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Red Reindeer Open, December 16, 2000
(Directed by John Currell)This tournament was held on Saturday, December 16, at the Sizzler Restaurant at Rainbow and Spring Mountain Road, in Las Vegas. Fourteen players entered the four round, game in 60 event, and several others filled in as house players, for a total field of eighteen. In the first round, Danilo Soriano (D) lined up his queen and rook to sneak the checkmate on Gordon Barrett (A), and John Trivett (A) sacfriced a bishop on e6 to win against the Najdorf Sicilian of Dale Edwards (C).
In round two Trivett drew Grover Gray (A) in a tense position. Tom Klem simply destroyed Todd Imada's Birds Opening. Chad Badgett moved to 2-0 outblitzing John Brown in mutual time pressure, and Soriano won Dan Fortney's queen to move to 2-0. In round three, Klem and Badgett squared off with a Benko Gambit that Chad won in the time pressure blitz, so he moved into the lead alone with 3-0. Jorge Franco (X), who had taken a bye in the first round, outplayed Trivett in a complicated Spanish Game.
In the last round Badgett, leading with three points, was paired with Gray, who had 2½, and their Sicilian Moscow line led to a rather protracted struggle. After the queens came off they moved faster and faster in the zeitnot into a rook ending, then a pawn ending, until Gray claimed that an illegal move was made. Badgett resigned. Franco grabbed all kinds of space and won in one powerful stroke. Trivett and Klem quickly drew. Imada beat Edwards. Fortney unexpectedly won over the Dragon of Carmine White (D). And Jim Stuart (D) held out in a very long B vs. N ending to draw with Walter Henry (A).
In the prize distribution, Jorge Franco and Grover Gray finished tied for first with 3½-½. Chad Badgett finished 3rd with 3-1. In the Under 1750 Prize category, Tom Klem placed first with 2½-1½. Dan Fortney and Danilo Soriano tied for second with 2-2.
Report by John Trivett