Difference between revisions of "Chicago Open"
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| − | [[File:CO_travel_trophy.png|thumb|right|The CO traveling trophy, introduced in 2014, as held by [[Matt Bollinger]].]] | + | [[File:CO_travel_trophy.png|thumb|right|The (now lost) CO traveling trophy, introduced in 2014, as held by [[Matt Bollinger]].]] |
| − | '''Chicago Open''' (or '''CO''') is a summer open tournament held annually in the Chicago metropolitan area, generally occurring in the last week of July or first week of August. Its most distinguishing | + | '''Chicago Open''' (or '''CO''') is a summer open tournament held annually in the Chicago metropolitan area, generally occurring in the last week of July or first week of August. Its most distinguishing features are its extremely high difficulty (often more difficult than the year's [[ICT]] or [[ACF Nationals]]) and its extremely competitive field, which usually make Chicago Open the most challenging all-subject set of the calendar year. |
| + | |||
| + | A true open tournament, Chicago Open attracts current college players, retired or graduated players, and, occasionally, ambitious high school (or middle school) players. Participants generally play on mixed teams not limited by school affiliation. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Because the CO field draws a field from across the continent (and sometimes the [[UK]]), it is typicaly not [[mirror]]ed elsewhere. From 2005 to 2009, [[Berkeley]] hosted a small West Coast mirror called [[BASQUE]]. Mid-Atlantic mirrors existed at various points in the early to mid-2000s [https://discord.com/channels/275279348855209984/275279348855209984/1005880322254176266], with the largest being run for several years under the name "Presidential Open" at [[George Washington]] as part of well-attended weekends that also included a trash tournament and side events. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==History== | ||
The first Chicago Open was held in 1999 as the successor to '''Virginia Open''', a similar tournament held at [[Virginia]] in 1997 and 1998. After many years under the stewardship of first [[Andrew Yaphe]] and then [[Subash Maddipotti]], its editorship has rotated based on the interest and availability of well-regarded editors and players, with each new editor or editing team approved by its predecessor. After some early house-written events, CO has established itself as a true [[packet-submission]] event, for which every participating team must write a packet. | The first Chicago Open was held in 1999 as the successor to '''Virginia Open''', a similar tournament held at [[Virginia]] in 1997 and 1998. After many years under the stewardship of first [[Andrew Yaphe]] and then [[Subash Maddipotti]], its editorship has rotated based on the interest and availability of well-regarded editors and players, with each new editor or editing team approved by its predecessor. After some early house-written events, CO has established itself as a true [[packet-submission]] event, for which every participating team must write a packet. | ||
| − | + | From 1999 to 2017, every instance of CO was hosted at [[Chicago|The University of Chicago]]. Due to changes in room reservation policy, the tournament moved to [[Northwestern University]] for the first time in 2018 and has been held there ever since. Jocular references to recent instances of the tournament as "Chicanston Open" or "Evanston Open" are largely discouraged. | |
| + | |||
