My opponent just got 65 years younger!

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Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

Robson Replaces Korchnoi for Match Play in St. Louis

Nakamura vs. Ponomariov, Finegold vs. Robson: May 16-25

ST. LOUIS, May 12 -- GM Viktor Korchnoi, who was originally scheduled to take on GM Ben Finegold in a 10-game match, has been forced to withdraw due to health concerns. Organizers said the ailment was not serious in nature, but that it impaired Korchnoi's ability to travel internationally. GM Ray Robson will fill Korchnoi's legendary shoes.

The CCSCSL will also host a 10-game match (six classical, four rapid) between St. Louis Grandmaster (GM) Hikaru Nakamura, ranked No. 7 in the world, and GM Ruslan Ponomariov, ranked No. 11 in the world, May 16-25. Nakamura moved up to No. 7 on the live list after GM Veselin Topalov's rating tumbled following his Candidates Match loss to GM Gata Kamsky.

The players will take part in a live, virtual press conference at 10 a.m. CDT on May 16. Journalists and fans from all over the world can log onto livestream.com/uschess to submit questions to the players and watch their answers streamed live online.

Robson, 16, became the youngest grandmaster in U.S. history in 2009 when he was just 14. He had a solid performance at this year's U.S. Championship finishing third in his round-robin field of eight, just a half point shy of qualifying for the finals.

"My opponent just got 65 years younger!" joked Finegold.

Who will win the match?

Who will win the match?
	R. Ponomariov
	H. Nakamura

Who will win the match?
	V. Korchnoi
	B. Finegold

Ponomariov vs Nakamura / Korchnoi vs Finegold

Nakamura, Korchnoi Headline International Match Play in St. Louis

Nakamura vs. Ponomariov, Korchnoi vs. Finegold: May 16-25

ST. LOUIS, May 2 -- For the first time ever, St. Louis will host an international chess match featuring the top players in the world. Be there to witness a living legend and one in the making.

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will host a 10-game match (six classical, four rapid) between St. Louis Grandmaster (GM) Hikaru Nakamura, ranked No. 8 in the world, and GM Ruslan Ponomariov, ranked No. 11 in the world, May 16-25.

Legendary GM Viktor Korchnoi also will take on the Chess Club’s Resident GM Ben Finegold in a 10-game match.

The players will take part in a live, virtual press conference at 10 a.m. CDT on May 16. Journalists and fans from all over the world can log onto livestream.com to submit questions to the players and watch their answers streamed live online. More details including the specific Livestream channel will be available soon.

The 23-year-old Nakamura, who declined his invitation to the 2011 U.S. Championship, recently moved up to No. 8 in the world on the top rating list by FIDE, the World Chess Federation. His international rating of 2774 is the second-highest rating ever attained by an American, second only to GM Bobby Fischer’s rating of 2785. Nakamura’s first six classical games against Ponomariov will be FIDE rated, and Nakamura can break Fischer’s record with a +3 score, which would make him the highest-rated American ever. (A +3 score, for example, can be attained by winning three games and drawing (or tying) three; or losing one, winning four and drawing one.)

Since moving into the top 10 in the world, Nakamura said he has shifted his focus to prepare for the world's best to make a run at the next World Championship cycle, which will begin in two years.

Korchnoi, 80, is the oldest active player on the tournament circuit and a 10-time candidate for the World Championship. He is also a four-time USSR Champion and winner of the 2006 World Senior Chess Championship.

"It's a real honor to take on Viktor [Korchnoi]," Finegold said. "He's a living legend."

Round one of the 10-game matches will take place at 1 p.m. CDT on May 17.

$18,000 payday

International master wins US Championship in Mo.
2:15 p.m. CDT, April 28, 2011

ST. LOUIS — An international chess master has won the U.S. Women's Chess Championship in St. Louis for the fourth time.

Anna Zatonskih (ZAH'-tahn-skee) didn't win last year. She recaptured the title Thursday after winning a triple-overtime-style match against Tatev Abrahamyan (TAH'-tuhv Ah-bruh-huhm-YAHN).

Zatonskih will get $18,000 and Abrahamyan will get $12,000 of the $60,000 women's prize fund.

In Wednesday's all-male U.S. Championship final, 36-year-old Gata Kamsky (GAH'-tuh KAHM'-skee) of New York defeated Grandmaster Yury Shulman of Chicago. Kamsky will receive $42,000 and Shulman $30,000. An additional $98,000 will be split among other men who fared well in that competition.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com

Gata wins, Anna and Tatev draw

In the first game of the US Championship final, Gata scored with white to take a 1-0 lead. On the women's side, Anna was not able to convert a slight edge against Tatev. They ended up repeating moves.

