The year has just started, but the Young Stars – Team USA program already has a new success story.

It has been some time coming, and it certainly is good news: Brandon Jacobson has fulfilled his requirements for the grandmaster title! This comes after a very strong performance in the 2020 Charlotte Open. With 7.0/9, Brandon was able to vanquish the field and finished solo first.

Brandon with tournament organizer Peter Giannatos, receiving his plaque for first place as well as his first place check.

Brandon in action during the tournament. After his fourth round loss to Aleksandr Lenderman, he never looked back! A crucial win with the black pieces over GM Akshat Chandra in round eight cemented his position in the standings, and a draw was more than enough to seal the deal for the tournament win and his final GM norm.

Here are his results:

We congratulate Brandon and his family on this achievement and wish him the best in upcoming tournaments.

Photos courtesy of the Charlotte Chess Center, organizers of the 2020 Charlotte Open. Pictures taken from their Facebook which can be found here.