The Midwest Open, held on February 1st and 2nd, brought together fierce competitors and an
enthusiastic community in a weekend filled with high-stakes matches, excellent hospitality, and top-tier organization. Though the tournament faced early logistical challenges, quick action from tournament directors Ragnarr Marksenn and David Householder kept things on track, ensuring an exciting and competitive event.
One of the highlights beyond the board was the food, which received high praise from players and attendees. Saturday featured jambalaya with a choice of protein, while Sunday saw a diverse spread of Mapo tofu, braised pork, squash, and curry served with rice. “If there was any drawback, it was that the delicious food disappeared too quickly!” reports Tournament Organizer (TO) and Masters TD Jae Donley.
On the competition side, the matches were intense across all divisions. The Masters division saw Jeremy Chiu dominate with a perfect 5-0 record, followed closely by Albert Yen and Tianyuan Zhang, both finishing at 4-1.
Several key matches determined the final standings across divisions, including An Yen’s faceoff against Mitchell Schmeisser and Gary McIvor’s battle with Dino Wang in the Dan division. In the Advanced division, Erik Hansen edged out Katie Oh, while Intermediate division leader Ethan Shi secured his title in a crucial match against Ian Glenn.
The final rounds were streamed live by Michael Chen 1P, drawing praise for his insightful commentary and Jae Donley’s clean board overlay software. Dusty, a local Columbus player, called it "the cleanest live board commentary I’ve seen from an NA tournament."
For full standings and pairings, visit: Baduk Club. The final was streamed here: YouTube.
photos: top right: Masters top 3 with TO Jae Donley; middle right: Advanced div winners; bottom right: Dan winners; bottom middle: Intermediate winners; bottom left: Beginners winner; top left: watching the stream; photos by David Householder