In the battle for third, Sam Shankland and Robert Hess fought to a draw. Robert will have white tomorrow. Irina scored with black to take a 1-0 lead on the women's side.

US Championship Finals Set

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Mike Wilmering
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314.361.2437

U.S. Championship, U.S. Women's Championship Finals Begin Tomorrow
By FM Mike Klein

After much talk of the youth movement at the 2011 U.S. Championship, the veterans will have the final say. GM Yury Shulman won the second game of the two-game tiebreak today against teenage GM Robert Hess, setting up a repeat of last year’s final with GM Gata Kamsky. At the 2010 Championship, Kamsky defeated Shulman in a one-game draw-odds playoff, which ended in a draw, giving Kamsky the title. This year, the two will play a two-game match, starting Tuesday, under classical time controls.

The loss was Hess’ first of the tournament and follows a series of three draws against Shulman. They drew two games in the last two days and added a third during the first rapid game today. “To Yury’s credit, he played really well,” Hess said.

Hess’ tournament is not over. He will play fellow 19-year-old GM-elect Sam Shankland in a similar match for third place. Shankland lost to Kamsky yesterday which gave Kamsky the day off today.

In the U.S. Women’s Championship, one player got through to the finals in the rapid games, while another had to go past even that. WFM Tatev Abrahamyan won both her games today against WGM Camilla Baginskaite to advance to the finals. Yesterday she won the second of two games against Baginskaite just to earn the right to advance to today. “I don’t know how that happened!” Abrahamyan said of her three consecutive wins. “After I lost (Saturday) I sort of relaxed.” She was asked if she was now the torch-bearer for the young players remaining in the tournament. “I didn’t know I’m still in the ‘young’ category, but that’s good to know!” Abrahamyan is 23. She is the youngest woman still remaining in the field.

IMs Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih split their head-to-head match with one win each, and required a final Armageddon match to decide a winner. The two entered secret bids to determine colors and starting times. Krush bid 45 minutes, the maximum allowable, all but securing her chance to play White. Zatonskih bid much lower – 27 minutes – and earned the right to pick Black with draw odds. The two repeated their previous two games with the same colors, until Zatonskih used the prepared move 13…Nd3+ to force off a few pieces.

“Psychologically it would be difficult to play opposite-colored bishops,” Zatonskih explained. Krush’s central advance never materialized and she eventually found her king in the middle of the crossfire. “With this match it seems whoever gets the better position loses,” said GM Hikaru Nakamura. After move 35, there was nothing left and Krush resigned, giving Zatonskih the right to challenge Abrahamyan for the national championship.

In tomorrow’s finals, colors were drawn randomly by IA Carol Jarecki. Kamsky will take White against Shulman and Abrahamyan will have White versus Zatonskih. In the third-place games, it will be Shankland-Hess and Baginskaite-Krush. All players will switch colors for Wednesday’s games, with Thursday set aside for any necessary tiebreaks. The awards ceremony will be Thursday night.

Shulman wins to set up US Championship rematch

Yury Shulman, a formidable rapid player who eliminated a number of big name players at past World Cups, defeated rising star Robert Hess in the second rapid playoff game to face Gata Kamsky in the final. This pair faced each other last year and Gata won the 2010 US Championship by drawing the Armageddon game.

The other two women's games are still in progress with unclear positions.

Update: Krush won the 2nd game with Black to even up the score to 1-1! They will now go into the controversial time bidding game where black needs to draw to win and advance. Abrahamyan won the 2nd game for a seat in the final match!

Update 2: I am assuming that Anna won the bid at 27 minutes. That means that she will have Black and 27 minutes and draw odd and Irina will have 45 minutes in a must win game.

Update 3: It looks like Anna will advance to the final against Tatev unless a miracle can happen.

Update 4: Anna won. It will be Kamsky vs Shulman and Zatonskih vs Abrahamyan in the final.

Kamsky eliminates Shankland, others to head to playoff

Kamsky won the 2nd of a two game match to end the Cinderella run of Shankland. In the other semifinal, Hess and Shulman battled to a draw again. They will head into a playoff tomorrow.

On the women's side, Krush and Abrahamyan both won to even up the match 1-1. They will also have to play tomorrow to see who will advance.

Here is the tiebreak rule:

Tiebreaks

Semifinals and finals tiebreaks will consist of a two-game rapid match (G/25+5 second increment). If the contest is still undecided, the match will go to a rapid Armageddon bidding game with a base time of 45 minutes for each Player. Black will have draw odds. Each Player shall bid an amount of time (minutes and seconds, a number equal to or less than 45:00) they are willing to play with in order to choose their color. The Player who bids the lowest amount of time chooses his color and begins with that amount of time; the other Player receives 45:00. If both Players bid exactly the same amount of time, the Chief Arbiter will flip a coin to determine who shall choose their color.

