60th Oregon Open
Another round number for a chess tournament in Oregon. A few weeks after the Portland Chess Club Centennial it was time for the Oregon Open in Gresham. The organizers (Portland Chess Club) were a bit worried about a drop in the attendance, but it turned out to be near normal.
90 players came came to the tournament (43 in the Open Section and 47 in the Reserve). In the top section Nick Raptis was the winner with 5 points, despite not playing the last round. 5 players shared 2nd through 6th with 4 1/2 points: Steve Breckenridge, Daniel Gay, David Rupel, Peter Lessler, and Michael Wang. Robert Fisette lost his first game, but was undefeated after that, and took clear first in the U-2000 section with 3 1/2 points.
Gordon Higbie was a clear winner in the reserve section with 5 1/2 points. James Mc Aleer, Philip Placek, and Aaron Pikus shared 2nd through 4th with 4 1/2 apiece. Gabriel Skoro and Jeremy Coste shared the top spots in the U-1400 group with 4 apiece. Sebastian Clark and Venkat Doddapaneni shared the top prize money in the U-1200 group with 3 points each. Junior players in the reserve section also had the opportunity to play at a $15 entry fee for non-monetary prizes. The winner here with 4 1/2 points was Dillon Murray. I wonder if he wishes he had paid the higher entry fee? 2nd in this category went to Leonardo Sun with 3 points.
Mt. Hood Community College once again provided the playing site. The tournament was directed by Grisha Alpernas and yours truly assisted, i.e. the Baltic Mafia at work again. The organizers would like to thank all who came to play and make this tournament a success.
Neil Dale
Nice job Nick.