2012 U.S. Championships News
For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Buffington
(314) 277-3930
rbuffington@saintlouichessclub.org
For Immediate Release
2022 U.S. Chess Champions: Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana and Woman Grandmaster Jennifer Yu Take Their Second Championship Titles
The Nation’s Most Elite Invitational Chess Tournaments Conclude at Saint Louis Chess Club with Worthy Champions
SAINT LOUIS (October 24, 2022) – Twenty eight of America’s best chess players gathered in Saint Louis, America’s Chess Capital, at the Saint Louis Chess Club for the 2022 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships held from October 4 - October 20, 2022.
Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana claimed the 2022 U.S. Chess Championship, his second national title after his draw in the final round against GM Levon Aronian, a first-time competitor in the U.S. Championship. Caruana earned the $60,000 top prize while GM Ray Robson finished second, earning $45,000.
“I want to extend my thanks to everyone who makes chess in Saint Louis and the United States possible,” said Caruana upon receiving his second U.S. Championship trophy. “I am humbled because I’ve been playing chess here for six years and have had the opportunity to see all my colleagues continue to grow and develop while also making chess in this country stronger is such an honor and a privilege.”
20-year-old Woman Grandmaster Jennifer Yu was crowned 2022 U.S. Women’s Champion, her second title after defeating eight-time U.S. Women’s Champion GM Irina Krush in the playoff during an Armageddon tiebreak. Yu took home the $40,000 U.S. Women’s Championship first place prize while GM Irina Krush received the $30,000 second place prize.
“I would like to thank everyone for making this year’s tournament such an amazing experience,” said Yu in her acceptance speech to the crowd. “Every round was definitely interesting and I would like to especially thank my co-champion Irina, for being such a great competitor it feels amazing to have won my second U.S. Women’s Championship title.”
“It is because of Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield and Rex Sinquefield’s contribution to chess and thanks to the Saint Louis Chess Club that we are pleased to announce the return of the U.S. Chess & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships for 2023,” said Randy Bauer, President of US Chess Federation. “This year US Chess made Saint Louis our chess home as our office is now located here and we are hopeful that US Chess and the tournament will be permanent residents in Saint Louis.”
The top five players in the 2022 U.S. Chess Championships, Fabiano Caruana, Ray Robson, Leinier Dominguez, Awonder Liang, and Wesley So will qualify for the World Cup. The top two in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Chess Championships, WGM Jennifer Yu and GM Irina Krush qualify for the Women’s World Cup. Some of these players named above will qualify for the World Cup in other ways, in which case those invitations will go to the next players in the 2022 U.S. Chess & U.S. Women’s Championships standings.
Read our daily round recaps on the 2022 U.S. Championships at www.uschesschamps.com or watch the tournament broadcast coverage on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube channel.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.
###
Wednesday, September 28, 2022 - Over more than a decade, we have worked tirelessly to fuel a resurgence of chess in America, to create a place for elite chess players to play at the highest levels for the greatest purses, and to democratize access to chess to all players, no matter age, race or skill set.
It’s been remarkable to see the widespread discussion around chess over the past several weeks, but it’s important that we are clear on our position as it relates to cheating.
We take great pride in being able to host the top chess players from across the world at the Saint Louis Chess Club. As with all events, it’s imperative that we maintain high standards for fair tournament play. We always have - and will continue - to implement extensive anti-cheating measures.
As we prepare for the upcoming U.S. Chess and U.S. Women’s Chess Championships, we anticipate hosting another successful event, complete with rigorous protocols to ensure the best chess players in the country can continue to compete on an even playing field.
2022 U.S. and U.S. Women’s Chess Championships Fields Announced
The Saint Louis Chess Club to Host Nation’s Top Chess Talent Along with 2022 U.S. Chess Hall of Fame and 2021 World Chess Hall of Fame Inductions
SAINT LOUIS (September 27, 2022) – The Saint Louis Chess Club (STLCC) is pleased to announce that it will host America’s best chess players for the 2022 U.S. Chess Championship and 2022 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. The two fields of 28 players in total are confirmed and fans are sure to see some exciting battles over the board from October 4 to October 20, 2022.
Tuesday, October 4, will kick off the chess festivities with the public opening ceremony for the 2022 U.S. Championships, the 2022 U.S. Chess Hall of Fame Inductions of Daniel Willard Fiske, GM James Tarjan, and IM John Watson, and the 2021 World Chess Hall of Fame Inductions of GMs Miguel Najdorf and Eugene Torre. The public opening ceremony will be held at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Purchase tickets.
