[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Dan Stock and Joe South are engaged in play, while Trenton Charleston can be seen in the background lifting a tile bag.]
With only two rounds remaining to be played, there are no remaining undefeated players in the tournament. Division A saw Mack ("Mack Truck") Meller fall to Joe South over the board. Nevertheless, Mack remains a game ahead of the field, with a comfortable spread lead as well. But there are four players who are merely one game back from Mack, so there is much still to be decided.
Yaacov Barak has pulled slightly ahead of the field, with a record of 4-1. But four players are right behind him at 3-2, and Tom Chang has a spread advantage at the moment, if he can catch up on win-loss.
Patrick Beatrez also suffered his first loss of the day in round 5, so that Division C now has three players with a 4-1 record: Penny Sitler (+360), Cecilia Huber (+235), and Patrick Beatrez (+196).
Round D is similarly competitive, with three players holding a 4-1 record: Meredith Cline (+358), Tina Yates (+321), and Gaurang Shah (+225).
Much will be decided in the final two rounds. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of the tournament.
Full standings as of the end of Round 5 follow:
Division A Round 5 Standings
Rnk Won-Lost Sprd Player
1 4.0-1.0 +496 Meller, Mack (A1)
2 3.0-2.0 +175 Charlson, Trenton (A3)
3 3.0-2.0 +44 Kopczak, Josh (A4)
4 3.0-2.0 +7 Ansell, Zachary (A2)
5 3.0-2.0 -10 South, Joe (A5)
6 2.0-3.0 -269 Stock, Daniel (A6)
7 1.0-4.0 -99 Stafford, Mike (A8)
8 1.0-4.0 -344 Krieger, Steve (A7)
Division B Round 5 Standings
Rnk Won-Lost Sprd Player
1 4.0-1.0 +173 Barak, Yaacov (B6)
2 3.0-2.0 +216 Chang, Tom (B5)
3 3.0-2.0 +146 Davis, Elizabeth (B3)
4 3.0-2.0 +109 Viebranz, George (B2)
5 3.0-2.0 -100 Swint, Flossie (B1)
6 2.0-3.0 -75 Rogers, Greg (B8)
7 1.0-4.0 -78 Sitler, Chris (B4)
8 1.0-4.0 -391 Wisseh, Elston (B7)
Division C Round 5 Standings
Rnk Won-Lost Sprd Player
1 4.0-1.0 +360 Sitler, Penny (C1)
2 4.0-1.0 +235 Huber, Cecilia (C8)
3 4.0-1.0 +196 Beatrez, Patrick (C3)
4 3.0-2.0 +98 Wivell, Ralph W (C4)
5 2.0-3.0 +18 Stock, Joyce (C6)
6 1.0-4.0 -159 Lease, Jacque (C2)
7 1.0-4.0 -332 Kerner, Diane (C7)
8 1.0-4.0-416 Courtney, C Donna (C5)
Division D Round 5 Standings
Rnk Won-Lost Sprd Player
1 4.0-1.0 +358 Cline, Meredith A (D3)
2 4.0-1.0 +321 Yates, Tina (D2)
3 4.0-1.0 +225 Shah, Gaurang (D8)
4 3.0-2.0 +144 Herzog, Michael (D4)
5 2.0-3.0 +87 Breitbeil, Connie (D1)
6 1.0-4.0 -256 Musser, Kathryn Jeanne (D7)
7 1.0-4.0 -375 Blackshear, Terry (D5)
8 1.0-4.0 -504 Christman, Margaret (D6)