Chess: 13 year old Samuel Sevian scores norm


Chess: 13 year old  Samuel Sevian scores norm –

8/21/2014 – Among the many summer events was the The 3rd Annual Washington International that was held from August 9-14 in Rockville, MD. What made it stick out in the crowd was the presence of several US juniors in a field full of masters and grandmasters. Among them were IM (International Master) Samuel Sevian and IM Akshat Chandra, both in a race to complete their third GM norm, and grab a bit of history.

For 13-year-old Sevian, it would bring him just a breath away from becoming the youngest US player gain the grandmaster title (he would still need to make the rating requirement), whereas for 15-year-old Chandra, he would become the poster boy of Obama’s mantra “Yes, you can”, as he too became a grandmaster when just five years ago he had been rated just over… 1500 Elo!

The A section tournament had a strong field with a median rating of 2400 with 53 players in it, and was won by GM Sergei Azarov (BLR) with a score of 7.0/9 who took home the $4000 first place prize. A full point behind the winner, six players tied for second with 6.0/9: GM Yaroslav Zherebukh, GM Ioan Cristian Chirila, IM Akshat Chandra, IM Samuel Sevian, IM Levan Bregadze, and IM Justin Sarkar.

Both IM Samuel Sevian and IM Akshat Chandra raced to their dreams and as fate would have it, the two met in the last round with a draw being sufficient for Sevian for the norm, while Chandra, playing black, needed a win as the average rating of his opponents was two Elo short.

Their encounter ended in a draw and Sevian scored a vital third norm, needing only to reach 2500 Elo to secure the title. For Chandra, it means he will need to try again, despite an ever-so-close result.

Chessbase


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