Reply #11: Update (Sunday Night): Sadvakasov draws Shulman in Blitz Playoff to Win Foxwoods Open

[Jack Rabbit]

Kazakh grandmaster Darmen Sadvakasov, playing Black, drew reigning US champion Yury Shulman in a blitz playoff this evening to win the annual Foxwoods Open at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Shulman and Sadvakasov each finished the regularly scheduled nine rounds with 7½ points each. The blitz game was played under Armageddon rules. Shulman chose to take White with five minutes on his clock, leaving Sadvakasov with only three minutes but with the odds of the drawn game. The players agreed to a draw after 50 moves, technically making Black the winner.

Shulman won a blitz playoff with White at the end of last year's Foxwoods Open, which saw five players tie for first place.

Shulman led most of the way during tournament and defeated Sadvakasov in the fourth round. Sadvakasov had to score 4½ points in his last five game to force the playoff.

In other news from Foxwoods, New York high school athlete Robert Hess earned his third and final necessary grandmaster norm by scoring 6½ points out of nine. Hess already has his Elo score over the required 2500 and will be formally named a grandmaster later this year.