Niemann-Maze 7th Sunway Sitges
Kudos to Hans Neimann for becoming a Grandmaster at age 17. Today it is not easy to find an over the board tournament during the pandemic, let alone win consistently after a long break from real competitive chess. It is refreshing to see a motivated young talent quickly climb the ranks.
In a year dominated by team Magnus online, it is pleasant to see select players return to the actual boards like salmon swimming upstream. 2020 was a very difficult year for everyone and hopefully 2021 will normalize. On a sad note, I am still reeling from the loss of my friend and colleague Charu Robinson. We taught chess in many schools, camps, and scholastic tournaments together over the years. He was admired, adored, and respected by his students. He will be greatly missed by the whole chess community.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/06/nyregion/charu-robinson-nyc-chess.html
