Recently turned expert, Austin Hughes, swept the field in the open section last Sunday. Having no one left to beat after the first three victories, he had to play his own brother in the final round. Austin will be playing in the State Candidates tournament in June 20-21th against the state's top masters.

The Junior Qualifier this year attracted a little more than 40 entries. While most were local to Southern California there were two brothers who came all the from Arizona to match against top locals. In the four section, two rated events were divided by rating - Open and an U1200. The unrated section was cut by grade level. In all the divisions, we saw a handful of brave souls who moved up a level. The challenge is what keeps these youngsters coming back! Well the large trophies were helpful too.

Although the late start worried some, the event finished on time with the double time efforts of the staff. Co-TD, Kele Perkins prompted the posting of the next round's pairings as soon as they were complete. Immediately after the four rounds cleared the way for the winners, one section's awards cermemony was finished by 3PM. Lunch duties were handled by Whittier Alumni's - Corey, Bianca, and Chris.

The wonderful venue at the Whittier High School Library was made possible with the help of teacher Kele Perkins. Book surrounded the playing area that could potentially hold up to a hundred players!

Armon (L) looks on with disbelief as Sakshi (R) gets her third victory in the Amateur section.