Checkmates at MLK chess tournaments and the unstoppable World Chess Champion
By Michael Ciamarra
on January 26, 2015 at 11:08 AM
The annual MLK chess tournaments, held in Montgomery and Birmingham, attracted several of Alabama’s top players and up-and-coming scholastic players. Both events were organized and directed by Caesar Lawrence and rated by the United States Chess Federation.
The MLK Classic tournament was held on Jan. 17, at Frazer UMC in Montgomery. The event was unique in that a husband and wife chess couple both won their respective sections. Rex Blalock took first place in the MLK Classic Section on tiebreaks over former Alabama state champion, Scott Varagona. The Reserve Section was won by Maria Blalock. Two scholastic chess sections, one for rated players and one for non-rated beginners, drew K-12 players from the Birmingham and Montgomery area.
MLK Classic prize winners
Open Section: 1st Place (tied) – Rex Blalock (won title on tiebreaks) and Scott Varagona; 2nd Place (shared) – Jonathan Rasberry, Douglas Strout, andThomas Lawry, Reserve (U1600): 1st Place – Maria Blalock; 2nd and 3rd Place (shared) – Dan Williams and Henry Leslie, Jr. Rook (K-12): 1st Place – Sanjay Jagadeesh; 2nd Place – Alexander Jo Self; 3rd place – Anirudh Harishankar; Gold – Dominic Self; Silver – Miles Haughery, Novice (K-12; not rated): 1st Place -Daniel Ratta; 2nd Place – Nathan Ratta; 3rd Place – Reena Chen; Gold (tied) -Christopher Wang and Richard Chen; Silver (tied) – Jasmin Castillo andJonathan Song; Bronze – Ryan Malkemus
Former state chess champion Scott Varagona, sends us his game versus expert Rex Blalock from the MLK Classic. “Probably the following was the best game for both of us,” Varagona said.
Full article here.
Great event.