Jeffery Xiong nets another Chicago title!

Daaim Shabazz May 31, 2022

1 2,222 2 minutes read

Jeffrey Xiong won his second Chicago Open title after his 2015 breakthrough. At the 2022 Chicago Open, he finished on 7/9 along with three others but won the tiebreak battle. Xiong has made steady progress since then and had previously made the national team. With the addition of Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez, he will have to fight much harder to become a mainstay on Olympiad teams. There is a cadre of young stars looking to rise and Xiong is currently ranked 8th in the U.S. at 2688 FIDE.

GM Jeffery Xiong at 2019 World Cup
Photo by Kirill Merkuryev

Xiong held a 1/2-point lead with Awonder Liang, but there was a massive group on 6/8. GMs Jianchao Zhou, Aleksey Sorokin, Emilio Cordova, Timur Gareyev, Vladmir Akopian (not to be confused with Varuzhan Akobian) and International Master Viktor Matviishen, were all in the hunt. Xiong drew with Cordova to clinch a tie for first. Liang, who just completed his first year at the University of Chicago, had the last of his three half-point byes. This significantly hurt his tiebreak score. Xiong also had a bye in the 8th round, but still was able to get the better Bucholz by half a point.

African Diaspora

The African Diaspora came out in reasonable numbers, but only a handful were in the Open section. FM Tanitoluwa Adewumi played in the Open section (nine rounds) and came in 28th with 5.5/9 which was good for $750.00. Tani gained 128 Elo points in the New York Spring IM Invitational with 7/9 and carried the momentum into the Chicago Open. His biggest results were draws against GM Tigran K Harutyunian and IM-elect Joshua Posthuma. National Master Okechukwu Iwu scored 5/9 and rebounded after losing two of his first three games. Streaming star FM Jimmy Canty got 4/9 which is not the result he wanted, but he continues to strive for better results. IM Justus Williams got 3/6 before deciding to withdraw from the event.

FM James “That’s Not a Move” Canty
Photo by Nathan Kelly

As for the other sections (seven rounds)… in the under-2300, National Master James Neal scored 5/7 for 8th place. National Master Daniel Muhammad got 4/7 while Aderemi Adekola ended on 3/7. Zambia’s Kela Siame Kaulule ended on 1/4 after reentering the tournament. In the under-2100, Thomas Murphy tallied 5/7, Gene Scott had 4/7, Billy Turner go 3.5/6 before withdrawing. Chicago southside icon Sam Ford ended on 2.5/6. In the under-1900, Atty. George David got 4/6 before withdrawing, Chicago Corliss Alumni Madison Loftis scored a solid 4/7. Mulazim Muwwakkil got 3/7. In under-1700, Jermaine Howlett got 4.5/7 and was in the running for prize money before losing the last-round.