Boosted by a huge score in the second final session, Joaquin Pacareu of Santiago, Chile, and Juan Carlos Ventin of Barcelona, Spain, won the Wernher Open Pairs. Pacareu and Ventin stood third after Wednesday’s qualifying round and scored 55.58% in the first final. In the evening session, however, they scored 68.88% to rocket into the top spot. The winners’ final tally of 2481.92 matchpoints put them a board and a half ahead of second place.
The is the first North American title for both winners, although they each have an impressive international resume. Pacareu has won several Chilean and South American events, while Ventin has a silver medal from European championships and a bronze medal in the Rosenblum Cup from Sanya, China, in 2014.
This is the first time that Pacareu and Ventin have played together.
In second were Rick Binder and Alan Watson of Massachusetts. They led the event after three sessions of play, but were overtaken by Pacareu and Ventin in the last session.