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Norman "Pete" Rogers bags 1st IM norm at Philly's World Open!! |
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When NM Norman "Pete" Rogers sent IM Nikolay Andrianov packing his bags after the second round, one could sense something special was about to happen. The Philadelphia native scored 3-1 against IMs enroute to a 6½-2½ result, 2nd place overall. . . and his first IM norm! In fact "Pete" clinched his norm with one round to spare by toppling IM John Donaldson in a tricky rook and pawn ending. Reflecting on his result, Pete told the Drum that his most satisfying win was against the young IM from Zambia, Amon Simutowe. In this exciting encounter filled with tactics, Pete sacked his queen for three minor pieces and finished IM Simutowe in impressive style. |
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While Pete denied having any special preparation for this tournament, he makes extensive use of ChessBase. In his game against Simutowe, he stated that his Qe2! was a theoretical novelty and Rd1! may have been the key move. Many years ago, Pete qualified for the FM title, but the U.S. Chess Federation never sent in for his application. He has also missed IM norms by the narrowest of margins. In the last New York Open he beat three IMs, but did not have a high enough performance rating to qualify for the norm. He told the Drum that he has only has a desire to win the IM and finally the GM title. If his World Open performance is any indication of future results, then Philly will soon be the home of another International Master! Congratulations Pete!! |
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