2018 Vikings Weekender - GM Smirnov wins

GM Anton Smirnov has won the 2018 Vikings Weekender, with an impressive 6.5/7. Holding a full point lead entering the final round, he resisted the temptation of a quick draw, instead playing 88 moves to score the win. He finished a point ahead of IM Junta Ikeda, and FM Brandon Clarke.
Ikeda, who had started the second day equal with Smirnov, lost to Clarke in round 6 to end his hopes of a share of first place. The win for Clarke was very impressive, as the round before he played a 100+ mover against Largo Bengt, which eventually finished in a drawn R+N v R ending.
Apart from Ikeda, Canberra players who picked up prizes included Tim Pearce and Matt Radisich (Under 2000), and Albert Winkelman (Best Junior).
The Minor (Under 1600) saw a run away victory for top seed Bazli Karattiyattil. He collected another 3 wins on the second day to finish on 7/7. 2 points back in second place were Yifu Wu and Aaron Nguyen. Paul Dunn and Clyde Robins shared the Under 1150 prize, with Athena Hathiramani wining the Best Female prize.
The new venue (Vikings Club Lanyon) proved very popular with the players, providing more space and light than previous years. While the total number of players (50) was around the same as previous years, the strength of the Open was significantly stronger, with half the field rated above 2000.
Full results plus replayable games from the top boards od the open can be found at http://tournaments.streetchess.net/vikings2018 (NB Not all games were recorded correctly due to technical issues)


Yin,Wenlin - Smirnov,Anton
2018 Vikings Weekend Open and Minor Tuggeranong, Australia (6.1), 18.11.2018