Hardaway Crosses 2500 FIDE, Becomes GM-Elect

From November 7 through 11, NYC Chess Norms hosted its 19th invitational, consisting of two GM and two IM Round Robins as well as a fifth Scheveningen section. Despite no GM norms, each of the GM-A and GM-B section produced some big news.

In the GM-A section, GM Pawel Teclaf and IM Brewington Hardaway tied for first with 6/9 scores. Hardaway entered the event with all three GM norms already under his belt, and the big question was whether he could break the 2500 FIDE rating threshold needed to become eligible for the GM title. 

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Two recent heroes of the NYC Chess Norms invitationals: Hardaway emerged victorious over Griffith in their fourth-round battle (photo courtesy NYC Chess Norms)

His titanic battle in round four against IM Kyron Griffith (who earned his second GM norm at our last invitational) settled that question:

With the win, Hardaway's live FIDE rating was up to 2500.4, and he can now be considered a GM-Elect. 

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Hardaway and IO Keith Espinosa (photo courtesy NYC Chess Norms)

But, there was still a tournament to finish! Among several highlights, his draw against the internet's chess teacher stands out:

In the GM-B section, GM Emilio Cordova finished in clear first with a 7/9 score. Between Cordova and GM Luka Budisavljevic (who finished in clear second with a 6/9 score), none of the GM-norm seekers were successful. But 12-year-old FM Aaron Reeve Mendes (CAN) earned his first IM norm by finishing in a tie for third with a 5½/9 score. 

Below is Mendes's upset of veteran GM Mark Paragua, who entered the game hot off a 3/3 start:

The IM-C tournament was won by GM Vojtech Plat and FM Zachary Tanenbaum who each finished with 6½/9. Tanenbaum was among three players who entered the final day contention for an IM norm, but ultimately all three fell short. Still, Tanenbaum earned 34 points for his performance. C.S. Rajesh and Qi Pang each finished just short, as well, with 6/9 scores, and the former was rewarded with 39 FIDE rating points for his result while the latter gained a whopping 93! In the IM-D section, GM Azer Mirzoev led all scorers with 7/9. 

Finally, in the six-round Scheveningen, FM Joshua Colas was the top-scoring master with 5½/6, and CM Pedro Espinosa was the top-scoring challenger with 4/6.

All games from the five sections were broadcast on Lichess and can be found here. This was the last NYC Chess Norms event for the year, and the 2025 Winter Invitational will take place from January 16 through 20.