GM Stripunsky Held To Miraculous draw; 
GM Fishbein Wins ICA Dr. Ostfeld Fall Open!

It was the talk of the tournament and it’s no surprise given how improbable the result.  ICA student Ethan Klein put up just enough resistance to ICA coach, and NJ’s KO’s captain, Alex Stripunsky, that there wasn’t time for the latter to calculate a forced win in the already won position.  Tired, and down on time, Stripunsky who was clearly winning according to even objective computer analysis had to settle for a draw. Though Ethan finished outside the money prizes this was probably the biggest single game result of his chess career to this point.

With all else basically going the way one would assume, GM Fishbein, the second highest rated player in the event swept the field, defeating IM Justin Sarkar in the process to gain the two-hundred and forty dollar first prize.  Tied for second were Mikhail Zlotnikov, and the above mentioned GM Stripunsky, who both ended up with three-and-a-half points.   Both players received one-hundred and eighty dollars each.

The winners for the under 2200, and under 2000 prizes of eighty dollars each were Haik Der Manuelian, and Aaron Shlionsky respectively.  Joel Pruzansky won the best over the age of 55 prize of sixty dollars, while Justin Rosales won eighty dollars for best result of a player rated under 1800 hundred.

Three players go twenty dollars each for best results of players under the age of thirteen, and they were: Jason Shi, Alexander Crump, and Edwin Jin.  All scored a total of two wins in the section.

Finally, John Muth got eighty dollars for a player with a rating under sixteen hundred.

We hope to see everyone on December 2^nd for the Early Winter Dr Ostfeld Memorial Open.

Stay safe and don’t let Hurricane Sandy checkmate you.