| + | In most years through 2015 (except 2009), the tournament was a full round-robin among all participating teams, which often lasted well into the evening. Since 2016, the event has run a shorter schedule using preliminary [[bracket]]s and crossover games due to the demands of a growing field. (This did not, however, stop the 2018 iteration from going past 11 p.m., or the 2022 iteration from going slightly past midnight.) | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Unusual prizes=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | In 2014, [[Andrew Hart]] introduced a traveling trophy, which the aim being that a member of the winning team would get to keep until the next year's CO is held. It disappeared quickly and its current whereabouts are uncertain. | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[File:Blahaj.png|thumb|right|Four stuffed Blåhaj awarded at CO 2023]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | In 2023, tournament director [[Em Gunter]] awarded a small stuffed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blåhaj Blåhaj] shark to each member of the winning team. | ||
| + | |||
| − | + | ==Side events== | |
| − | + | Chicago Open typically occurs alongside several side events; these have included a roughly biennial [[CO Trash|trash]] tournament and subject tournaments in [[Science Monstrosity|science]], [[Chicago Open History Tournament|history]], [[Chicago Open Literature Tournament|literature]], and, more recently, a variety of arts events. Since 2011, the main tournament has stood alone on Saturday, with all side events occurring on Sunday. | |
| − | |||
==Table of Champions== | ==Table of Champions== | ||
| Line 105: | Line 121: | ||
| [[Selene Koo]], [[Mike Sorice]], [[Seth Teitler]], [[Andrew Yaphe]] | | [[Selene Koo]], [[Mike Sorice]], [[Seth Teitler]], [[Andrew Yaphe]] | ||
| [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/2227/stats/final_stats/ Stats] | | [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/2227/stats/final_stats/ Stats] | ||
| − | | [[Ryan Westbrook]] (head editor) | + | | [[Ryan Westbrook]] (head editor), [[Matt Keller]] |
|- | |- | ||
| [[2009 Chicago Open]] | | [[2009 Chicago Open]] | ||
| Line 126: | Line 142: | ||
| [[Matt Weiner]], [[Matt Bollinger]], [[John Lawrence]], [[Gautam Kandlikar]] | | [[Matt Weiner]], [[Matt Bollinger]], [[John Lawrence]], [[Gautam Kandlikar]] | ||
| [http://results.scobo.net/SQBS.aspx?org=Durgin&id=1&page=standings Stats] | | [http://results.scobo.net/SQBS.aspx?org=Durgin&id=1&page=standings Stats] | ||
| − | | [[Ryan Westbrook]] | + | | [[Ryan Westbrook]] (head editor), [[Mia Nussbaum]], [[SteveJon Guth]], [[Eric Mukherjee]] (contributor) |
|- | |- | ||
| [[2012 Chicago Open]] | | [[2012 Chicago Open]] | ||
| Line 133: | Line 149: | ||
| four-way tie; by PPG [[Jeff Hoppes]], [[Gautam Kandlikar]], [[Andrew Hart]], [[Mike Sorice]] | | four-way tie; by PPG [[Jeff Hoppes]], [[Gautam Kandlikar]], [[Andrew Hart]], [[Mike Sorice]] | ||
| [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/1012/stats/final_stats/ Stats] | | [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/1012/stats/final_stats/ Stats] | ||
| − | | [[Ryan Westbrook]] and [[Mike Bentley]] (head editors) | + | | [[Ryan Westbrook]] and [[Mike Bentley]] (head editors), [[Aaron Rosenberg]], [[SteveJon Guth]], [[Ted Gioia]] |
|- | |- | ||
| [[2013 Chicago Open]] | | [[2013 Chicago Open]] | ||
| Line 140: | Line 156: | ||
| four-way tie; by PPG [[Rob Carson]], [[Auroni Gupta]], [[Ike Jose]], [[Jerry Vinokurov]] | | four-way tie; by PPG [[Rob Carson]], [[Auroni Gupta]], [[Ike Jose]], [[Jerry Vinokurov]] | ||
| [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/1545/stats/chicago_open_2013_all_games/ Stats] | | [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/1545/stats/chicago_open_2013_all_games/ Stats] | ||
