On The Scene: NCCA President Victor Beaman (R) travelled from afar to kick off the NC Grand Prix. He also helped direct the tournament.

Here Victor plays Elliot Fus a house game in round three.

Michael Clay (L) and Derek Chen chess it up in round three.

Tricky Ricky: Asheboro's own Rick Upchurch has an annoying habit of never quite losing. Here he squares off with third round opponent Anish Kottu.

All Out Attack!? Kenny Felder (L) describes his playing style as "all out attack." Anish Shah was his third round opponent.

Chess Artists? Kevin Huang (L) and Josh Lawson draw in round three.

Ready 4 Primetime: Andrew Dejong (L) proved his mettle by remaining undefeated in the Championship Section. Here he holds NM Chris Mabe to a draw.

Dismissed! Lt. Col Ambrous Jacobs (R) ended Allan Jiang's winning streak in round three. Still, a fine tournament for Allan!

Best in Section: The top 4 in the Club Section meet in round three. Kevin Chen (FL), Stephen Styers (FR), Robert Jackson (RL), and Indira Puri (RR).

Greensboro Guts & Glory: Dennis Stearns (L) and Jacob Parrish battle in round three.

Gimmie a Break! Ian Haigler (L) faced a tough challenge from Chad Moody in round three.

For all the Marbles: Cranford Crenshaw (LR) and Mike Eberhardinger decide who's on first in round three.

Tough Competitors: John Retarides (L) and Nishanth Shah face off in round three.

Fire and Ice: JJ Lang (L) and Joshua Taylor fought to a third round draw.

Child's Eye View: Chad Moody studies the chess-scape in round three.

Who Nobody Can Deny: NM Craig Jones defeated third round opponent Peter Giannatos to earn clear 2nd in the Championship Section.

Not Too Rusty: Richard Cowles (L) returns to competition after more than two years. He defeated third round opponent Richard Stancil to go 2-1.

Queen of Scholastic Chess: Indira Puri (R) won her final match with Robert Jackson to tie for 1st place in the Club Section.

Chess Gravitas: FM Andrey Chumachenko (L) and FM Ron Simpson meet in round three action. The Championship Section had an average rating of 2074!

The Grand Champion: FM Andrey Chumachenko negotiated a Master minefield to earn clear 1st place at 3-0. What a performance!

Rolling To Victory: Mike Eberhardinger scored a perfect 3-0 to capture first place in the Candidates Section. NICE!

Squared Away! Greensboro's Lt. Col. Ambrous Jacobs scored 2.5 points after a first round bye to earn clear 2nd in the Candidate's Section.

Queen and King: Indira Puri and Kevin Chen tied for 1st in the Club Section. Excellent!