Vergilesov, Eckert win Show-Me Classic

Alex Vergilesov shared first place with FM Doug Eckert at the Show-Me Classic

By Brian Jerauld

Alex Vergilesov not only topped the Show-Me Classic, he also capitalized on one last chance to cash in – literally – as a Class A player. When the USCF releases its June supplement next week, Vergilesov will be listed above 2000, making him an expert for the first time in his career.

“I’m excited – I’ve been class A for three or four years, it has taken me so long to get here,” he said. “There was even two years where I had the exact same rating from one January first to the next. My rating wasn’t changing, but my win percentage was increasing. I think I’m up over 70-percent after this (tournament).”

Vergilesov went a perfect 4-0 on Saturday, May 25, matching the score of FM Doug Eckert, who shared top billing. The two split the cash prizes, but Vergilesov also earned entry into the 2014 Club Championship. Eckert has already qualified for the Club Championships from a previous tournament win at the Metro Class Championship.

The frontrunners of Saturday’s open became clear after a third round that featured poisoned white pieces – only four games out of 17 resulted in wins for the player with the first move. It set up a final round showdown between four unbeatens: Eckert (2253) paired off against Alex Marler (2012), the two-time defending champion of the Show-Me Classic, while Vergilesov (1997) was matched with Matthew Larson (2037).

Vergilesov was up to the task of proving he belonged in his new class. He commanded the white pieces for the first time against fellow expert Larson and chose the Wing Gambit as his method of attack. The early sacrifice allowed one of Vergilesov’s knights a lethal outpost on d6, causing Larson’s army to encounter serious mobility issues. In fact, not one of Larson’s pieces even entered the opposing side of the board until late in the game, when Vergilesov already held clear winning chances.

“(The Wing Gambit) is anti-Sicilian and can only be played in certain lines,” Vergilesov said. “It’s a fun opening to play in a low time control because it is really active. It becomes very easy to play knight to b5, where it just waits to go to d6 – even if they play a6, they still can’t take because the rook is hanging. I’ve done that several times against experts – they don’t expect knight to b5. It’s like a funny move.”

The Show-Me Classic, now in its fifth year, also featured prizes for all classes. With Vergilesov claiming the overall tournament prize, James Pollitt (1944) took first in Class A with 3.5 points. Preston Smith (1646), the lowest-rated Class B player in the tournament, notched three wins to claim his section. Class C was split by Ronit Kirumaki (1444) and James Ivy (1409) with 2.0 points each.

Kirumaki, whose rating was just 676 as recently as January of this year, has been seemingly obsessed with breaking through ceilings of his own. The 11-year-old has become a familiar face in the youth movement of Saint Louis.

“I should have drawn a 1900, but I messed up a king-and-pawn endgame against Al Howlett,” Kirumaki said. “I thought I had the distant opposition when he moved his king, but I just didn’t see the stalling move f6 and so I lost the opposition.”

Howlett (1888) agreed, understanding he was fortunate to grab the full point from his young opponent.

“That game was tough, very tough,” Howlett said. “It was drawing, drawing, drawing the whole way through, and I eventually traded off queens in such a way that (Kirumaki) had to play that king-pawn endgame just right. He didn’t, which allowed my king entry … but I spent at least ten minutes just looking over that move to be able to do that. He could have easily gotten that draw.”

“Ronit is good, and I saw in analysis afterward that he is even better than I originally thought. I think he is probably around 1800 strength.”

Class D featured a four-way tie between Mario Coronado (1279), Ken West (1269), Howard Granok (1364) and Brett Eckert (1320), each with 1.5 points. New member Michael Cranwill (1151) and Andrew Schauer (1137) split the U1200 prize.

SwissSys Standings. Show-Me Classic: Open

SwissSys Wall Chart. Show-Me Classic: Open