| − | | [[Matt Bollinger]] (head editor), [[Kevin Koai]], [[Sinan Ulusoy | + | | [[Matt Bollinger]] (head editor), [[Kevin Koai]], [[Sinan Ulusoy]], [[Libo Zeng]], [[Sriram Pendyala]], [[Dennis Loo]], [[Matt Jackson]] |
|- | |- | ||
| [[2014 Chicago Open]] | | [[2014 Chicago Open]] | ||
| Line 154: | Line 170: | ||
| [[Jordan Brownstein]], [[John Lawrence]], [[Seth Teitler]], [[Selene Koo]] | | [[Jordan Brownstein]], [[John Lawrence]], [[Seth Teitler]], [[Selene Koo]] | ||
| [http://www.qbwiki.com/statistics/2015-chicago-open/2015_Chicago_Open_standings.html Stats] | | [http://www.qbwiki.com/statistics/2015-chicago-open/2015_Chicago_Open_standings.html Stats] | ||
| − | | [[Jerry Vinokurov]], [[Eric Mukherjee]], [[Aaron Rosenberg]], [[Zeke Berdichevsky]], [[Jonathan Magin]], and [[Rebecca Maxfield]] | + | | [[Jerry Vinokurov]] (''de facto'' head editor), [[Eric Mukherjee]], [[Aaron Rosenberg]], [[Zeke Berdichevsky]], [[Jonathan Magin]], and [[Rebecca Maxfield]] |
|- | |- | ||
| [[2016 Chicago Open]] | | [[2016 Chicago Open]] | ||
| Line 161: | Line 177: | ||
| tie; by PPG [[Auroni Gupta]], [[Ike Jose]], [[Brian McPeak]], [[Chris Ray]] | | tie; by PPG [[Auroni Gupta]], [[Ike Jose]], [[Brian McPeak]], [[Chris Ray]] | ||
| [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/3794/stats/combined/ Stats] | | [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/3794/stats/combined/ Stats] | ||
| − | | [[John Lawrence]], [[Matt Jackson]], [[Mike Cheyne]], [[Aaron Rosenberg]], [[Adam Silverman]], [[Mike Bentley]], [[Jake Sundberg]], and [[Shan Kothari]] | + | | [[John Lawrence]] (''de facto'' co-head editor), [[Matt Jackson]] (''de facto'' co-head editor), [[Mike Cheyne]], [[Aaron Rosenberg]], [[Adam Silverman]], [[Mike Bentley]], [[Jake Sundberg]], and [[Shan Kothari]] |
|- | |- | ||
| [[2017 Chicago Open]] | | [[2017 Chicago Open]] | ||
| Line 182: | Line 198: | ||
| [[Mike Bentley]], [[Matt Bollinger]], [[Mike Cheyne]], and [[Shan Kothari]] | | [[Mike Bentley]], [[Matt Bollinger]], [[Mike Cheyne]], and [[Shan Kothari]] | ||
| [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/5853/stats Stats] | | [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/5853/stats Stats] | ||
| − | | [[Chris Ray]] | + | | [[Chris Ray]] (co-head editor), [[Jacob Reed]] (co-head editor), [[Alston Boyd]], [[Will Holub-Moorman]], [[Wonyoung Jang]], [[Michael Kearney]], [[Jonathan Magin]], and [[Sriram Pendyala]] |
|- | |- | ||
| [[2021 Chicago Open]]* | | [[2021 Chicago Open]]* | ||
| Line 189: | Line 205: | ||
| tie; by PPG [[Matt Weiner]], [[Aseem Keyal]], [[Taylor Harvey]], [[Rahul Keyal]] | | tie; by PPG [[Matt Weiner]], [[Aseem Keyal]], [[Taylor Harvey]], [[Rahul Keyal]] | ||
| [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/7048/ Stats] | | [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/7048/ Stats] | ||
| − | | [[Will Alston]] (head editor), [[Ike Jose]], [[Itamar Naveh-Benjamin]], [[ | + | | [[Will Alston]] (head editor), [[Ike Jose]], [[Itamar Naveh-Benjamin]], [[Eleanor Settle]], [[Eric Mukherjee]], and [[Brad McLain|Brad Maclaine]] |
| + | |- | ||
| + | | [[2022 Chicago Open]]* | ||
| + | | 27 | ||
| + | | [[Jordan Brownstein]], [[Nick Jensen]], [[Taylor Harvey]], [[Eleanor Settle]] | ||
| + | | [[Matt Bollinger]], [[Natan Holtzman]], [[Aseem Keyal]], [[Daniel Hothem]] (feat. [[Carsten Gehring]]) | ||
| + | | [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/7585/ Stats] | ||