US Championships report

For more information, please contact:
Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
mwilmering@saintlouischessclub.org
314.361.2437


Kamsky Advances, Others Need Tiebreak

By FM Mike Klein

In round two of the 2011 U.S. Championship semifinals, defending champion GM Gata Kamsky pressed his initiative and broke through against GM-elect Sam Shankland to become the first player to advance to the finals. GMs Robert Hess and Yury Shulman played another game devoid of wild swings; their second straight draw meant the match will continue tomorrow with a pair of rapid games.

Kamsky’s game was the first to finish. He said his goal going in to the game was to “have some simple position with a little bit of pressure, and I got an ideal position.” His two bishops and open files for his rooks were enough to overcome his crippled queenside pawns, which were never in any danger of being lost. According to Kamsky, “…b5 was just horrible.” He preferred the passive defense Nd8, but all players, including grandmasters in the audience, agreed that Shankland’s problems began by trading queens. Kamsky said he realized Shankland might have some endgame weaknesses, which became evident to him in their first semifinal game. He said it was a big mistake for Shankland not to press for the win more yesterday.

“I’m still very happy with my result,” Shankland said. The 19-year-old decided against playing the Caro-Kann as Black because he said he was “scared” of Kamsky’s record against it. Ironically, Kamsky said after the game that he was expecting Shankland to play the Caro-Kann instead of the Sicilian Defense. Shankland admitted that he did not spend much of his time studying Kamsky’s offbeat 9. h3.

Of all the players who have lost a game during the semifinals, Shankland remained the most upbeat. “Just because I’m not in the running for first place doesn’t mean the tournament is over.” He will go on to play a consolation match against the loser of the Hess-Shulman playoff. “Plus third place sounds cooler than fourth. You can call it a bronze medal.” Shankland said he thinks his day off tomorrow will end up being a useful advantage against whoever his future opponent will be.

The other 19-year-old in the semifinals, GM Robert Hess, got very little out of the opening with White. Like last year’s U.S. Championship, he chose the Tarrasch Variation against Shulman’s French Defense, but this time he managed to hold the draw. Last year Shulman won by playing 3…a6; this year he switched rook pawns and played 3…h6.

On the comical switch of peripheral pawns, Shulman shrugged and said, “Everything is playable in chess, until you know what’s going on.”

“At first I thought I was comfortable but then I played a lot of loose moves,” Hess said. When pressed for where his substandard moves were, Hess replied, “Just about everywhere!” Shulman said he got a slight plus after Hess shuffled his pieces too much. Eventually Hess’ White pieces regrouped back to the center to liquidate the position and nullify any thoughts of Shulman’s a-pawn march.

The U.S. Women’s Championship produced two decisive games yesterday, but today both women who trailed enacted revenge, thus requiring all four players to enter a playoff tomorrow. IM Irina Krush dramatically came back in her match against IM Anna Zatonskih. After playing an abysmal game in round one of the semifinals, she took over both sides of the board and sacrificed a bishop on g6. Zatonskih saw that capturing it meant getting checkmated but leaving it meant going down a lot of material.

After yesterday’s dispiriting loss, Krush seemed elated to get a fresh start today. “When I sat down to play, I suddenly got a good feeling of energy, that I was really going to enjoy playing,” Krush said. “I had that feeling until I played h3. When you make a move like that, you feel like you’re playing like you did yesterday.” She said that the game turned when Zatonskih’s 13…e5, which seemed natural, created a more dynamic game. Krush said she appreciated the sharpness of the positions that followed. After 14. dxe5, Bxc5 falls victim to 15. Qc2, with dual ideas on the c-file and the light squares.

“I was very grateful to get this position and have something to play for,” Krush said. “I’m happy to have earned myself a chance to keep playing.” Asked about her momentum for tomorrow’s twin G/25 matches, Krush said, “Whether I’m the favorite or not, no one cares how you evaluate your chances. You have to show it on the board.”

WFM Tatev Abrahamyan was in an even direr situation than Krush. Not only did she have to win today, she also had Black against one of the most solid players in either field, WGM Camilla Baginskaite. Playing the longest game of the day, Abrahamyan worked around her opponent’s thorny c-pawn, and then got her own h-pawn deep into enemy territory. After transferring to a rook-and-pawn endgame, her active king and menacing rook pawn were enough to tie down her opponent’s pieces. With zugzwang looming, Baginskaite allowed an invasion, but at the cost of nearly all her remaining pawns. She soon resigned.

Abrahamyan said she also faced a must-win situation at the 2005 U.S. Championship. She played IM Rusudan Goletiani in a two-game match for the title, where she also lost the first game as White. “I learned a lot of patience from that match,” Abrahamyan said.

