Sprenkle and Bemben Tops; Revnell Scores Two Huge Upset Wins

There was plenty of excitement at the Traverse City Challenge VI held on September 19, 2015 at the Grand Traverse Mall.  Congratulations to Dave Sprenkle who won the Open section with a perfect 3-0 and to Alex Bemben who won the Reserve section unbeaten with two draws and a win.

But everyone was talking about the monster performance turned in by long-time local player Joe Revnell.  Despite being the lowest rated player in the Open section, Joe notched back-to-back wins, first against Mike Williams and then against Greg Bailey to reach a blistering 2-0 start and face off against Dave Sprenkle in round three.  Joe’s been playing for a long time and none of us can recall a performance quite so startling.

Here is Joe’s win from Round 1.  Black carelessly allows the queenside to be opened up, after which White’s bishops have a field day.  (Notes by Mike Williams)

Complete list of winners:

OPEN SECTION

• 1st:  FM Dave Sprenkle, 3.0 ($67)
• 2nd:  Joe Revnell and Robert Bemben, 2.0 ($33 each)

RESERVE SECTION

• 1st:  Alex Bemben, 2.0 ($50)
• 2nd:  Sam Vorhauer and Thomas Seger, 1.5 ($25 each)

Our next tournament is scheduled for Saturday, November 21, 2015.  Hope to see lots of players there!