Three Norms Earned at NYC Chess Norms' BlitzFuel Invitational

The BlitzFuel Invitational, held January 16 through 20, was a new name (featuring a new sponsor: the self-proclaimed official energy drink of chess) for the most recent NYC Chess Norms' invitational. But the outcome was what we've come to expect: several norms from talented, up-and-coming players. This was the 20th NYC Chess Norms event, and, with three norms across the four norm-eligible sections, the grand total of norms earned across these invitationals is now up to 50!

All photos courtesy of NYC Chess Norms

In the GM-A section, IM Dimitar Mardov won the tournament by a full point with a 6½/9 score, earning his second GM norm along the way. The 17-year-old from Illinois was undefeated over nine games, and his win over fellow norm-seeker IM Nico Chasin in round five was the difference-maker:

IM Dimitar Mardov (R) earned his second GM norm

The grandmasters served as successful gatekeepers in the GM-B section, however, with GM Mark Paragua winning the section with the same 6½/9 score as Mardov. GM Dambasuren Batsuren was second with 6/9, and IM Samrug Narayanan was third with 5½/9, which was not enough for a GM norm.

GM Dambasuren Batsuren won the GM-B tournament with a 6½/9 score

In the IM-C section, IM Josiah Stearman won with an impressive 7½/9 score (and a 2544 performance rating), but that was not enough to stop FM Ryan Sun from earning his first IM norm with a second-place finish and 6½/9 score.

FM Ryan Sun earned his first IM norm

Of Sun's five wins to choose from, his win over a fellow norm-earner stood out as the most instructive:

Iren Lyutsinger wrapped a successful trip to New York for the FIDE Rapid & Blitz by earning her second WIM norm

Also in the IM-C section, Russia's Iren Lyutsinger earned her second WIM norm:

In the IM-D section, IMs Dagur Ragnarsson and Aleksandr Domalchuk-Jonasson finished first and second (with 6½/9 and 6/9 scores, respectively) in a nice one-two finish for the Icelanders. FM Zachary Tanenbaum and CM Aditeya Das tied for third with 5½/9, but this was not enough for either player to earn an IM norm.

The tournament also featured three additional sections, with IM Yury Lapshun winning the Scheveningen-E with a 4/5 score. Logan Brain was the only challenger to finish with an even score, making him the top-scoring challenger. FM Josh Colas won the A-quad with a 2½/3 score, while the B-quad saw three players finish tied for first with 2/3 scores.

The tournament was sponsored by BlitzFuel, who provided drinks and hoodies to the players. IA Oscar Garcia and FA Miguel Garcia were the arbiters, and the Marshall Chess Club assisted with providing a venue. The next NYC Chess Norms events will take place February 13-17, July 8-13 (six day), and August 28-September 1.