2016 Barber K-8, Indianapolis (Photo by Anne Buskirk)

2018 LIST of NOMINATED and CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS

2018 Barber Information & Rules

Awonder Liang 2017 Chicago Open  Photo by Betsy Zacate

GM Awonder Liang Simul for Denker, Barber and NGTOC participants at the 2018 US Open

Local GM Awonder Liang will conduct a 23 board simul to open the US Open in Middleton, Wisconsin on Saturday, July 28 at 10 am.  Participants will be players from the Denker, Barber and National Girls Tournament of Champions (NGTOC).  Up to seven participants from each of the three events will be eligible to participate with priority given to the lower rated players who register for the event.  In addition, up to two wild card entries will be selected by the organizers.

Interested eligible Denker, Barber and NGTOC players who plan on arriving by the time of the simul should contact Mike Nietman at mike.nietman@charter.net to register for the simul.  If more than seven participants from their event sign up, then a drawing will be held to fill the seats.

US Chess bookstore gift certificates will be awarded to any player who beats or draws GM Liang.

GM Liang is a two time world champion having won the 2011 Under 8 section of the World Youth in Brazil and the 2013 Under 10 section of the World Youth in the United Arab Emirates.  He is the 2017 US Junior Closed Champion and recently completed his first US Closed Championship where he finished 1-3-7 but drew games with GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Wesley So and GM Hikaru Nakamura, America’s top three players!

In addition, Awonder Liang (WI) earned his Grandmaster title and played in the 2018 U.S. Championship in St. Louis.  He previously completed the 2017 US Junior Closed Championship with a 6.5/9 result taking clear 1st Place.  Awonder played in the Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions in 2013.  We wish him the greatest success in the future.

Chess Life Online story

By Pete Karagianis|June 1, 2017|Kids, News

 Leading the pack of norm-getters, IM Awonder Liang achieved his third and final grandmaster norm with a score of 6.5/9. Liang’s only loss came to GM Boris Avrukh in round 3. Once Liang’s GM title is officially awarded, he will become one of the youngest American players to ever achieve the FIDE title.

Complete Story can be found at:  https://new.uschess.org/news/youth-movement-sevian-wins-chicago-open-im-awonder-liang-scores-final-gm-norm/