Applebaum and Vasto share First Place in the Des Moines Fall Classic

The 2009 Des Moines Fall Classic was held at the Botanical Center in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, November 14th. Andy Applebaum and Dan Vasto each scored 3.5 points to tie for 1st place in the Open section which had 18 entries. Tim McEntee scored 3 points. This section had an average rating of 1855 according to USCF. Tim had draws with Andy and Dan while Andy and Dan were not paired. Congratulations to Andy and Dan. There was a 3-way tie for 1st place in the Reserve section. Jaleb Jay, Ken Crumpler, and Steve Jacobs each scored three points. Ron Nurmi, Brandon Li, and Rich Rector each scored 2.5 points in this hotly contested section which had 11 entries. Jaleb Jay had a break-out day picking up 121 rating points. Congratulations to Jaleb, Ken, and Steve. The RBO was won by Jason Selvaraj with 4.5 points. Nicholas Leung and Cub Noble each scored 4 points to tie for 2nd place. The RBO had 22 entries. Congratulations to all who participated in the RBO. The event was my first multi-section tournament advertised in Chess Life in which I served as the Chief TD. I was very happy with the attendance which totaled 52 including a house-player. Several players came from Nebraska, three from Missouri and one from each Illinois and Wisconsin to boost attendence. Without the out-of-state entries total attendance would have been under 40 and my goal was 50. The tournament went pretty well in my opinion. I learned a lot and I certainly have areas that need improvement. Many players and parents liked the venue although it was a little hard to find. Hank Anzis helped as the Assistant TD and it would have been a very difficult day for me without him. Tim McEntee helped in the final minutes of the final round while I was distributing prize money which was also very helpful. I didn’t realize how many games end with both players in time pressure. Pictures from the 2009 Des Moines Fall Classic http://www.chess.com/photos/view_album/WJB2200/2009-des-moines-fall-classic