| + | | [[Austin Brownlow]] (co-head editor), [[Kurtis Droge]] (co-head editor), [[Eddie Kim]], [[Young Fenimore Lee]], [[Sameer Apte]], [[Shan Kothari]], [[Vincent Du]], [[Ashish Subramanian]], and [[Alistair Gray]] | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | [[2023 Chicago Open]]* | ||
| + | | 20 | ||
| + | | [[Jordan Brownstein]], [[Matt Jackson]], [[Geoffrey Chen]], [[Will Nediger]] | ||
| + | | [[Nick Jensen]], [[Aseem Keyal]], [[Tracy Mirkin]], [[Adam Fine]] | ||
| + | | [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/8262/ Stats] | ||
| + | | [[Alex Fregeau]] (co-head editor), [[Henry Atkins]] (co-head editor), [[Arya Karthik]], [[David Bass]], [[Itamar Naveh-Benjamin]], [[Gerhardt Hinkle]], [[Dan Ni]], [[Alistair Gray]], [[Davis Everson-Rose]], [[Jacob Egol]], [[Ganon Evans]], [[Victor Pavao]], [[Kevin Thomas]], [[Ryan Rosenberg]], [[Caleb Kendrick]], various writers [https://hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26748] | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | [[2024 Chicago Open]]* | ||
| + | | 30 | ||
| + | | [[Will Alston]], [[Matt Jackson]], [[Nick Jensen]], [[Eric Mukherjee]] | ||
| + | | [[Matt Bollinger]], [[Billy Busse]], [[John Lawrence]], [[Tejas Raje]] | ||
| + | | [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/9002/ Stats] | ||
| + | | [[Jordan Brownstein]] (head editor), [[Delia Cropper]], [[Jeremy Cummings]], [[Joey Goldman]], [[Ryan Humphrey]], [[Ophir Lifshitz]], [[Ani Perumalla]], [[Dan Ni]], [[Kevin Park]], [[Eleanor Settle]], various writers [https://hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28168] | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | [[2025 Chicago Open]]* | ||
| + | | 24 | ||
| + | | [[Matt Bollinger]], [[Billy Busse]], [[Tim Morrison]], [[Tejas Raje]] | ||
| + | | [[Jordan Brownstein]], [[Naveed Chowdhury]], [[Ophir Lifshitz]], [[Kevin Wang]] | ||
| + | | [https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/9762/ Stats] | ||
| + | | [[Ryan Rosenberg]] (head editor), [[Delia Cropper]], [[Vincent Du]], [[Jacob Egol]], [[Taylor Harvey]], [[Caroline Mao]], [[Grant Peet]], [[Adam Silverman]], [[Chris Sims]], [[Kevin Thomas]], [[Forrest Weintraub]], various writers [https://hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28242] | ||
|} | |} | ||
| Line 207: | Line 251: | ||
==Victories by Player== | ==Victories by Player== | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
| − | ! | + | ! <span style="font-size:80%"># of Wins</span> |
! Players | ! Players | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | | | + | | 1 |
| − | | [[Albert Whited]] <small>(1999)</small>, [[Mike Angel]] <small>(2001)</small>, [[Dave Hamilton]] <small>(2001)</small>, [[Chris Borglum]] <small>(2003)</small>, [[Raj Dhuwalia]] <small>(2003)</small>, [[Seth Kendall]] <small>(2003)</small>, [[Kelly McKenzie]] <small>(2003)</small>, [[Paul Litvak]] <small>(2004)</small>, [[Matt Lafer]] <small>(2006)</small>, [[Dave Rappaport]] <small>(2006)</small>, [[Will Turner]] <small>(2006)</small>, [[Sudheer Potru]] <small>(2007)</small>, [[Jonathan Magin]] <small>(2008)</small>, [[Jerry Vinokurov]] <small>(2008)</small>, [[Brendan Byrne]] <small>(2009)</small>, [[Rob Carson]] <small>(2009)</small>, [[Kevin Koai]] <small>(2010)</small>, [[Richard Mason]] <small>(2010)</small>, [[Dallas Simons]] <small>(2010)</small>, [[Chris Ray]] <small>(2012)</small>, [[Evan Adams]] <small>(2014)</small>, [[ | + | | [[Albert Whited]] <small>(1999)</small>, [[Mike Angel]] <small>(2001)</small>, [[Dave Hamilton]] <small>(2001)</small>, [[Chris Borglum]] <small>(2003)</small>, [[Raj Dhuwalia]] <small>(2003)</small>, [[Seth Kendall]] <small>(2003)</small>, [[Kelly McKenzie]] <small>(2003)</small>, [[Paul Litvak]] <small>(2004)</small>, [[Matt