The 2022 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships will conclude with a public closing ceremony at The Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza from 6:00pm to 10:30pm. Both the opening and closing ceremonies will be available to watch online at uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.
“Participating in the U.S. and U.S. Women’s Chess Championships has been considered one of the ultimate goals for elite chess players in this country,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “We are thrilled to announce the return of these two over the board events as well as the increase of both fields. These championships will once again be held in the Nation’s Chess Capital, with more than $400,000 in prizes.”
US Chess Executive Director Carol Meyer adds, "Our partners at the Saint Louis Chess Club always make competing in our premier events the exceptional experience our top players deserve. As new residents of Saint Louis ourselves, we at US Chess are excited to watch the Championships alongside local fans and chess enthusiasts from around the world."
The 2022 U.S. Championships will be streamed live daily starting at 1:20pm CDT featuring play-by-play and analysis from the world-renowned commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan and GM Cristian Chirila. Fans can follow all of the action live on www.uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.
Additional event information may be found at www.uschesschamps.com.
2022 U.S. Chess Championship Field
|
No. |
Title |
First |
Last |
Invitational Rating* |
Qualification Method |
|
1 |
GM |
Fabiano |
Caruana |
2828 |
Rating |
|
2 |
GM |
Levon |
Aronian |
2826 |
Rating |
|
3 |
GM |
Wesley |
So |
2813 |
2021 U.S. Champion |
|
4 |
GM |
Leinier |
Dominguez |
2793 |
Rating |
|
5 |
GM |
Sam |
Shankland |
2759 |
Rating |
|
6 |
GM |
Jeffery |
Xiong |
2737 |
Rating |
|
7 |
GM |
Sam |
Sevian |
2731 |
Rating |
|
8 |
GM |
Hans |
Niemann |
2727 |
2021 U.S. Junior Championship |
|
9 |
GM |
Ray |
Robson |
2722 |
Rating |
|
10 |
GM |
Dariusz |
Swiercz |
2696 |
Rating |
|
11 |
GM |
Alex |
Lenderman |
2634 |
2021 U.S. Open Championship |
|
12 |
GM |
Christopher |
Yoo |
2593 |
2022 U.S. Junior Championship |
|
13 |
GM |
Elshan |
Moradiabadi |
2584 |
2022 U.S. Open Championship |
|
14 |
GM |
Awonder |
Liang |
2673 |
Wildcard |
2022 U.S. Women's Chess Championship Field
|
No. |
Title |
First |
Last |
Invitational Rating* |
Qualification Method |
|
1 |
GM |
Irina |
Krush |
2474 |
Rating |
|
2 |
IM |
Anna |
Zatonskih |
2428 |
Rating |
|
3 |
FM |
Ashritha |
Eswaran |
2389 |
Rating |
|
4 |
IM |
Nazi |
Paikidze |
2378 |
Rating |
|
5 |
WGM |
Begim |
Tokhirjonova |
2374 |
Rating |
|
6 |
WGM |
Tatev |
Abrahamyan |
2366 |
Rating |
|
7 |
WGM |
Jennifer |
Yu |
2335 |
2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship |
|
8 |
FM |
Alice |
Lee |
2334 |
Rating |
|
9 |
FM |
Ruiyang |
Yan |
2307 |
Rating |
|
10 |
WGM |
Sabina |
Foisor |
2263 |
Rating |
|
11 |
WGM |
Thalia |
Cervantes |
2288 |
Rating |
|
12 |
WIM |
Megan |
Lee |
2288 |
Rating |
|
13 |
WIM |
Rochelle |
Wu |
2280 |
Rating |
|
14 |
WFM |
Sophie |
Morris-Suzuki |
2153 |
Wildcard |
*Invitational ratings are calculated based on the September US Chess rating supplement, with bonuses for being at or near peak rating and penalties for inactivity.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.
Media Contact:
Rebecca Buffington
Phone: (314) 277-3920
rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org
For Immediate Release
Fabiano Caruana Wins the 2022 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX™ Tournament
Saint Louis Grandmaster Takes Home the $31,250 First Prize
SAINT LOUIS, September 21 2022 -
Saint Louis-based Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana was crowned the winner of the 2022 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX after defeating Alireza Firouzja in Armageddon during their rapid playoff match and taking home the $31,250 first prize. The Chess 9LX 2022 victory capped off an incredible day for Caruana at the Saint Louis Chess Club, who won his final three games to finish with 6.5/9 and catch Firouzja to force a playoff tiebreaker.
