Pagerols wins the January Thaw with 4.5 points
Twenty-six players participated in the 2020 January Thaw in Helena, the last weekend of January. Josep Companyo Pagerols (2057) took home top honors with 4.5 points, after overcoming a potential draw his final match, defeating Wilton Strickland (1947) on time. Companyo Pagerols , from Jackson, Wyoming was required to win the last round after drawing with Joshua Brown (1754) the previous evening. Darren Stacey (1721) and Dan Mattson (1698) split 2nd prize with 4.0 points each. The event was attended by three individuals playing in their first rated match – Mateo Jackson, Martin Richard, and Samuel Stolle – garnering 1.5, 1.0, and 0.5 points respectively. Isaac Boyd (879P) pulled off a surprise victory over Frank Miller (1380) inthe fourth round. Upstart Mateo Jackson (1200), from Lethbridge, Alberta, also pulled off a surprise draw his first round against Scott Caldwell (1754), during his first USCF rated event. Murray Strong was Tournament Director and Scott Caldwell Assistant TD. This was the largest field in the history of the January Thaw!