2012 U.S. Championships News
by GM Josh Friedel
At the opening ceremony of the Cairns Cup Tuesday evening, the players promised to do all they could to play fighting chess. They certainly didn’t disappoint. The first round of the Cairns Cup was a bloody affair, with most of the players taking lots of risk and playing aggressive chess. There was only one draw, and black had a good day, scoring three wins to white’s one. Here are the results of the round, along with a summary of what went down in each game.
GM Harika Dronavalli - GM Marie Sebag ½-½
Harika managed to secure a queenside majority in an ending from a Bb5+ Sicilian against Marie Sebag, but the French GM had a lot of counterplay with her more active pieces. Perhaps 17. Nf3 would have secured a greater advantage for White than trading queens on d5 immediately, since the knight on d2 proved to be quite restricted. After that, while there were many changes that occurred in the position, both players played accurately and a draw was agreed after all that was left was opposite bishops and a few pawns. A well played game, and as with many such games, eventually both players simply ran out of resources.
GM Nana Dzagnidze - GM Irina Krush 0-1
My first impression of this game is that Dzagnidze was out to play the black pieces as White, and Krush certainly didn’t mind. They ended up trading into an endgame where Black definitely had the edge, both in space and in piece play, but with limited material the win can often prove elusive. Krush had no intention of letting Dzagnidze off easily, however, and used her two bishops and extra space to huff and puff on White’s positional castle. For awhile it looked like Dzagnidze was holding down the fort, but she took a risk by taking on b4 on the 50th move. Even so, had White traded the d pawn for the c-pawn, she likely would have held the draw. Instead, Dzagnidze took excessive risks, and Krush’s pawns ended up winning the day. Both sides had their passers, but Black’s were simply much faster. Quite a back and forth affair, but Irina kept a cool head and punished Dzagnidze when she overstepped her bounds.
GM Valentina Gunina - GM Bela Khotenashvili 1-0
This game started out quietly enough, but both players were using up lots of time. The game opened up when Gunina forced Khotenashvili to surrender her light-squared bishop, then traded a central pawn for Black’s h6 pawn. I would have preferred putting the light-squared bishop on b7 to avoid this type of position. Unfortunately for Bela, her situation went bad to worse for Black, as her knight ended up stuck on b2 and she had less than a minute on the clock by move 25. Valentina also ended up in time pressure, however, and in a time scramble no position is that easy to figure out. It seems nobody informed her of this, however, and she shoved her kingside pawns with reckless abandon despite the lack of time on her clock. This paid off well for her, and when the dust settled on move 40, it was clear her h-pawn would be too powerful. Quite an impressive game from the white side, and definitely a textbook example of why you can’t relax too much no matter how safe the position looks.
Valentina was in good spirits before the round, and probably in better ones after her fine victory!
IM Elisabeth Paehtz - GM Alexandra Kosteniuk 0-1
These ladies played this game like someone owed them money. Alexandra started sharply by playing the Benoni and chasing White’s dark-squared bishop with an early h6-g5. Elisabeth responded in kind, by breaking apart the kingside with 13. H4 and then sacrificing a central pawn with 16. E5. Paehtz’s bravery was quite justified, and she found herself in a very promising position, albeit a rather complicated one. The Russian GM recovered well, however, and managed to outplay her opponent in the subsequent middlegame. 19. Qa4 was pointed out as an improvement over Qe2, preventing the knight on b8 from developing to d7. I suspect 25. Qd2 was also not best. Either way, Kosteniuk’s play was absolutely superb from then on, and she finished off with a devastating mating attack starting with the move 32… Rxg2! An interesting game to watch, and if both players continue to play in this fashion it promises to be a fun event.
Kosteniuk showed her class by outplaying Paehtz in a sharp struggle
IM Anna Zatonskih - IM Zhansaya Abdumalik 0-1
Anna and Zhansaya blitzed out a sharp Grunfeld line where they trade queens and end up in an unbalanced, yet approximately equal ending. Black’s two bishops should compensate for the doubled a pawns, but it is quite difficult to do anything active. While most games in this line end in a draw, the ending hardly looks dead to me, and I’m thankful these players proved me right. I expected Zatonskih to play the solid 22. F3, but she played the much more ambitious 22. E4 and expanded in the center. This was a fearless decision, especially considering the fact she was quite low on the clock, and ultimately this backfired on her. When the position opened up it seemed like Black’s bishops gained in strength, although it only became really problematic after White played 30. Nc4. This allowed Abdumalik to open up her b7 bishop, which helped support her dangerous pawn lurking on h3. Anna pitched her center and pinned her hopes on the queenside, but Black’s play proved to be much more dangerous. An impressive win by the young Kazakh, and if her foes didn’t know the danger she represents before, they certainly know now.