Tomorrow’s playoff will be two G/25 games with a five-second increment from move one. If still tied, there will be a G/45 Armageddon game with Black having draw odds. A silent bidding process will determine colors – the player bidding the lower amount of time gets that amount of time plus color choice, while the other player gets the full 45 minutes.

Surviving the playoff

For more information, please contact:
Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
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mwilmering@saintlouischessclub.org
314.361.2437

Zatonskih, Shankland Survive Playoffs to Advance
By FM Mike Klein

For four players at the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship, the rest day was anything but a leisurely day off. Tied after round-robin play, GM Alex Onischuk and GM-elect Sam Shankland faced off for a spot in the semifinals, while IM Anna Zatonskih played WGM Sabina Foisor. Both matches were repeats of round seven, and when the two-game series ended, Shankland upset Onischuk and Zatonskih beat Foisor to advance.

Shankland’s victory over the second highest rated player began with a solid draw as Black in their first game. The game in 25 minutes time control was significantly faster than their previous rounds, which were played under a classical time control. Shankland said going in to the match that the faster the time control, the higher the expected variance in result. He questioned Onischuk’s unfamiliar Nf3. More usual is Qd4, or even Bxc4, both with the idea of regaining the gambited c-pawn. “I don’t know what was going on with his preparation,” Shankland said. The game unfolded into a Caro-Kann via an unnatural move order. Coincidentally, Shankland also played the Caro-Kann as Black against GM Ray Robson when the two had a tiebreak to decide the U.S. Junior Championship. Shankland won that match too, earning him a seat at this year’s U.S. Championship.

In game two, Shankland was given White and Onischuk entered a sharp Nimzo-Indian. Faced with a passive retreat after 24…a6 threatened his knight, Shankland thought for a while and sacrificed the piece for two pawns and complications. He said that after he captured a third pawn that he could no longer be considered worse. Later, Shankland pawn phalanx became unstoppable and Onischuk resigned the game and the match.

In the semifinals, Shankland will receive defending champion GM Gata Kamsky, who already qualified without the need for a tiebreak. “I was four or five years old when Kamsky was playing for the World Championship,” Shankland said. “To be a great player, you have to stand the test of time. He has that and I obviously don’t.” The two have never played a rated game.

In the U.S. Women’s Championship, Zatonskih’s tournament was all but over three days ago. After losing to her main rival, IM Irina Krush, Zatonskih fell to a minus-one score. She then won her final two games in preliminary play just to enter the playoff.
In game one, Zatonskih took Black and the women castled on opposite sides of the board. Zatonskih crippled Foisor’s pawn structure, and then entered a favorable rook-and-pawn ending to earn the win. Needing to win in round two, Foisor achieved an imbalanced position, but her kingside attack never materialized and Zatonskih’s pieces repulsed the invasion. Eventually Foisor resigned, handing the match to her opponent.

“I’m really tired,” Zatonskih said. “I didn’t expect to make it into the finals. I’m critical about myself.”

Zatonskih will now play Krush in the semifinals, while WGM Camilla Baginskaite and WFM Tatev Abrahyam will play in the other semifinal.

Besides Shankland-Kamsky, GMs Robert Hess and Yury Shulman will play head-to-head in the U.S. Championship. All semifinal matchups are two-game matches spread out over two days, with a possible tiebreak on the third day.

Decisive results on the women's side while the men drew

The pair of games from the guys ended in two draws while both the women's games ended in decisive results.

Anna got her revenge from an earlier loss against Irina to take a 1-0 lead while Camila defeated Tatev with Black.

Game two will take place tomorrow.

Might sound a mega-snub to the sponsor

Hikaru Nakamura gives hometown US Championship a miss

• Leonard Barden
• The Guardian, Saturday 23 April 2011

The annual US Championship is the most valuable national contest in chess, thanks to a Saint Louis investment billionaire. Rex Sinquefield plans to make his home city globally known and to promote young American talent on the world stage.

The 2011 title event has a $166,000 prize fund including $40,000 for the winner, and reaches its semi-finals this weekend. It has already sparked controversy due to the absence of the world top-10 grandmaster, twice former champion and crowd favourite Hikaru Nakamura. Nakamura is a Saint Louis resident and has been present this week as a spectator. This might sound a mega-snub to the sponsor but Nakamura is preparing for his 10-game match next month, also financed by Sinquefield in Saint Louis, against Ukraine's former world knock-out champion Ruslan Ponomariov.

The significant participant is the top-seeded Gata Kamsky, who has a big date on 3 May when the world title candidates matches begin in Kazan, Russia. At 22 Kamsky was ranked world No3 behind Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. His playing achievements then were marred by incidents involving his father/manager, who was alleged inter alia to have punched one of Gata's trainers after blaming him for a defeat and to have made death threats to Nigel Short during their 1994 candidates series.