Lafer]] <small>(2006)</small>, [[Dave Rappaport]] <small>(2006)</small>, [[Will Turner]] <small>(2006)</small>, [[Sudheer Potru]] <small>(2007)</small>, [[Jonathan Magin]] <small>(2008)</small>, [[Jerry Vinokurov]] <small>(2008)</small>, [[Brendan Byrne]] <small>(2009)</small>, [[Rob Carson]] <small>(2009)</small>, [[Kevin Koai]] <small>(2010)</small>, [[Richard Mason]] <small>(2010)</small>, [[Dallas Simons]] <small>(2010)</small>, [[Chris Ray]] <small>(2012)</small>, [[Evan Adams]] <small>(2014)</small>, [[Jacob Reed]] <small>(2016)</small>, [[Shan Kothari]] <small>(2018)</small>, [[Adam Silverman]] <small>(2018)</small>, [[Adam S. Fine]] <small>(2019)</small>, [[Jakob Myers]] <small>(2019)</small>, [[Clark Smith]] <small>(2019)</small>, [[Andrew Wang]] <small>(2021)</small>, [[Ophir Lifshitz]] <small>(2021)</small>, [[Taylor Harvey]] <small>(2022)</small>, [[Eleanor Settle]] <small>(2022)</small>, [[Geoffrey Chen]] <small>(2023)</small>, [[Billy Busse]] <small>(2025)</small>, [[Tim Morrison]] <small>(2025)</small>, [[Tejas Raje]] <small>(2025)</small> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | | + | | 2 |
| − | | [[Tom Waters]] <small>(1998–99)</small>, [[R. Hentzel]] <small>(2000, 2002)</small>, [[Emily Pike]] <small>(2000, 2002)</small>, [[Ezequiel Berdichevsky]] <small>(2001, 2005)</small>, [[Mike Sorice]] <small>(2005, 2007)</small>, [[Andrew Ullsperger]] <small>(2005, 2007)</small>, [[Andrew Hart]] <small>(2009, 2011)</small>, [[Selene Koo]] <small>(2011, 2013)</small>, [[John Lawrence]] <small>(2012–13)</small>, [[Tommy Casalaspi]] <small>(2014–15)</small>, [[Will | + | | [[Tom Waters]] <small>(1998–99)</small>, [[R. Hentzel]] <small>(2000, 2002)</small>, [[Emily Pike]] <small>(2000, 2002)</small>, [[Ezequiel Berdichevsky]] <small>(2001, 2005)</small>, [[Mike Sorice]] <small>(2005, 2007)</small>, [[Andrew Ullsperger]] <small>(2005, 2007)</small>, [[Andrew Hart]] <small>(2009, 2011)</small>, [[Selene Koo]] <small>(2011, 2013)</small>, [[John Lawrence]] <small>(2012–13)</small>, [[Tommy Casalaspi]] <small>(2014–15)</small>, [[Will Alston]] <small>(2017, 2024)</small>, [[Nick Jensen]] <small>(2022, 2024)</small> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | | + | | 3 |
| − | | [[Eric Hillemann]] <small>(1998, 2000, 2002)</small>, [[Andrew Yaphe]] <small>(2001, 2004, 2006)</small>, [[Jeff Hoppes]] <small>(2004, 2011, 2013)</small>, [[Seth Teitler]] <small>(2004, 2011, 2013)</small>, [[Auroni Gupta]] <small>(2015, 2017, 2019)</small> | + | | [[Eric Hillemann]] <small>(1998, 2000, 2002)</small>, [[Andrew Yaphe]] <small>(2001, 2004, 2006)</small>, [[Jeff Hoppes]] <small>(2004, 2011, 2013)</small>, [[Seth Teitler]] <small>(2004, 2011, 2013)</small>, [[Auroni Gupta]] <small>(2015, 2017, 2019)</small>, [[Will Nediger]] <small>(2016-17, 2023)</small>, [[Matt Jackson]] <small>(2015, 2023-24)</small> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | | + | | 4 |
| − | | [[ | + | | [[Jordan Brownstein]] <small>(2016, 2021-23)</small> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | | + | | 5 |
| − | | | + | | [[Eric Mukherjee]] <small>(2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2024)</small> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | | + | | 6 |
| − | | [[Matt Weiner]] <small>(2005, 2007–10, 2018 | + | | [[Matt Weiner]] <small>(2005, 2007–10, 2018)</small> |
|- | |- | ||
| + | | 7 | ||
| + | | [[Matt Bollinger]] <small>(2012, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2021, 2025)</small> | ||
|} | |} | ||
===Trivia=== | ===Trivia=== | ||
