With three top players tied at three wins and one loss each, SMS scores were used to declare Pengyu Guo the new North Carolina State Champion last weekend. “First place in the open section was deemed to be Edward Zhang, with Chen Zhang securing second place honors,” reports organizer Bob Bacon. Some thirty go enthusiasts gathered on September 17 at Umstead Park in Raleigh, NC for the North Carolina Championship and 21st Annual Memorial Tournament. “The weather was ideal and spirits were jovial as familiar and new friends competed for trophies and cash prizes,” Bacon told the EJ.
Section A (2 to 3 Dan) also had 3 ties at the top, and SMS scores determined 1st place honors for Suyoung Yoon, with Nianci Gan in 2nd place. Section B (all 1 Dan) was clearly won by Xiaoping Wu, who posted a perfect record of 4-0. Second place was taken home by Florida visitor Dakota Krafick. The winner of section C (1-3 Kyu) was Tao Mao with an impressive 3-1 score, with second place going to Paul Celmer. 6 to 9 Kyu comprised section D, which was handily won by Justin Su, who posted the only other perfect 4-0 record of the day. Ben Parrot was named for second, although later review suggests that Yihui Shao earned that position. Section E (10-12 Kyu) had multiple ties, with the winner, Sky Wang, determined by SMS scores. Neal Siekierski was awarded second place.
“A magnificent lunch was prepared and presented by Arlene Bridges with assistance from Russell Herman and the tournament was smoothly run by Tournament Director Jeff Kuang,” Bacon reports.
