New York International Event Gives Local Players a Leg Up.

In its first three years, the New York International tournament provided local players with opportunities to earn norms for titles, sometimes while beating strong grandmasters. This year's competition, which ended Tuesday at the TriBeCa campus of St. John's University, was no exception. The winner was Robert Hungaski, an international master from Connecticut. He scored 8 out of 9 points and finished 1 1/2 points ahead of his nearest competitor, the grandmaster Jaan Ehlvest. Hungaski's performance earned him the second of the three norms needed for the grandmaster title. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]