For Firouzja it was a mildly disappointing conclusion, but nevertheless a stellar result to end his campaign in Saint Louis, where he won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, Sinquefield Cup, and overall Grand Chess Tour. Sharing third place were Ian Nepomniachtchi and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who both ended on 6.0/9 for the 2022 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX. This tournament featured three exciting days of over the board chess played by the world’s best in Chess960 or Fischer Random chess.
“This tournament was especially exciting,” said Fabiano Caruana. “I didn’t think I had any chance to win but all my games went quite well over the final three rounds. Today’s win feels amazing,” said Fabiano Caruana on his 2022 Chess 9LX win.
Going into the final day all eyes were on Firouzja and Mamedyarov, who entered the day as co-leaders of the tournament. Ultimately, neither Mamedyarov nor Nepomniactchi were able to win their final round games, but Caruana continued his excellent form with a win over fellow American Wesley So, catching up to Firouzja’s lead and forcing a rapid playoff. The Armageddon playoff featured Caruana and Firouzja battling it out in a 2 game, 10+2 match, playing the same randomized starting position with both colors. After three exhilirating rounds, Caruana emerged victorious and secured the first place prize.
“The Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX is always such a treat for our participants and the fans watching from around the globe,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “In the final round we saw quite a bit of drama which led to an Armageddon playoff, keeping fans watching to the very end of the event. To have Garry Kasparov return once again among such a strong field of competitors certainly made for an unforgettable three days.”
|
Place |
Name |
Total Points |
Total Prize Winnings |
|
1 |
Fabiano Caruana |
6.5 |
$31,250 |
|
2 |
Alireza Firouzja |
6.5 |
$31,250 |
|
T3 |
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov |
6.0 |
$17,500 |
|
T3 |
Ian Nepomniachtchi |
6.0 |
$17,500 |
|
5 |
Wesley So |
4.5 |
$12,500 |
|
T6 |
Levon Aronian |
4.0 |
$8,750 |
|
T6 |
Hikaru Nakamura |
4.0 |
$8,750 |
|
T8 |
Peter Svidler |
3.5 |
$7,500 |
|
T8 |
Leinier Dominguez |
3.5 |
$7,500 |
|
10 |
Garry Kasparov |
.5 |
$7,500 |
Daily round recaps from Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX can be found online at www.uschesschamps.com and the video highlights and full commentary can be watched on the Saint Louis Chess Club's Youtube and Twitch.tv channels.
About Chess 9LX
Chess 9LX is a trademark of the St. Louis Chess Club, and the name of one of its annual tournaments. All competitions in the Chess 9LX tournament are played in the Chess 960 or Fischer Random style. Players will not know the order of the home rank pieces until they arrive before the start of the round and will have to rely on their creativity in rapid and blitz games.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.
Saint Louis Chess Club To Host Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX™
Tournament to Feature Ten of the World’s Best Players including Legendary World Champion Garry Kasparov
SAINT LOUIS, September 12, 2022 - The top international chess superstars are set to battle it out over the board from September 13-16 in Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX™, which will feature the world’s top grandmasters including legendary 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov, World Number 3, Ian Nepomniachtchi, World Number 4 and 2022 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, Sinquefield Cup winner, and 2022 Grand Chess Tour champion, Alireza Firouzja and returning 2021 Chess9LX Champion, Leinier Dominguez. The ten grandmasters will be competing at the Saint Louis Chess Club from September 14 - September 16th in round robin format. The tournament will be played in Chess 960 style, also known as Fischer Random, with a $150,000 total prize fund.
Chess 960 is a variant of chess created by Bobby Fischer in the late 1990s in which the pieces on the home rank are randomized, with 960 representing the number of possible starting positions. Players will not know the order of the home rank pieces until they arrive before the start of each round and will have to rely on their creativity in a series of rapid games.
Kicking off the tournament will be the Ultimate Moves exhibition event on September 13th at 1:00pm CDT. Ultimate Moves is a casual team based event with Saint Louis Chess Club co-founder Rex Sinquefield playing on one team and John Beckstead, General Partner at Edward Jones playing on the competing team.
“We are thrilled to once again bring this fan-favorite tournament back to our global audience this September. Fans are sure to enjoy the fast-paced action and surprises that keep the world’s best players on their toes for this unique event,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club.
| Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX Field | |
| Player | URS Rating |
| GM Hikaru Nakamura | 2809 |
| GM Ian Nepomniachtchi | 2784 |
| GM Wesley So | 2781 |
| GM Fabiano Caruana | 2774 |
| GM Alireza Firouzja | 2787 |
| GM Levon Aronian | 2765 |
| GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov | 2747 |
| GM Leinier Dominguez | 2728 |
| GM Peter Svidler | 2714 |
| GM Garry Kasparov | 2619 |
Ratings as of September 2022
Games will start daily at 2:00pm CDT (GMT-5) from September 14-16 for Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX. The tournament will include expert commentary featuring GM’s Yasser Seirawan, Cristian Chirila and WGM Anastasia Karlovich . Due to COVID-19 precautions there will be no live spectators allowed but fans can watch the action online at uschesschamps.com or on the Saint Louis Chess Club's YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.