When at the height of his powers, Kamsky abandoned chess for law school. He returned nearly a decade later when his strategic skills brought him back into the world top 20, though he had lost some tactical sharpness.

More here.

Tiebreaks to decide playoff

For more information, please contact:
Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
mwilmering@saintlouischessclub.org
314.361.2437

Semifinals Still Murky, Tiebreaks Await
By FM Mike Klein

The final round of preliminary group play of the 2011 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship concluded Thursday with only a partial picture of the semifinals. Some players advanced in round seven while others will have to endure a rapid-game playoff Friday.

GM Gata Kamsky and GM Yury Shulman, the reigning champion and the past champion, played a short draw to preserve their advancement. The two players were the highest seeds in Group A. Kamsky’s half-point got him to 5/7 and guaranteed his graduation. Shulman, who admitted to being nervous before the game, now sat on an undefeated 4.5/7, but he had to wait to make sure GM Alex Ivanov did not win. A few hours later GM Ray Robson dispatched Ivanov in a complex king-and-pawn ending to nullify the need for a tiebreak. Robson’s win pushed him to 4/7 and sole third place in the group, but as with all the non-qualifiers, his tournament ended today.

Although the position was relatively static and equal, the Kamsky-Shulman game did not go the required 30 moves before the draw was agreed. International Arbiter Carol Jarecki allowed the agreement when Kamsky complained of an acute illness. “It was her decision to make, whether to make an exception or not,” Shulman said. No update was available on Kamsky’s condition as he left the club immediately following the game.

In Group A, GM Robert Hess’ four-game winning streak ended, but his draw against GM Yasser Seirawan was more disappointing for his opponent. Hess had already guaranteed first place in his group, whereas Seirawan needed to win to have any chance of creeping into a tiebreak.

The tiebreak will still occur, as GM Alexander Onischuk and GM-elect Sam Shankland had already agreed to peace. Onischuk and Shankland essentially delayed their fates for only a day. The pair will play a two-game playoff tomorrow while Hess and Shulman will enjoy their rest day and Kamsky will have a free day to convalesce. Seirawan’s draw nets him 3.5/7. The even score seems justified given his erratic form in his first tournament in eight years. For his part, Shankland was relieved he would only be in a two-person playoff. “I hope [Hess] will hold,” Shankland said. “I don’t want to deal with Yasser.”

In the U.S. Women’s Championship, IM Irina Krush’s win streak also ended, but like Hess, it barely affected her tournament standing. Her draw against WGM Camilla Baginskaite earned them both invitations to the semifinals. Krush wins the top seed with her 5.5/7 score and a $1,000 prize bonus.

All attention then focused on IM Anna Zatonskih’s improbable tournament comeback. She won again today, beating WGM Sabina Foisor, to pull even with her at 4/7. The two will play a two-game tiebreak tomorrow in the same format as the U.S. Championship – two rapid games with 25-minute time control (with five-second delay), to be followed by an Armageddon match if needed.

WFM Tatev Abrahamyan nearly had to join Zatonskih and Foisor in the tiebreak, but she narrowly escaped with a draw against WIM Iryna Zenyuk. Abrahamyan thus goes through to the semis with a tie for second place with Baginskaite The two will split the $600 second-place preliminary stage bonus.

All players who did not qualify for the semifinals have the option of staying in St. Louis for the duration of the tournament. Some will do so to play in the $10,000 blitz tournament on Monday, while others will just take the time to be fans of their the club and the tournament.

Krush wins qualifier by a full point

Final standings

1	IM Krush, Irina	2472	x	½	1	1	0	1	1	1	5.5
2	WGM Baginskaite, Camilla	2342	½	x	0	½	½	1	1	1	4.5
3	WFM Abrahamyan, Tatev	2326	0	1	x	1	½	1	½	½	4.5
4	IM Zatonskih, Anna	2499	0	½	0	x	1	1	1	½	4.0
5	WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	2350	1	½	½	0	x	0	1	1	4.0
6	IM Goletiani, Rusudan	2367	0	0	0	0	1	x	½	½	2.0
7	WIM Zenyuk, Iryna	2245	0	0	½	0	0	½	x	1	2.0
8	FM Melekhina, Alisa	2304	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	x	1.5

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Kamsky and Hess win respective groups

