By IM Kostya Kavutskiy
GM Benjamin Bok won the 2023 Saint Louis Spring Chess Classic after emerging victorious in an exciting five-way Armageddon playoff. Also tying for first were GM Samuel Sevian, GM Dariusz Swiercz, GM Benjamin Gledura, and GM Yasser Quesada Perez, each with 5.0/
In the B Group, GM Felix Blohberger of Austria won a clear first place with a score of 6.5/9, finishing a full point and a half ahead of his nearest rivals. Tied for second place were IM Jason Liang, GM Dambasuren Batsuren, and GM Luka Budisavljevic, each with 5.0/9.
Check out the format, standings, and results of both events here. Live coverage of all the rounds can be found on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube channel. Photos of the event can be found here.
GROUP A GAMES
GROUP A
Both fields were filled with a diverse mix of strong grandmasters along with up-and-coming juniors. Overall the top section ended up incredibly close, with only 1.5 points separating first and last place by the end, and with wins hard to come by. Interestingly, at no point did any player reach a “+2” score, i.e. having two more wins than losses.
Here Mikhalevski sacrificed the exchange with 34.dxe6!, winning after 34…Qxe5 35.exd7+- | 1-0, 40 moves
Make sure to check out the full album from the 2023 Spring Chess Classic here. All photos courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Austin & Crystal Fuller.