The new chain is the exact same make and model (C10 Ultra) as the one
that came with the bike...

I rode the bike today for 100 miles and everything worked perfectly...
I didn't use the big ring since I never do... The small ring was silky
smooth and dead silent... Shifting was perfect as well and it never
skipped even under extreme climbing loads in (nearly) every gear...

Pedalling slowly backwards in the big ring here at home, off the bike,
the riding up on the teeth is much less pronounced now... My CC-2 chain
checker still will not fit into the chain...

--
Mike (Xyzzy)