2012 U.S. Championships News
Magnus Carlsen has transcended chess superstardom to become a world icon. He will challenge Viswanathan Anand for the World Championship title in November.
By Brian Jerauld
Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is perhaps the most recognizable chess figure on the earth today. With a FIDE rating of 2862, he is the current No. 1 in the world, a rank he has held for more than two years. Only 22 years old, Carlsen has experienced one of the fastest ascents to the elite stratosphere of chess, the pinnacle of which may be realized this November when he challenges World Champion Viswanathan Anand for the world title.
Carlsen obtained his first IM norm in January 2003 and officially earned the title in August, still 12 years old. He earned his first GM norm by winning the Corus Chess Tournament in January 2004 and was eventually awarded the grandmaster title by that April, making him the second youngest in history at 13 years, 148 days.
In 2005, he became the youngest to appear in the Candidates Tournament, his first of three appearances in the event. In early 2008, Carlsen made his first move into the world’s top-5 – where he has remained since – and in November 2009, he broke the 2800 rating barrier, only the fifth ever and the youngest to do so. FIDE’s first rating list of 2010 named Carlsen the world’s No. 1, making him the youngest to ever hold the rank at 19 years and 32 days.
This year is shaping up to become one of Carlsen’s biggest – if only for the potential prize at the end. In January, FIDE showed Carlsen to have passed Garry Kasparov’s rating record of 2851, which had held for nearly 14 years. Carlsen set the new record with a peak of 2872 in February. He took first at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament for the third time, besting second-place Levon Aronian by 1.5 points, and took second in both the Norway Tournament and the Tal Memorial. Most importantly, Carlsen won the 2013 Candidate’s Tournament in March, earning the right to play for the World Champion title in Chennai, India, just over a month after his stay in Saint Louis.
Famous Washington Post columnist Lubomir Kavalek dubbed Carlsen the “Mozart of Chess” when he was just 14, a moniker that has since become entrenched by a recent CBS 60 Minutes interview. In 2012, Carlsen reportedly earned US $1.2 million, more than 60% of which came from sponsorship. This year, TIME Magazine named Carlsen one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
He is known for an endgame prowess amongst the greatest in history, as well as an unusually wide range of openings, which frustrates his opponents in their preparation against him. For his Sinquefield Cup matchups, the only player he does not have a career winning record against is Gata Kamsky, who has bested Carlsen 2-1 with six draws. Carlsen has never lost to Hikaru Nakamura, winning seven times and drawing 13. He holds the lengthy series between Aronian at 7-4 with 24 draws.
Hikaru Nakamura's playing style is brilliant and attacking, making him one of the most exciting players on the planet.
By Brian Jerauld
Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura is the United States’ No. 1 chess player and the leading hopeful to bring America its first World Championship since Bobby Fischer. Born in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, the 25-year-old is now one of the world’s elite, currently ranked seventh on the planet with a FIDE rating of 2774.
A child prodigy in every sense of the word, Nakamura made a fast impact on United States chess by knocking down nearly every age record on his way to the top. Nakamura was at one time the youngest-ever American master in history (10 years, 79 days), the youngest American international master (13 years, 2 months) and eventually the youngest American grandmaster (15 years, 79 days) – breaking Fischer’s record by three months.
Nakamura has collected numerous titles and championships over the past decade-plus, first splashing onto the scene as the 2001 U.S. Junior Champion at 13 years old. He was on his way to becoming a prominent figure on the scene by 2004, shocking the world with a sweet sixteen appearance in the FIDE World Cup, and then grabbing his first of three U.S. Championships the following year.
He is a recipient of the prestigious Samford Chess Fellowship (2005), the 2007 National Open champion, and a three-time North American Open champion. He was an individual bronze medalist in the 2006 and 2008 World Olympiad, as well as the gold-medalist on the first board of the 2010 World Team Championship, where the United States placed second.
Nakamura’s first win amongst the super elite came in 2011 at the notorious Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, finishing clear first of defending champion Magnus Carlsen, current World Champion Viswanathan Anand, as well as Levon Aronian – a performance that Garry Kasparov touted as the best by an American since 1895. He is also a talented variant player, winning the Chess960 World Championship 2009 – a title he took from Levon Aronian – and one of the best blitz players in the world today.
Leading up to the Sinquefield Cup, Nakamura has continued his rise in strength in 2013. After winning the Biel Blitz Championship last year, he padded his blitz prowess as the Tal Memorial Blitz champion this past June – popping his FIDE blitz rating up to a career-best 2879. He surrendered defense of his 2012 U.S. Championship – a crown that has since been taken by Gata Kamsky – in lieu of the Norway Super Tournament, where he tied Carlsen for second place. Just before arriving in Saint Louis, Nakamura made a return to the sweet 16 in the 2013 FIDE World Cup.