Final standings

Group A

1	GM Kamsky, Gata	2733	x	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	5.0
2	GM Shulman, Yuri	2622	½	x	½	1	½	1	½	½	4.5
3	GM Robson, Ray	2522	½	½	x	1	½	½	1	0	4.0
4	GM Ivanov, Alexander	2540	½	0	0	x	1	½	½	1	3.5
5	GM Akobian, Varuzhan	2611	0	½	½	0	x	½	1	½	3.0
6	GM Ehlvest, Jaan	2586	0	0	½	½	½	x	1	½	3.0
7	GM Stripunsky, Alexander	2578	½	½	0	½	0	0	x	1	2.5
8	IM Naroditsky, Daniel	2438	0	½	1	0	½	½	0	x	2.5

Group B

1	GM Hess, Robert L	2565	x	1	½	½	1	1	1	½	5.5
2	GM Onischuk, Alexander	2678	0	x	½	½	½	½	1	1	4.0
3	IM Shankland, Samuel L	2512	½	½	x	½	0	1	1	½	4.0
4	GM Seirawan, Yasser	2636	½	½	½	x	½	½	0	1	3.5
5	GM Shabalov, Alexander	2590	0	½	1	½	x	0	0	1	3.0
6	GM Kaidanov, Gregory S	2569	0	½	0	½	1	x	1	0	3.0
7	GM Christiansen, Larry M	2586	0	0	0	1	1	0	x	½	2.5
8	GM Finegold, Benjamin	2500	½	0	½	0	0	1	½	x	2.5

5 straight for Krush

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Standings after 6 rounds

1	IM Krush, Irina	2472	x	0		1	1	1	1	1	5.0
2	WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	2350	1	x	½	½		0	1	1	4.0
3	WGM Baginskaite, Camilla	2342		½	x	0	½	1	1	1	4.0
4	WFM Abrahamyan, Tatev	2326	0	½	1	x	1	1		½	4.0
5	IM Zatonskih, Anna	2499	0		½	0	x	1	1	½	3.0
6	IM Goletiani, Rusudan	2367	0	1	0	0	0	x	½		1.5
7	WIM Zenyuk, Iryna	2245	0	0	0		0	½	x	1	1.5
8	FM Melekhina, Alisa	2304	0	0	0	½	½		0	x	1.0

US Championship standings after 6

Standings after 6 rounds

Group A

1	GM Kamsky, Gata	2733	x		½	½	1	1	1	½	4.5
2	GM Shulman, Yuri	2622		x	1	½	½	1	½	½	4.0
3	GM Ivanov, Alexander	2540	½	0	x		1	½	1	½	3.5
4	GM Robson, Ray	2522	½	½		x	½	½	0	1	3.0
5	GM Akobian, Varuzhan	2611	0	½	0	½	x		½	1	2.5
6	GM Ehlvest, Jaan	2586	0	0	½	½		x	½	1	2.5
7	IM Naroditsky, Daniel	2438	0	½	0	1	½	½	x		2.5
8	GM Stripunsky, Alexander	2578	½	½	½	0	0	0		x	1.5

Group B

1	GM Hess, Robert L	2565	x	1	½		1	½	1	1	5.0
2	GM Onischuk, Alexander	2678	0	x		½	1	1	½	½	3.5
3	IM Shankland, Samuel L	2512	½		x	½	1	½	0	1	3.5
4	GM Seirawan, Yasser	2636		½	½	x	0	1	½	½	3.0
5	GM Christiansen, Larry M	2586	0	0	0	1	x	½	1		2.5
6	GM Finegold, Benjamin	2500	½	0	½	0	½	x		1	2.5
7	GM Shabalov, Alexander	2590	0	½	1	½	0		x	0	2.0
8	GM Kaidanov, Gregory S	2569	0	½	0	½		0	1	x	2.0

Hess and Krush Ride Winning Streak to Qualification

For more information, please contact:
Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
mwilmering@saintlouischessclub.org
314.361.2437

Hess and Krush Ride Winning Streak to Qualification

By FM Mike Klein

GM Robert Hess and IM Irina Krush kept up their winning streaks in round six of the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship, respectively. In the penultimate round of preliminary play, Hess won his fourth game in a row and Krush her fifth. They have both become the first two players to automatically qualify for the semifinals in each tournament. The events are taking place from April 14-28 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

As in round five, Hess tried to play solidly again out of the opening. He accepted GM Larry Christiansen’s pawn sacrifice, after which he said he was “extremely satisfied” with his position. Christiansen had to play aggressively, as he began the round on the outside looking in at qualification. Hess said he is not overjoyed at his play, but “thankfully my opponents have been making mistakes as well. Fortunately I’m here with five out of six so I can laugh at my mistakes.” He added that winning four games in a row may be a rarity at the U.S. Championship but it was not as important as winning the title itself. He has already clinched sole first place in the group and with it a $2,000 bonus. Since scores are erased when the semifinals begin, his game against GM Yasser Seirawan tomorrow will only really matter for his opponent.