| − | To the dismay of editors who labored over finals packets, a team [[cleared the field]] at every Chicago Open from 2012 through 2017. | + | *To the dismay of editors who labored over finals packets, a team [[cleared the field]] at every Chicago Open from 2012 through 2017. |
| + | *Youngest-ever winning team members: Clark Smith (won in the summer after freshman year of college), Jakob Myers (won in the summer after sophomore year), at least five people who won after their junior year | ||
| + | *Oldest-ever winning team member: Eric Hillemann (was 44, give or take a year, when he last won in 2002). No one else has ever won past age 40, assuming Tom Waters and Albert Whited entered college around the traditional age. | ||
| + | *Played in 10 or more Chicago Opens: Matt Lafer (at least 21, possibly all 24 tournaments held since 2001?), Matt Weiner (17), Mike Bentley (17), Mike Cheyne (16), Rob Carson (16), Mike Sorice (at least 15), Chris Borglum (at least 15), Andrew Hart (15), Chris Ray (14), Matt Bollinger (13), John Lawrence (13), Jerry Vinokurov (at least 13), Will Alston (12), Billy Busse (12), Jonathan Magin (12), Charles Hang (11), Eric Mukherjee (11), Auroni Gupta (11), Tejas Raje (11), Ike Jose (10), Ryan Westbrook (10) | ||
Latest revision as of 16:06, 14 October 2025
Chicago Open (or CO) is a summer open tournament held annually in the Chicago metropolitan area, generally occurring in the last week of July or first week of August. Its most distinguishing features are its extremely high difficulty (often more difficult than the year's ICT or ACF Nationals) and its extremely competitive field, which usually make Chicago Open the most challenging all-subject set of the calendar year.
A true open tournament, Chicago Open attracts current college players, retired or graduated players, and, occasionally, ambitious high school (or middle school) players. Participants generally play on mixed teams not limited by school affiliation.
Because the CO field draws a field from across the continent (and sometimes the UK), it is typicaly not mirrored elsewhere. From 2005 to 2009, Berkeley hosted a small West Coast mirror called BASQUE. Mid-Atlantic mirrors existed at various points in the early to mid-2000s [1], with the largest being run for several years under the name "Presidential Open" at George Washington as part of well-attended weekends that also included a trash tournament and side events.
History
The first Chicago Open was held in 1999 as the successor to Virginia Open, a similar tournament held at Virginia in 1997 and 1998. After many years under the stewardship of first Andrew Yaphe and then Subash Maddipotti, its editorship has rotated based on the interest and availability of well-regarded editors and players, with each new editor or editing team approved by its predecessor. After some early house-written events, CO has established itself as a true packet-submission event, for which every participating team must write a packet.
From 1999 to 2017, every instance of CO was hosted at The University of Chicago. Due to changes in room reservation policy, the tournament moved to Northwestern University for the first time in 2018 and has been held there ever since. Jocular references to recent instances of the tournament as "Chicanston Open" or "Evanston Open" are largely discouraged.
In most years through 2015 (except 2009), the tournament was a full round-robin among all participating teams, which often lasted well into the evening. Since 2016, the event has run a shorter schedule using preliminary brackets and crossover games due to the demands of a growing field. (This did not, however, stop the 2018 iteration from going past 11 p.m., or the 2022 iteration from going slightly past midnight.)