Nakamura holds a losing record against Aronian, with three wins to five losses and seven draws; and he is tied with Kamsky with one win to one loss, with six draws. He remains winless against Carlsen, however, losing seven times in 20 games.
Grandmaster Levon Aronian of Armenia is currently ranked No. 2 in the world and holds a plus score agaisnt both of the U.S. competitors, Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky.
By Brian Jerauld
Grandmaster Levon Aronian is the pride of chess-strong Armenia, having been declared Sportsman of the Year twice, Honored Master of Sport in 2009 and, most recently, selected as the 2012 Person of the Year by a leading Armenian magazine. The 30-year-old is just the sixth player in history to cross the elite 2800 threshold, currently ranking No. 2 in the world at 2802. Aronian has remained in the world’s top three since November 2010 and has only twice slipped out of the top ten since July 2005.
Taught to move the pieces at 9 years old, Aronian was quick to appear on the world stage, winning the 1994 World Youth Chess Championship U12. In 2002, at 20, he won the Armenian Championship and later the World Junior Championship in India. But his mainstay in the world’s elite was marked in 2005, when he won the World Cup in Russia and cracked the world’s top 10 for the first time. Since then, Aronian has collected a staggering amount of elite titles.
He played the first board on three gold-medalist Armenian Chess Olympiad teams (2006, 2008 and 2012), also grabbing the individual gold in 2012. He has won the prestigious Tal Memorial and Corus/Tata Steel Chess Tournament three times each, and the FIDE Grand Prix twice. In 2009, he won the World Rapid Championship – a title that was taken from him the following year by Gata Kamsky – and in 2010 Aronian won the World Blitz Championship – a title that he took from defending champion Magnus Carlsen.
Aronian is also a talented chess variant player, becoming the Chess960 World Champion in 2006. He successfully defended the title to Viswanathan Anand in 2007, though lost it in 2009 to Hikaru Nakamura.
His play in 2013 leading up to the Sinquefield Cup has been representative of his elite status. A second place finish in the Tata Steel (behind Carlsen), a fourth place finish in the 2013 Candidates Tournament – his second appearance in the event – and a win at the Alekhine Memorial Tournament. Perhaps showing a bit of his human side, however, Aronian was surprisingly upset in the third round of the 2013 Chess World Cup in August, despite being the top seed.
In his career against Kamsky, Aronian is 5-1 with 2 draws; against Nakamura, Aronian is 5-3 with 7 draws. By far, his most familiar Sinquefield Cup opponent is Carlsen, with whom he has met for 35 classical games – Carlsen holds the series 7-4, with 24 draws.
Grandmaster Gata Kamsky, the reigning U.S. Champion, will take on three of the world's best at the Sinquefield Cup.
By Brian Jerauld
Gata Kamsky is a Soviet-born, American grandmaster, currently ranked No. 2 in the United States and No. 19 in the world, with a FIDE rating of 2733. He was born in Siberia, Russia, in 1974 and learned chess at 7 years old. By 9, he had won the Under-15 USSR Championship, and then became a back-to-back Junior Champion of the Soviet Union at 13.
Kamsky emigrated to the U.S. in 1989 and earned his FIDE Grandmaster title the following year, also becoming the youngest player ever rated in the world's top-ten.
Kamsky’s impact on American chess has been profound, having been the highest-rated American since his arrival in 1989 – second only now to Hikaru Nakamura. Kamsky won his first of four U.S. Championships in 1991, and the following year helped America grab its first-ever gold in the World Team Chess Olympiad.
In 1994, at age 20, Kamsky became the youngest-ever to challenge for the FIDE world title and the first American since Bobby Fischer. The 20-game match against reigning champion Anatoly Karpov was finally held in 1996, in Elista, Kalmykia, in Russia. Kamsky lost the match 7.5-10.5, but substantial political controversy surrounding the event ultimately led to an eight-year hiatus from professional chess for the American GM, partially in protest.
Kamsky returned in 2004 – “past his prime” at 30 years old – for an extraordinary second chapter in his career. By 2007, he had regained his elite form, qualifying for the Candidates Tournament that year and later winning the Chess World Cup as the 11th seed, knocking off Magnus Carlsen in the semifinals. In 2010, Kamsky won his second U.S. Championship – 19 years removed from his first title – and returned to successfully defend the crown in 2011.
