harshini and George both earring themselves 2 points each! When the two winners went against each other, Harshini took the match home, but with George’s last round win against Ari, he was able to secure his second point, enough to tie for first. Congratulations to each winner!

In Under 1000 Section 6, while three players tied for second place with 1 point each, a lone winner came out on top without losing one game! With 3 points, Aarav took home the gold in today’s tournament! He showed us that the queen is his favorite piece this weekend, delivering a checkmate in all his games with his queen! Awesome job Aarav!

In Under 1000 Section 7,  it was a close run for first place! Sean was right behind the leader, with 1.5 points in second place. His loss to Kai in the first round gave Kai all the momentum he needed. Kai ended up with 2.5 points, which was enough to push him past his adversaries into first place! Nicely done!