Himal Gusain dominates 1st Saint-Macaire Autumn Open 2023
IM Himal Gusain scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 1st Saint-Macaire Autumn Open 2023. He finished a half point ahead of the field. IM Floryan Eugene (FRA) scored sole 8/9 to secure second place. IM Radoslaw Barski (POL) scored 7/9 to be placed third. Himal's sole draw of the event was against the eventual runner-up, Floryan in the sixth round. He defeated the second runner-up, Barski in the fifth round. The total prize fund of the tournament was €5000. The first prize was €1000 and a trophy. This is Himal's sixth tournament triumph of the year, second in France. A couple of months ago, he won 14th Vaujany Open 2023. Photos: Tristan Roselle
Himal's sixth tournament triumph of 2023
IM Himal Gusain was the sole leader 7.5/8 heading into the final round. IM Floryan Eugene (FRA) was the only player trailing him by a half point 7/8. Himal defeated Tristan Roselle (FRA) in the final round to become clear champion. Floryan won against FM Nicolas Le Hetet (FRA) and IM Radoslaw Barski (POL) scored a victory against Sylvain Eche (FRA). Floryan finished second, Barski third.
Himal - Tristan, Round 9
In the final round, IM Himal Gusain (2437) faced the tournament organizer, Tristan Roselle (2178). The endgame continued 1.e6 Re5 2.g6 Kg4 3.Kg2 Re2+ and White went on to win the game. Try to find out a nice trick which Black missed instead of playing Re2+.
"Our organising team was delighted to have such a humble and sympathetic winner, and we hope that many Indian players will do us the honour of taking part in our next tournaments!" - Tristan Roselle.
Thanks to Tristan Roselle, tournament organizer, for sharing the photos and info about the event.
A total of 71 players including 3 IMs took part from five countries all over the world in this five-day nine round Rating Open tournament. It was organized by Tristan Roselle at Chateâu de Tardes in a medieval town named Saint-Macaire in France from 21st to 25th October 2023. The time control of the event was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move.
Final standings
| Pl | Nom | Elo | Cat. | Fede | Ligue | Club | Pts | Tr. | Cu. | Perf | |
| 1 | m | GUSAIN Himal | 2437 F | SenM |  | 8½ | 44½ | 43 | 2670 | ||
| 2 | m | EUGENE Floryan | 2426 F | SenM |  | PDL | Echiquier Club Le Mans | 8 | 45 | 42 | 2502 |
| 3 | m | BARSKI Radoslaw | 2440 F | SenM |  | 7 | 46 | 36 | 2388 | ||
| 4 | RODRIGUEZ Augustin | 2127 F | BenM | | NAQ | AGJA-Echiquier Aquitaine | 6½ | 44½ | 34 | 2131 | |
| 5 | MERLIN Paul | 1834 F | SenM | | NAQ | Union Saint Bruno-Bordeaux Echecs | 6½ | 39 | 33½ | 1984 | |
| 6 | f | LE HETET Nicolas | 2342 F | SenM | | NAQ | Echiquier Agenais | 6 | 44½ | 35½ | 2257 |
| 7 | ROSELLE Tristan | 2178 F | SenM | | NAQ | Sud Gironde Echecs | 6 | 43 | 32½ | 2209 | |
| 8 | DIEZ Agathe | 1896 F | CadF | | NAQ | AGJA-Echiquier Aquitaine | 6 | 43 | 31½ | 1942 | |
| 9 | GARRIDO Mihai | 1959 F | JunM | | NAQ | AGJA-Echiquier Aquitaine | 6 | 42½ | 33 | 2019 | |
| 10 | XANDRY Benny | 2016 F | SenM | | NAQ | Mimizan le Fou Ensable (ASEM) | 6 | 40½ | 32 | 1941 |
