And he was crushed

Chess players square off in Skokie meet
August 27, 2009
By IRV LEAVITT

Gopal Menon’s cash winnings as one of the top chess players in last weekend’s amateur chess tournament were $187, but that’s not all he got.

He got game

“I did play against one expert, and he played very provocatively, forcing me to sacrifice some material. I obliged, but he didn’t have the best response,” Menon, 18, recalled Monday.

“And he was crushed.”

Menon, of Grayslake, did his crushing at Skokie’s Chicago North Shore Holiday Inn, 5300 W. Touhy Ave., which has become the center of the Midwest’s chess world. Sevan Muradian’s growing North American Chess Association usually holds tournaments there. Last weekend was the association’s third and fourth amateur meets as well as its 23rd pro competition, which continues this week.

“They’re not going to be able to retire, but you can probably get yourself a real nice steak dinner,” said Muradian of West Rogers Park about the amateur purses.

“Most people do not care much about the money, but want a positive environment to play chess in.

“A little money is nice, too,” he added.

By coming in as the top youth in Saturday’s U.S. Game 60 (hour-long games) competition — second overall in a field of 125 — Menon gets the cash plus a scholarship of sorts.

If the Highland Park native qualifies for admission, he can enter Texas Tech as if he were a Texas resident, saving up to $36,000.

Here is the full article.