New Jersey has been holding state championships since 1886, but none as strong as the 2015 NJ Open Championship held at the Hyatt Hotel in Morristown. Ten grandmasters and four international masters headed the field of over 240 players (including class and scholastic sections) for the three day Labor Day event.

GM Magesh Panchanathan, a New Jersey resident,  and GM Sergei Azarov, of Belarus, with 5-1 scores,  edged out last year’s defending state champions GM Joel Benjamin and GM Alex Stripunsky, who, a half-point back, shared third place honors with fellow GMs Mackenzie Molner, Arun Subramanian, Sergey Kudrin, Alex Fishbein and John Fedorowicz.

Spectators were thrilled that there were no short “grandmaster draws.” The games were characterized by uncompromising efforts on the part of the titled players. Stripunsky pulled off what was easily the “save of the tournament” in a losing position against Panchanathan. Up and coming young players benefitted greatly by the experience of trying their skills against the professionals, with some being very successful.  Seventeen year old and national master Jeremy Glassman upset IM Yaacov Norowitz in the second round.

The New Jersey State Chess Federation made a conscious effort to attract the grandmasters by providing free rooms at the hotel and free entry with no EF deduction if you won money. The town of Morristown was also an attraction for their families. Instead of a hotel site by a strip mall off an interstate, Morristown provided the players in their off-time and patiently waiting family members with parks, many restaurants, retail stores, movie theater, historic sites and spa all within easy walking distances. Noreen Davisson and Jim Mullanaphy directed the event.

Click HERE to see games

Panchanathan,Magesh (2636) – Stripunsky,Alexander (2661) [B42]

New Jersey Open, Morristown, NJ, USA (4), 06.09.2015

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Ne7 6.0–0 Nbc6 7.Be3 Nxd4 8.Bxd4 Nc6 9.Be3 Be7 10.c4 Bf6 11.Nc3 d6 12.Be2 0–0 13.Qd2 Qa5 14.a3 Rd8 15.Rfd1 Rb8 16.b4 Qc7 17.Rac1 Ne5 18.Ba7 Ra8 19.Bd4 b6 20.f4 Ng6 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.f5 Ne5 23.Qh6 Qe7 24.Na4 exf5 25.Nxb6 Bb7 26.Nxa8 Bxa8 27.exf5 Qb7 28.Bf1 Qe4 29.Qxf6 Nf3+ 30.Kh1 [30.gxf3 Qe3+ 31.Kh1 Qxf3+ 32.Kg1 Qe3#] 30…Re8 31.Qxd6 Qe3 32.Qg3+ Kh8 33.Bd3 Rg8 34.Qh3 Qg5 35.gxf3 Qe3 36.Rf1?! [36.Be2! Qxe2 37.Rf1 Rg1+ 38.Rxg1 Bxf3+ 39.Rg2+–] 36…Rg1+!! 37.Rxg1 Bxf3+ 38.Qg2 Bxg2+ 39.Kxg2 Qxd3 40.Rgf1 Qxa3 41.c5 Qxb4 42.Rf2 Qe4+ 43.Kg1 Qc6 44.Rg2 h5 ½–½

Glassman,Jeremy (2215) – Norowitz,Yaacov (2532) [E11]

New Jersey Open, Morristown, NJ, USA (2), 05.09.2015

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Bxd2+ 7.Nbxd2 d6 8.0–0 e5 9.d5 Nb8 10.e4 a5 11.Ne1 0–0 12.Nd3 Na6 13.a3 Nc5 14.Nxc5 dxc5 15.Qc2 Ne8 16.Qc3 Nd6 17.b4! b6 18.bxc5 bxc5 19.f4 Re8 20.Nb3 Nb7 21.Nc1 a4 22.Nd3 f6 23.fxe5 fxe5 24.Ra2 Qg5 25.Raf2 Qe3 26.Re1 Qd4 27.Qxd4 cxd4 28.Ref1 Bd7 29.Rf7 Rad8 30.c5 Bb5 31.Rxc7 Bxd3 32.Rxb7 Ba6 33.Ra7 Bxf1 34.Bxf1 Ra8 35.Rxa8 Rxa8 36.c6 d3 37.Kf2 Rf8+ 38.Ke1 d2+ 39.Kxd2 Rxf1 40.c7 1–0

NEW JERSEY OPEN PRIZE LIST

 OPEN SECTION

1^st Place (tie)                      Magesh Panchanathan  5.0/6.0                  $900

Sergei Azarov                                                    $900

3^rd Place (tie)                     Alexander Stripunsky     4.5/6.0

Mackenzie Molner

Arun  Subramanian

Sergey Kudrin

Joel Benjamin

Alex Fishbein

John Fedorowicz

Top Expert                          Sergei Malinin                   3.5/6.0                  $200

Top Class A                         Maanav Ganthapodi       4.0/6.0                  $200

Top Under Age 13            Brandon Jacobson           4.0/6.0

Top Under Age 16            Aaron Shlionsky                                4.0/6.0

Top Age 55 & Over          Boris Privman                    4.0/6.0

UNDER 2000 SECTION

1^st Place (tie)                      Nico Werner Chasin        5.0/6.0                  $225

Jan Paragua

Vedant Rautela

Angelica Chin

5^th Place                               Robert Forney                   4.5/6.0

Top Class B                          David Liu                              4.0/6.0                  $22.22

Amey Pasarkar

Ankit Raparthi

Jessica Rattray

Shawn Wang

Mitch Fishbein

Charles Hua

Samuel Zhang

Claire Cao

Top Class C                          Sean Cushman                  3.5/6.0                  $200.00

Top Under Age 13            Evelyn Zhu                          4.0/6.0

Top Under Age 16            Maxwell Weinstein         3.5/6.0

Top Overage 55                                Donnally Miller                  2.5/6.0

UNDER 1600

1^st Place                                Tim Kraft                              5.5/6.0                  $500.00

2^nd Place (tie)                     Suraj Oruganti                   5.0/6.0                  $200.00

Albert Yao

4^th Place (tie)                      Sumer Maini                      4.5/6.0

Dhruv Patel                        4.5/6.0

Top Class D                         Jun Kubo                             4.0/6.0                  $66.667

Eric Yuhan Li

Harpal Maini

Top Class E                          Sean Winston Luo            3.5/6.0                  $200.00

Top Class F                          Aryan Jhaveri                     3.0/6.0                  $200.00

Top Under 13                                     Katie Lin

Top Under 16                                     Jaron Bernard

Top Age 55 & Over                          Brian Cige