The 2023 G/30 Pennsylvania Championship occurred over two days. This setup is a novel way of doing these events. Still, some creative planning was necessary since the site isn’t large enough to hold everyone simultaneously (especially considering the amount of noise the little/younger kids in the Under 900 section can make). This style of the event made for a unique rule – one can play in both sections as they are not played simultaneously, but one could only represent their school in one section.
The first day was the Under 900 section. This section had 32 players all in one section. Many kids get scared off by such large sections, but in reality, they are tremendously helpful as they give one a wide variety of opponents. On top of this, an upset victory, which happens often, can significantly boost a player’s confidence and enthusiasm. The other advantage of having six games is that you could still get many good games, even if you miss a few. For example, Claire Lu, a 400, had to miss the first three rounds but then got to play three players (the length of one of our Friday night events), all within about 200 points of her rating.
The Under 900 section had few surprises and only one perfect score – Chris Romeril’s. He was the top-rated player in the field and did something that rarely happens – he won the section with a perfect score. Not only did he beat everyone he faced, but all of his opponents finished with at least an even score, and he beat 4 of the top 8 players. Not surprisingly, Romeril picked up over 225 rating points. Aanya Kollur lost to Romeril but beat everyone else to finish in a clear second. In third was Viraaj Jairath, who lost to Kollur and drew Brady Koch. In 4th to 8th, with 4 points, were Akshaj Somisetty, Declan Nice, Arul Chintha, and Maxwell Adoff.
The following day saw those over 900 meet for the state title of the Eastern side. This group included Romeril and Arul Chintha, who returned for another six rounds. The rating distribution curve was noteworthy because there were five titled players (expert or better), two players between 1400 – 1999, 3 players between 1350 – 1399, 1 player at 1251, and 11 players below 1200. Pete Minear and Matt O’Brien, two strong local masters, scored 5.5 – 0.5 to share first and second, tying only each other. Expert Tariq Yue, one of the top 9-year-olds in the country, came in third with 4 points. Mohit Maringanti, Jacob Chen, Jayden Yang, and Noah Hellerslia all finished with 4 points. The fact that four players managed to tie for third place meant almost everyone split the various cash prizes.
The results of this event are available at – US Chess MSA – Cross Table for 2023 PA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP G30 EAST (Event 202310224932) (Open Section) and US Chess MSA – Cross Table for UNDER 900 (Event 202310213862).
I hope to see everyone for the G/15, d3 championships on 11/18 and 11/19. (Please note that this event is only quick-rated!)
