2026 Stenberg Cup - Expert Section
6 players participated in this 5-round tournament, held from 27 Mar 2026 to 29 Mar 2026 in Edina, MN, United States. 1 titled players from 2 federations. Top 10 Elo average was 1585, and top seed was Dane Zagar (🇺🇸 USA, 1982).
Irene Jiao Fei (🇺🇸 USA, CM, 1973) won with 4.0/5, ahead of Aaron C Jing (3.0) and Dane Zagar (3.0). Fei won solo starting round 2.
The biggest upset came in round 4: Aaron C Jing (1843) beat Dane Zagar (1982), a +139-point gap.
- 🥇
- 🥈
- 🥉
How it unfolded
Top 6 · 5 roundsCM Irene Jiao Fei led from R2 onwards, the runner-up race stayed tight.
CM Irene Jiao Fei never relinquished the lead after R2; final gap +1.0 over the runner-up.
CM Irene Jiao Fei opens a +1.5-point gap over the chasing pack (closest: Aaron C Jing); the title is out of reach before R5.
CM Irene Jiao Fei beat Aaron C Jing (White).
Cross-table
| # | Player | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Pts | SB | Bh | Δ Elo | Perf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸CMFei, Irene Jiao | 1973 | * | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 4.0 | 8.75 | 11.0 | +20.8 | 2077 |
| 2 | 🇺🇸Jing, Aaron C | 1843 | 0 | * | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 3.0 | 6.25 | 12.0 | +18.0 | 2011 |
| 3 | 🇺🇸Zagar, Dane | 1982 | ½ | 0 | * | 1 | 1 | ½ | 3.0 | 6.25 | 12.0 | -10.8 | 1881 |
| 4 | 🇺🇸Billmeier, Richard | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | * | 1 | ½ | 2.0 | 3.75 | 13.0 | 0.0 | 1829 |
| 5 | 🇺🇸Harrison, Ethan | 1910 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | * | ½ | 1.5 | 4.25 | 13.5 | -22.0 | 1813 |
| 6 | 🇸🇪Persson, Jonas | 1802 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | 1.5 | 3.25 | 13.5 | -13.2 | 1733 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Fei, Irene JiaoCMUSA+20.84.0 pts · #1
- 2Jing, Aaron CUSA+18.03.0 pts · #2
- 3Billmeier, RichardUSA0.02.0 pts · #4
- 1Harrison, EthanUSA-22.01.5 pts · #5
- 2Persson, JonasSWE-13.21.5 pts · #6
- 3Zagar, DaneUSA-10.83.0 pts · #3
- R4+139 Elo gap