About Chess 9LX
Chess 9LX is a trademark of the St. Louis Chess Club, and the name of one of its annual tournaments. All competitions in the Chess 9LX tournament are played in the Chess 960 or Fischer Random style. Players will not know the order of the home rank pieces until they arrive before the start of the round and will have to rely on their creativity in rapid and blitz games.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.
2022 U.S. Junior, U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Senior Champions Crowned in Saint Louis
GM Christopher Yoo, FM/WGM Jennifer Yu, and GM Alex Shabalov emerge victorious in the U.S. Junior, U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Senior Championships
SAINT LOUIS (July 18, 2022) – The national junior and senior chess championships have concluded in Saint Louis, the nation’s Chess Capital, with 15-year-old GM Christopher Yoo taking home the 2022 U.S. Junior Championship, 20-year-old, FM/WGM Jennifer Yu, winning the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, and U.S. Chess Hall-of-Famer GM Alex Shabalov beating out a field that included five other hall-of-fame inductees to become the 2022 U.S. Senior Champion.
The U.S. Junior, U.S. Girls’ Junior, and U.S. Senior Championships have been mainstay events at the Saint Louis Chess Club for some time now, with this being the thirteenth, sixth and fourth year for each tournament respectively. All three tournaments ran concurrently from July 6-16, 2022 and were broadcast live on www.uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.
Each event featured ten of the nation’s best junior and senior players to compete for approximately $130,000 in prizes and scholarships. “The caliber of talent we saw among these young players indicates that American chess continues to grow and thrive,” said Tony Rich Executive Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “It was also thrilling to see these icons of American chess in action over the board again and we look forward to continuing to host the nation’s best here in Saint Louis once again next year.”
This victory marked the first win of the U.S. Junior Chess Championship for Yoo, who qualified for the 2022 U.S. Chess Championship this year by doing so. Yoo dominated the field throughout the event, though he suffered a loss in Round 7, he kept his cool throughout the entire competition and didn’t succumb to the mounting pressure. Ultimately he finished the tournament with a draw in the final round against wildcard IM Carissa Yip. He pocketed $12,000 in addition to a $10,000 scholarship, jointly supported by US Chess and Dewain Barber. GM Andrew Hong finished second winning $8,000, while GM Abhimanyu Mishra and IM Balaji Daggupati shared 3rd place each winning $4,500.
The U.S. Girls’ Championship had a dramatic turnaround. After leading the entire tournament, WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki lost her final game against local favorite FM/WGM Thalia Cervantes. Having caught the leader, by winning the game, Thalia forced a playoff to decide the title of U.S. Girls’ Junior Champion. FM/WGM Jennifer Yu also won her final round making it a 3-player tie for first. The girls played a round robin with a time control of 10 minutes with 2 seconds delay. In a dramatic turn of events each girl scored a point, giving each of them a second chance to win the event. The second time around, it was Yu that won against both Morris-Suzuki and Cervantes. Jennifer Yu pocketed $6,000 in addition to a $10,000 scholarship, jointly supported by US Chess and Dewain Barber and a spot at this year’s U.S. Women’s Championship. Thalia Cervantes and Sophie Morris-Suzuki tied for second and took home $3,500 each.
In an incredible turn of events, and after 9 hard-fought rounds, 5 players tied for 1st in the Senior Championship. To determine the 2022 winner, the five participants played a mini-rapid tournament playoff. After the exciting initial playoff, the players with the highest amount of points (they both had scored 2.5/3) happened to have to face each other in the final round. The battle was between GM’s Larry Christiansen and Alex Shabalov. In the penultimate and final battle, it was Shabalov who won the game to take home the title of 2022 US Senior Champion and pocket $20,0000. GM’s Larry Christiansen, Vladimir Akopian, Maxim Dlugy and Dmitry Gurevich shared 2nd place and each won $9,000.
Next month, the Saint Louis Chess Club will host the final two stops on the Grand Chess Tour, the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz from August 25th through 30th and the Sinquefield Cup from September 1st through September 13th. Each tournament will feature ten of the world’s best players; more information about the upcoming events can be found on grandchesstour.org.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.
For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Buffington
Marketing & Event Manager
(314) 277-3930
rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org