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Bennion wins the St. Patrick Open with a perfect score!

Bennion wins the St. Patrick Open with a perfect score!

2024 St Patrick Open Youngster Tarquin Bennion (SID) took home top honors from the 2024 St. Patrick Open with a perfect 5/5 score! Second place (4/5) was shared by Wilton Strickland (MIS), Ben Curtis (BZN), and Dan Mattson (BIL). The event took place this past weekend (3/16-17) on the 20th floor of the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Billings, MT. Thirty-eight players made this the largest field ever for the March St. Patrick, with $650 being distributed in prizes (another record). The cities represented included Billings, Bozeman, Casper, Sheridan, Helena, Great Falls, Missoula, Sidney, and FT Peck. Three women also joined the competition this year, as well as 6 unrated players playing in their first tournament. Notable games had Tarquin and Matteo (BZN, 3rd seed) doing battle in a closed then open Sicilian on Saturday night. Both players seemed to be winning at some point, but in the end when all of the pieces came off, Matteo’s king was just too far away from the pawns in which black would soon create a passer. This appeared to be a very well-played game. Board 1 also saw Chad Engan (GF) holding John Julian (BIL, top seed) to a draw in a closed and congested position. Ultimately, both players showed good endgame technique, keeping matters level in a 2 B v. N&B ending. Dan Casey (SHER) won 1st place for the U1600 crowd with 3.5/5, while 6 others tied for 2nd with 3/5. The Biggest Upset prize was awarded to Elizabeth Scott (Cas) for her 4th round victory over Dr. Charles Wittnam (284 point spread). Dan Mattson (BIL) was a close 2nd for his 283 point upset of John Julian in the same round. The largest ratings gain by software estimate go to Dan Mattson (90), Tarquin (77), and Dan Casey (72). The…

Montana Chess Association – State Chapter Affiliate of the United States Chess Federation. Promoting Regional Tournaments, Scholastics, and Chess Education.