By Damian Nash, Assistant Arbiter

Metropolitan Chess, Inc. has created a mini Mecca for young Americans to play high-level chess and earn FIDE norms with his Metropolitan Chess tournament series. He attracted ten GMs to this year’s major tournament, including Timur Gareyev, Robert Hess, Varuzhan Akobian, Alexander Shabalov, Melikset Khachiyan and GM-elect Enrico Sevillano of the USA, Elshan Moradiabidi from Iran, Dejan Bojkov of Bulgaria, Mesgen Amanov of Turkmenistan, and Gildardo Garcia of Colombia. Eleven IMs also enrolled.

They face many young norm seekers, including a huge number of the top masters in the USA from several age groups. Age 11: Sam Sevian, and Cameron Wheeler. Age 12: Jonathan Chiang and FM Tommy He. 13: Luke Harmon-Velotti. 14: Michael Brown, FM Kayden Troff, Kevin Wang, Varun Krishnan and Yusheng Xia. 15: IM Darwin Yang, FM Yian Liou, Sean Vibbert, and the top US girl under 16, WCM Sara Chiang. 17: FM Gregory Young and FM Adarsh Jayakumar. 19: FM Konstantin Kavutskiy.

After four rounds GMs Varuzhan Akobian and Elshan Moradiabidi share the lead with 3.5 points, with IMs Mackenzie Molner, Darwin Yang and Luca Shytaj joining six GMs at 3 points. Kevin Wang, Kayden Troff and Sam Sevian have each upset a GM in the early rounds. Meanwhile, California legend IM Jack Peters has turned in some crowd-pleasing games, like this draw with GM Bojkov:

Bojkov,Dejan (2556) - Peters,Jack (2355)
2nd Metropolitan International (2), 15.08.2012

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d3 Bg7 6.h3 Nf6 7.Nc3 e5 8.Be3 Qe7 9.Qd2 h6 10.0–0 g5 11.a3 g4 12.hxg4 Bxg4 13.Nh2 Be6 14.Na4 b6 15.Qc3 Nh5 16.b4 Rg8 17.Qd2 c4 18.dxc4 Bxc4 19.Rfd1 Nf4 20.Nb2 Be2 21.Re1 Rd8 22.Qc3 Qe6 23.Nf1 Nxg2 24.Kxg2 Qg4+ 25.Ng3 Bf3+ 26.Kh2 Qh4+ 27.Kg1 Bf6 28.Bg5 Bxg5 29.Qxf3 Bf4 30.Re3 Rd2 31.Nc4 Rd4 32.Rc3 Bxg3 33.fxg3 Rxc4 34.Rf1 f5 35.Qxf5 Rxg3+ 36.Rxg3 Qxg3+ 37.Kh1 Qh4+ 38.Kg1 Qg5+ 39.Qxg5 hxg5 40.Rf5 Rxe4 41.Rxg5 Kf7 42.Rh5 Ke6 43.Rh7 a5 44.Rb7 axb4 45.Rxb6 Kd5 46.axb4 Rc4 47.Kf2 Ke4 48.Ke2 Rxc2+ 49.Kd1 Rc4 50.b5 c5 51.Rd6 Ke3 52.b6 Rb4 53.Kc2 e4 54.Rh6 Kf2 55.Rh2+ Kg3 56.Rh6 Kf2 57.Rh2+ Kg3 Ѕ–Ѕ

Randall Hough is the Chief Arbiter.

Tournament cross-table: http://www.metrochessla.com/schedule.php