Kamsky’s play in 2013 leading up to the Sinquefield Cup has been some of the finest in his career. He earned his fourth U.S. Championship title in May, then rolled hot into the fourth stage of the FIDE Grand Prix, taking second place in Thessaloniki, Greece. His FIDE rating crested at 2763 in July, the highest ever in his career. Just before arriving in Saint Louis for the Sinquefield Cup, Kamsky went deep in the Chess World Cup 2013, but was ultimately knocked out by GM Evgeny Tomashevsky in the quarterfinals.
In nine classical games versus Carlsen, Kamsky holds a 2-1 record with six draws. In eight matches against Levon Aronian, Kamsky has won only once against five losses, with two draws. Nakamura and Kamsky are tied 1-1 with 6 draws over eight career games.
Will feature 3 GM commentary teams and free autograph session with players
Maurice Ashley interviews Gata Kamsky after Kamsky won the 2013 U.S. Championship. Ashley will join Jennifer Shahade and Yasser Seirawan once again for live commentary of the 2013 Sinquefield Cup.
SAINT LOUIS (August 12, 2013) -- The 2013 Sinquefield Cup will offer live spectators a bevy of options come September.
The tournament, which features GMs Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian (top two in the World) and GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky (top two in the U.S.) takes place September 9-15 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).
There also will be a special meet-and-greet autograph session on Sunday, September 8, from Noon to 1:30 p.m., where spectators will have the opportunity to get autographs from and take pictures with the players. This event is free, and fans will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Round one of the tournament begins at 1 p.m. CT on September 9.
Three different grandmaster commentary teams will be on site to offer live play-by-play and analysis of each round of this historic tournament.
Following their groundbreaking live commentary of the 2013 U.S. Championships, GMs Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley will once again join WGM Jennifer Shahade on a closed set that will broadcast to thousands of viewers online via www.uschesschamps.com.
Two other teams (comprised of GMs Varuzhan Akobian, Ben Finegold, Ronen Har-Zvi and one additional commentator TBD) also will be conducting commentary for live audiences at Lester’s Restaurant (connected to the CCSCSL) and the World Chess Hall of Fame (across the street from the CCSCSL).
Tony Rich, the executive director of the CCSCSL, said additional commentary teams will create a dynamic and engaging spectator experience.
“We wanted to offer a variety of options to ensure a positive experience for club members and visitors alike.” he said.
Event spectators will have the option to observe the players in the tournament playing hall, listen to the live streaming online commentary in a special viewing area at the Chess Club, or sit in on either of the live audience broadcasts. Tickets for individual rounds cost just $15 and also include food and beverage. Click here to purchase tickets or to view ticket package information.
In addition, the World Chess Hall of Fame will present a preview of their upcoming exhibit Jacqueline Piatigorsky: Patron, Player, Pioneer on the first floor gallery alongside the live GM commentary. The exhibition will be on view from September 4-15 and will include artifacts related to the 1963 and 1966 Piatigorsky Cup tournaments, two of the strongest chess competitions to be held in the U.S. These events attracted top grandmasters from around the world, including Boris Spassky, Bobby Fischer, Tigran Petrosian and Paul Keres.
The Sinquefield Cup marks Carlsen’s first-ever high-profile tournament in the United States. The event, a four-player, double round robin, features a $170,000 prize fund and an average FIDE rating just under 2800, making it the strongest tournament in the history of the U.S.
The event is named after the founders of the CCSCSL, Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield. The Sinquefields were each honored by the U.S. Chess Federation with a Gold Koltanowski award in 2012, with Rex also earning the distinction in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The award is given to the person or persons who have done the most to promote chess in the U.S. each year.
For more information including area hotels with special chess rates, visit http://www.uschesschamps.com/sinquefield-cup
International Master Daniel Naroditsky went undefeated through nine rounds to win the 2013 U.S. Junior Closed Championship.
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (June 24, 2013) -- On Sunday, IM Daniel Naroditsky went clutch to win his final game of the 2013 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, breaking a tie with FM Luke Harmon-Vellotti and earning the crown in clear first – proving, once again, that slow and steady wins the race.
Naroditsky finished with 6.5/9 after going directly for the win with the black pieces in round 9 against Robert Perez, while Harmon-Vellotti was stalled with a draw to FM Jeffrey Xiong. FM Sam Sevian’s last-round win over WFM Sarah Chiang completed a tenacious come-from-behind effort – four wins and two draws to close the tournament – but he was ultimately only able to catch Harmon-Vellotti to tie for second at 6.0.
“It was quite grueling – especially being the favorite coming in, where the pressure is on and everyone expects you to win every game,” Naroditsky said. “I just tried to stay calm and tranquil in every moment.”