In the U.S. Women’s Championship, second-ranked IM Irina Krush, the defending champion, continued her domination of the field by posting her fifth win in a row after suffering an opening-round upset. In round six she took out WIM Iryna Zenyuk to become the first woman to qualify for the semifinals.

Krush is trailed by a cavalcade of players with four points. WGM Sabina Foiser and WGM Camilla Baginskaite had the quickest draw of the tournament to cement their placements. WFM Tatev Abrahamyan drew FM Alisa Melekhina in a wild affair to equal them. “My games have been so bad,” a relieved Abrahamyan said. Foisor, Baginskaite and Abrahmyan would have all earned certain qualification were it not for the timely win by top-seeded IM Anna Zatonskih, who partially bounced back with a win as Black to get to three points.

The scenarios in the women’s event for round seven are either simple or complicated, depending on Zatonskih’s game. She will play Foisor tomorrow needing a win. If she loses or draws, then Foisor, Abrahmyan and Baginskaite all join Krush in the semifinals. If Zatonskih wins, she will tie Foisor and perhaps the other two women, depending on their results. The tiebreak procedures vary depending on the number of women and the number of semifinal openings, but suffice to say they are complicated and every woman involved asked to have them explained by assistant arbiter Tony Rich after round six.

With Hess already in, the remainder of the pack in his group tried to keep up. GM-elect Sam Shankland rebounded after a round five loss by drawing local GM Ben Finegold. Their game was one of the few in the tournament to be settled with imbalances everywhere. “I’m really disappointed with my game today,” Shankland said. “Ben sacrificed a pawn for what I thought was insignificant compensation.” Asked why he agreed to the draw, Shankland said there was too much risk in the position. “I’m either going to get mated or run my pawns through. I saw that Alex (Onischuk) had a bad position. But I don’t like losing a White against the lowest player in the competition.”

Shankland was looking over his shoulder at GM Onischuk to make sure he would not be passed in the standings. Onischuk went on to draw his game, the longest of the round, to remain tied with Shankland. The pair are the only players in the group with 3.5/6 and they are slated to play tomorrow (Onischuk has White). Should the game be decisive, the winner will join Hess in advancing past group play. If they draw, they will play again on Friday in a playoff. They could also be joined by Seirawan in that scenario, who would need to win as Black versus Hess to enter the picture.

In the other U.S. Championship group, defending champion GM Gata Kamsky outplayed IM Daniel Naroditsky from an equal position. By trading queens early, Kamsky said his teenage opponent made his first psychological mistake. “It showed me he was playing for a draw,” Kamsky said. “He was probably giving me too much respect.” The win puts Kamsky at 4.5/6 and a half-point edge over second place GM Yury Shulman, who has quietly kept up with the leader.

Shulman tried everything he could to beat GM Ray Robson, at one point eschewing several chances to repeat the position. Eventually the attack petered out and Shulman agreed to terms with his opponent when his rook and three pawns could not overcome Robson’s rook and bishop.

Round seven will also be intriguing for this group as Kamsky and Shulman, the two highest seeds in the group, are paired. Conventional wisdom suggests Kamsky will be content with a draw to ensure first place in the group. If so, Shulman would be guaranteed no worse than a playoff for the second qualification spot. He would only enter the tiebreaker match if GM Alexander Ivanov could somehow beat GM Ray Robson as Black.

All other players in the U.S. Championship have been officially eliminated from title contention, but each difference in final placement means $1,000 of prize money, so there is still much left to play for.

US Championships round 5 report

For more information, please contact:

Mike Wilmering

Communications Specialist

Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

mwilmering@saintlouischessclub.org

314.361.2437

Desperate Push for Qualification Continues

By FM Mike Klein

Round five of the U.S. Championship produced the most fighting chess so far at the 2011 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship. Players of the Black pieces won an astounding six games, and half of the games went into the sixth hour. Three-fourths of the games ended with a winner, and even the defending champion could not get an easy day off.

GM Robert Hess stretched his lead by getting a chess “turkey.” He won his third game in a row to move to four points, the most of any player in the U.S. Championship. The young grandmaster chose an opening against GM Gregory Kaidanov with low risk where his pawn majority could be pressed. “I got exactly what I wanted with three against two on the queenside,” Hess said. “It’s annoying to play for Black.” Hess said he had great respect for his veteran opponent, and referencing his opponent’s nickname, Hess said, “I wasn’t going to play something risky against Grisha.”

