61 players competed in the first ever Fairfax Open in Fairfax, Virginia. International Master Enkhbat Tegshsuren of Ellicott City, Maryland, won clear first in the Open Section with 3.5/4, securing first prize of $405 with a win over Fairfax’s FM Dov Gorman in the final round. Enkhbat’s only blemish was a draw hard earned by FM Allan Savage. Gorman, IM Oladapo Adu, and Expert Todd Trower shared second place with 3/4 to earn $151.67 each.
Elan Rodan won clear first in the Reserve (U2000) section with 3.5/4, with Lev Bagramian and Allan Lofdahl taking second and U1800 honors with 3/4. Jeremy Knox and Sahil Sinha shared top honors in the Booster (U1600) section with 3.5/4. Knox won with Black over previously unbeaten Kaizen Conroy in the last round. Conroy held onto top Class D honors, while Parv Ahuja and Wesley Freeman shared the top U1200 and Unrated prize, all with 3/4.
Organizer and director Brennan Price is pleased that the event was sufficiently successful that a small enhancement to the guaranteed $1750 prize fund could be paid. A second edition will be held in 2011, with the dates to be determined.