Unusual prizes
In 2014, Andrew Hart introduced a traveling trophy, which the aim being that a member of the winning team would get to keep until the next year's CO is held. It disappeared quickly and its current whereabouts are uncertain.
In 2023, tournament director Em Gunter awarded a small stuffed Blåhaj shark to each member of the winning team.
Side events
Chicago Open typically occurs alongside several side events; these have included a roughly biennial trash tournament and subject tournaments in science, history, literature, and, more recently, a variety of arts events. Since 2011, the main tournament has stood alone on Saturday, with all side events occurring on Sunday.
Table of Champions
* Tournament held at Northwestern
† Broken stats link
Victories by Player
| # of Wins | Players |
|---|---|
| 1 | Albert Whited (1999), Mike Angel (2001), Dave Hamilton (2001), Chris Borglum (2003), Raj Dhuwalia (2003), Seth Kendall (2003), Kelly McKenzie (2003), Paul Litvak (2004), Matt Lafer (2006), Dave Rappaport (2006), Will Turner (2006), Sudheer Potru (2007), Jonathan Magin (2008), Jerry Vinokurov (2008), Brendan Byrne (2009), Rob Carson (2009), Kevin Koai (2010), Richard Mason (2010), Dallas Simons (2010), Chris Ray (2012), Evan Adams (2014), Jacob Reed (2016), Shan Kothari (2018), Adam Silverman (2018), Adam S. Fine (2019), Jakob Myers (2019), Clark Smith (2019), Andrew Wang (2021), Ophir Lifshitz (2021), Taylor Harvey (2022), Eleanor Settle (2022), Geoffrey Chen (2023), Billy Busse (2025), Tim Morrison (2025), Tejas Raje (2025) |
| 2 | Tom Waters (1998–99), R. Hentzel (2000, 2002), Emily Pike (2000, 2002), Ezequiel Berdichevsky (2001, 2005), Mike Sorice (2005, 2007), Andrew Ullsperger (2005, 2007), Andrew Hart (2009, 2011), Selene Koo (2011, 2013), John Lawrence (2012–13), Tommy Casalaspi (2014–15), Will Alston (2017, 2024), Nick Jensen (2022, 2024) |
| 3 | Eric Hillemann (1998, 2000, 2002), Andrew Yaphe (2001, 2004, 2006), Jeff Hoppes (2004, 2011, 2013), Seth Teitler (2004, 2011, 2013), Auroni Gupta (2015, 2017, 2019), Will Nediger (2016-17, 2023), Matt Jackson (2015, 2023-24) |
| 4 | Jordan Brownstein (2016, 2021-23) |
| 5 | Eric Mukherjee (2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2024) |
| 6 | Matt Weiner (2005, 2007–10, 2018) |
| 7 | Matt Bollinger (2012, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2021, 2025) |
Trivia
- To the dismay of editors who labored over finals packets, a team cleared the field at every Chicago Open from 2012 through 2017.
- Youngest-ever winning team members: Clark Smith (won in the summer after freshman year of college), Jakob Myers (won in the summer after sophomore year), at least five people who won after their junior year
- Oldest-ever winning team member: Eric Hillemann (was 44, give or take a year, when he last won in 2002). No one else has ever won past age 40, assuming Tom Waters and Albert Whited entered college around the traditional age.
- Played in 10 or more Chicago Opens: Matt Lafer (at least 21, possibly all 24 tournaments held since 2001?), Matt Weiner (17), Mike Bentley (17), Mike Cheyne (16), Rob Carson (16), Mike Sorice (at least 15), Chris Borglum (at least 15), Andrew Hart (15), Chris Ray (14), Matt Bollinger (13), John Lawrence (13), Jerry Vinokurov (at least 13), Will Alston (12), Billy Busse (12), Jonathan Magin (12), Charles Hang (11), Eric Mukherjee (11), Auroni Gupta (11), Tejas Raje (11), Ike Jose (10), Ryan Westbrook (10)