All said and done, it comes as no shocker that Naroditsky became this year’s champion. The California 17-year-old was a three-time veteran of the tournament and the highest-rated player in this year’s field, at 2494. What comes as a surprise is how he did it.
In an often dramatic and decisive tournament that featured sharp play and homerun swings nearly every afternoon, each of Naroditsky’s games instead plodded along at a careful and steady positional pace. Offering an array of polished openings throughout, he kept his opponents in constant speculation as to which game they would play: One that spent 50 moves battling slowly over the smallest of advantages – or one that could be just as quickly traded down to a draw in 20. His methods earned him four wins and five draws, the only unbeaten player through the tournament.
By the end, his approach looked systematic – drawing against the top five finishers and collecting full points from the bottom four. He never once fell lower than second place, yet also never led the field by more than half a point. The closest game he wore as a loss came after a winning position against FM Yian Liou, who finished in sixth place, narrowly slipped away into a draw. It allowed Harmon-Vellotti to catch pace for the last round; Naroditsky had been in clear first and the draw left him rattled, vowing to return on Sunday to win at all costs against Perez.
“I feel great, happy with the fact that was able to work hard under pressure and get back on my feet after some tough draws and tough moves – something I have not done in past Juniors,” Naroditsky said. “I was really happy I was able to get my stuff together and find some winning spirit for a nice win at the end.”
Naroditsky selected the King’s Indian Defense in seeking a win over Perez, who held the tension in the center when black pushed 9. … e5. Naroditsky opted to break it open with 12. … exd4, and soon both of his knights enjoyed central outposts on c5 and e5. The thematic 17. … f5 swung the game in Naroditsky’s favor, ultimately winning the white e-pawn and granting black control of the open a-file – all but ending white’s standard attack plans on the queenside.
With Perez in massive time trouble, Naroditsky leaned on his pawn advantage in a slow positional advance, lodging his knight on a devastating central outpost with 29. … e4. It brought safety to the last square needed for a net on the white queen, and after Perez – playing on increment – blundered with 32. a1?, Naroditsky won the lady with 32. Bc5. It was the third time this tournament Perez hung his queen.
Sharing the lead entering the final round, Harmon-Vellotti also played directly for a win but came up just a few tempos short as the black pieces in his eventual draw against Xiong. The tactically adept Idaho 14-year-old thrived all week in complicated positions, and once again steered the game into a closed mess with his trademark French Defense.
Though black enjoyed some advancement on the queenside, an early rook lift by white eventually found 15. Rg3, of which black’s response in 15. … Bf8 blocked any castling plans for his king. Harmon-Vellotti’s monarch never did make it out of the middle – a weakness Xiong had fully exploited by the game’s adjournment – and his h8 rook never once moved out of the corner.
The queenside was breaking open by the 20th move, and while black lost its a-pawn to 25. Rxa5, it was able to create a particularly bothersome passed pawn with 27. … dxc4. Desperate for a win, it became the object of Harmon-Vellotti’s attention, but not without first dealing with Xiong’s own passer on the seventh rank: 33. d7 offered an awkward check by a violently poisoned pawn.
In the end, the pressure on Harmon-Vellotti’s king, still on the e-file and pinned down by the white queen, proved too much. Ironically, Harmon-Vellotti’s army ran out of initiative just as Naroditsky stood up from his board, with congratulations. The game was drawn by repetition after 44 moves, just a few minutes after the championship had been claimed.
“I was about to offer a draw at that point anyway; I only had one way not to lose,” Harmon-Vellotti said. “I played my best and, at the end, it was a draw. I’m not disappointed with this tournament, I still played well for the most part.”
Sevian delivered a quick and convincing must-win as black over Chiang in his final round – for the moment putting him in clear first – and then sat for nearly an hour to nervously await the Naroditsky and Harmon-Vellotti results.
Chiang now has plenty of resources to learn the Nimzo-Indian lines as the players ganged up on her with the defense all week. Fighting came quickly, as Chiang’s 7. d5 pushed the envelope on black’s center, but opened up a diagonal that brought Sevian’s 8. … Bxf1 and forced Chiang’s king to move before castling. Soon her e-pawn was attacked without enough defensive resources; Sevian won it with 13. Nxe4, kicking off some nice tactical work that also traded the queens and minor pieces from the board.
A few half-steps from white allowed black to finish its development, and soon Chiang’s d-pawn was sucked too far into the black camp. She missed moving her rook out of the pin on the e-file at 24. Re4, instead allowing Sevian to force a trade of the knights and spell doom for the advanced pawn. Sevian went on to create a tomb of pawns around the white rook with 27. … c4, and then beautifully sealed it off with 31. d5.