GM Sam Shankland, tied with Hess in Group B going into the round, did not attain such a stable position. He entered the preparation of GM Alexander Shabalov, and for 14 moves his opponent played automatically. After accepting an exchange sacrifice, Shankland found his pieces tied down and his supposed material advantage illusory. “None of my rooks ever did anything,” Shankland said. Talking to Shabalov after the game, Shankland said, “You beat me like four games in a row with Black. It’s not fair.” Shabalov replied, “I would still trade places with you.” Shankland stays with three points, while Shabalov’s win got him to two out of five. Shabalov is still mathematically alive to finish in the top two of his group, if only barely. When asked what he has left to play for, Shabalov joked, “There’s always money!” Each place difference for the non-qualifiers is about $1,000 difference.

GM Larry Christiansen entered the round in sole possession of third place in the group, but he yielded that placement to GM Alex Onischuk after losing their head-to-head battle. “I didn’t get so much from the opening even though I knew the line,” Onischuk said. Though the win puts him in third place for the time being, Onischuk was quick to explain that he has to work in the last two rounds. “Still it’s not clear if I’m going to qualify,” he said. Going into the tournament, Onischuk was a heavy favorite to be a qualifier to the semifinals.

In other Group B action, GM Yasser Seirawaran recovered from a slow start to win his first game of the event by besting GM Ben Finegold after the latter willingly entered a complicated but losing king-and-pawn endgame. Finegold felt frustrated after the game. While he resigned in a losing position, he said that the variation Seirawan prepared to continue with was not the best and would have led to a draw.

In Group A, both GM Yury Shulman and GM Gata Kamsky protected their lead by negotiating draws. Shulman’s draw versus good friend GM Varuzhan Akobian came without too much fuss, but Kamsky had to work for quite some time against GM Alexander Stripunksy. Kamsky closed the entire position by locking up the pawns but a determined Stripunsky fought hard to open an avenue for attack. After exhausting all resources, Stripunsky settled for a split point. Kamsky was highly critical of his own play, but both he and Shulman remain in the drivers’ seats with 3.5 out of five.

GM Ray Robson failed to catch up as his knight got ensnared on the a-file against 15-year-old IM Daniel Naroditsky. Robson extricated his knight, but at great cost, and his younger opponent eventually barreled down the edge of the board to win the game. “He defended like a tiger,” Naroditsky said. “He was down to five seconds each move but he found the best move each time.” Both Naroditsky and Robson now sit at 2.5. The even score is outstanding for the former but represents a missed opportunity for the latter.

GM Alexander Ivanov and GM Jaan Ehlvest also drew their complicated queen versus two rooks ending.

In the U.S. Women’s Championship, IM Irina Krush moved into sole possession of the lead for the first time in the tournament by winning her fourth game in a row. Krush outmaneuvered FM Alisa Melekhina in an equal ending to get to four points. Melekhina insisted she is playing well but is not finding any luck in her games. Early tournament leader WGM Sabina Foisor suffered her first hiccup of the event. She lost to IM Rusudan Goletiani, but Foisor remains tied for second place with two rounds to go.

Equaling Foisor with 3.5 out of five is WFM Tatev Abrahamyan, who won for the first time ever against IM Anna Zatonskih. Despite having an extra queen, bishop, and pawn about to promote, Abrahamyan almost threw away the win. “I finally play one good game and I can’t finish it well!” she said. After her king took a long walk to the other side of the board, Abrahmyan found shelter and netted the point. Zatonskih will need to move quickly in rounds six and seven to qualify for the semifinals.

WGM Camilla Baginskaite won her third game to continue to come back from an opening-round loss. Her victory over WIM Irina Zenyuk moved her to 3.5 and with a great chance to qualify.

The top four women are Krush with 4/5 and then Foisor, Abrahamyan and Baginskaite with 3.5/5.

In round six, the young Naroditsky will face defending champion Kamsky. Asked what his strategy was, Naroditsky joked that he would be “groveling,” a term chess players use to mean they are hoping for a draw. Christiansen will be desperate against Hess, and Shulman will try to keep place against Robson.

The top four women need to do little more than to play for draws, so Zatonskih will need to find a way to win as Black against Goletiani.

Krush leads US Women's

Standings after 5 rounds

1	IM Krush, Irina	2472	x	0		1	1	1		1	4.0
2	WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	2350	1	x		½		0	1	1	3.5
3	WGM Baginskaite, Camilla	2342			x	0	½	1	1	1	3.5
4	WFM Abrahamyan, Tatev	2326	0	½	1	x	1	1			3.5
5	IM Zatonskih, Anna	2499	0		½	0	x		1	½	2.0
6	IM Goletiani, Rusudan	2367	0	1	0	0		x	½		1.5
7	WIM Zenyuk, Iryna	2245		0	0		0	½	x	1	1.5
8	FM Melekhina, Alisa	2304	0	0	0		½		0	x	0.5

With just 2 rounds to go, Zatonskih would need a big miracle to qualify for the final. This has to be the biggest story so far. Krush, after a mishap in the first round, scored 4 straight victories.