Our October Golden Autumn II tournament drew 153 players, our largest ever turnout!! Everyone got candy to celebrate Halloween a bit early. We provided nearly 50 free entries: 38 for girls, 10 for rural/low income players. 4 players participated in their first USCF-rated tournament.
One fun story: after the main award ceremony, many people left. However, many others walked through the “secret” hallway to the Open section room. To my surprise when I arrived, I saw siblings Lucas and Olivia both still playing, but against different opponents! All four remaining players were low on time, and a huge crowd gathered silently around both boards as the final moves played out. Lucas vs Weg was a tense draw, while Olivia fought well but ultimately lost to Mr. Pedram. A well-deserved round of applause followed.
Congratulations to our winners!
Section C (U400)
- Even-score medalists: Viansh Kasina, Vardaan V Sharma, Roper Wade Ingram, Shanvi Kasina, Zane Moore, Atharv Murthy, Colton Holliday
- Plus-score medalists: Nora Saha, Trapper Malcolm, Jeya Shree Suresh Babu, Dhivyan Chandramohan, Arian Burnett, Oliad Farris, Dylan Dowon Park, Tvisha Nasarpuri, Trysten Lofthouse, Moumitha Aarushi Aarushi Tharun
- 5th place: Simon Burbank
- 4th place: Daniel Burbank
- 3rd place: Pranav Baxter
- 2nd place (perfect score): Raul Freitas Zanoni
- 1st place (perfect score): Micah Earl
Section B (U700)
- Even-score medalists: Siddhartha Berkey, Trimbakesh Muddagowda, Rajita Shadrak, Ishaan Dokania, Pragnya Sri Vemprala, Elise Petra Gordon, Winter Blake Turner, Kennan James Cranston, Bhoomi Puligundla
- Plus-score medalists: Akshaj Aravind, Dhruvan Muppalla, Oliver Robinson, Bhuvanesh Muddagowda, Stephen Orendorff
- 5th place: Harnoor Kaur
- 4th place: Mohammadsadra Abbasi
- 3rd place: Yunhan Xiao
- 2nd place: Ryan James
- 1st place (perfect score): Michael Adzhigirey
Section A (U1000)
- Even-score medalists: Jensen Yu, Lasya Sri Vemprala, Este Johannes Christiansen, Isaiah Burbank, Benjamin Thompson, Akshara Annamareddy, Trishal Tej Basavaraju, Neil Katira, Evan Hart Snyder, Shaarav Khetan, Raina Paul
- Plus-score medalists: Jack Bogle, Naomi Chen, Evan Chien, Sniksha Mishra
- 5th place: Heath Larsen
- 4th place: Vasishta Sai Dasari
- 3rd place (best female player overall): Sharanya Pingale
- 2nd place: Laxit Dasari
- 1st place (perfect score): Amartya Benegal Kadali
Open II (1000+)
- Even-score medalists: Riana Paul, Daniel Dollinger, Nimay Ranjit
- Plus-score medalists: Adrito Daas, Philip Adzhigirey, Sai Priyanka Seethamraju, Anay Sathaye, Saian Akhmetov, Aabha Aditya Khanolkar
- 5th place: Alicia Le
- 4th place: Gary R Beller
- Tied 1st place ($35, perfect score): Vincent Xie
- Tied 1st place ($35, perfect score): Bastian Ence
- Tied 1st place ($35, perfect score): Nicholas Valler
Open I (1000+)
- Even-score medalists: Pragit Arunkumar
- Plus-score medalists: Larry V Ball, Mehrdad Pedram, Eli Joseph Dollinger, Prahlada Saripalli, Dylan Randall, Eevie Tare, Rihaan Rahul
- Tied 2nd place ($15): Weg Shukla
- Tied 2nd place ($15): Vihaan Kesavan
- Tied 2nd place ($15): Elliott Charles Kayser
- Tied 2nd place ($15): Lucas Maokhampio
- 1st place ($50, perfect score): Ezra Wise
The USCF rating report can be found here. Note that the rating report uses a different tiebreak system, which can result in slightly different final results. The standings can be found here.
Special thanks to our amazing photographer Anh Le! Below are some of the photos; more can be found here.