The young Kazakh IM, Zhansaya Abdumalik, meant business in the first round.
It will be hard to top the fighting chess that occurred in round one, but there is no doubt the players will try. Here are the pairings for round two.
For more information, contact:
Kiley Herndon
Phone: (314) 309-0799
kherndon@saintlouischessclub.org
Saint Louis Chess Club to Host Inaugural Cairns Cup from February 5-16, 2019
All-Female Tournament to Provide Unparalleled Tournament Experience for Women Worldwide
SAINT LOUIS, January 25, 2019 - Women the world over will descend upon the Saint Louis Chess Club to compete in the inaugural Cairns Cup, an elite tournament for the top female players from around the world. The nine-round classical chess tournament, to take place from February 5-16, brings together one of the strongest international fields ever assembled in women’s chess with one of the largest prize funds for an all-female tournament.
Inspired by its mission to further promote the game of chess to women and girls, the Saint Louis Chess Club created and named the Cairns Cup in honor of Chess Club co-founder Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield, whose maiden name is Cairns. The tournament format is similar in style to the prestigious Sinquefield Cup, with the 10 best female players from around the world earning invitations to compete at the Saint Louis Chess Club’s renowned facility for the $150,000 prize fund. The top three finishers will receive $40,000, $30,000, and $20,000 respectively.
The inaugural tournament field features women from seven different countries and consists of legendary champions, including former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, former Women’s World Blitz Champion Nana Dzagnidze, 4-time U.S. Women’s Champion Anna Zatonskih, and 7-time U.S. Women’s Champion Irina Krush.
“We are really excited to introduce this new international chess tournament for women,” said Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield, Co-founder of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “We hope this will inspire more women to play chess on a competitive level. We look forward to hosting this tournament for years to come and for it to become one of the premier chess tournaments in the world.”
Each round will be streamed live daily from Feb. 5-16 at 1 p.m. Central Time with the expert commentary team of WGM Jennifer Shahade, GM Yasser Seirawan, and GM Maurice Ashley, as well as a Russian language broadcast with IM Almira Skripchenko and WGM Anastasiya Karlovich on www.uschesschamps.com. Fans are also welcome to purchase tickets to the historic event by visiting uschesschamps.com or on-site at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Ticket holders will have access to watch players live in-person and enjoy live commentary with WGM Tatev Abrahamyan and IM Tania Sachdev at Kingside Diner.
|
2019 Cairns Cup Field |
||||
|
Title |
Name |
FIDE Classical Rating |
Age |
Residence |
|
GM |
Alexandra Kosteniuk |
2537 |
34 |
Russia |
|
GM |
Nana Dzagnidze |
2513 |
32 |
Georgia |
|
GM |
Valentina Gunina |
2501 |
29 |
Russia |
|
GM |
Bela Khotenashvili |
2491 |
30 |
Georgia |
|
IM |
Elisabeth Paehtz |
2477 |
34 |
Germany |
|
GM |
Marie Sebag |
2476 |
24 |
France |
|
GM |
Harika Dronavalli |
2471 |
28 |
India |
|
IM |
Zhansaya Abdumalik |
2468 |
19 |
Kazakhstan |
|
GM |
Irina Krush |
2436 |
35 |
USA |
|
IM |
Anna Zatonskih |
2428 |
40 |
USA |
About The Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization 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, contact:
Kiley Herndon
Phone: (314) 309-0799
kherndon@saintlouischessclub.org
Saint Louis Chess Club to Host Champions Showdown Chess 960 September 11–14
Exhibition matches feature ten chess champions, including legendary World Champion Garry Kasparov
SAINT LOUIS, MO, August 24, 2018 – The Saint Louis Chess Club will bring ten of the top chess players in the world, including legendary world champion Garry Kasparov, to play in the Champions Showdown this September. The matches will be played in Chess 960 style, also known as Fischer Random, with a $250,000 prize purse. The competition will include six rapid games and fourteen blitz games over the five days of play.
“Bringing this amount of talent to an event is a tribute to Saint Louis, the chess capital of the world,” said Garry Kasparov. “People will get to see chess champions battle it out in a nontraditional and exciting format that will challenge all competitors.”
Fischer random is a variant of chess created by Bobby Fischer in the late 1990s in which the pieces on the home rank are randomized. The 960 represents the number of possible starting positions. 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.
|
Player Matchups |
||||
|
Player |
URS Rating |
Player |
URS Rating |
|
|
Garry Kasparov |
2734 |
vs. |
Veselin Topalov |
2722 |
|
Hikaru Nakamura |
2812 |
vs. |
Peter Svidler |
2758 |
|
Wesley So |
2794 |
vs. |
Anish Giri |
2763 |
|
Sam Shankland |
2695 |
vs. |
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave |
2796 |
|
Levon Aronian |
2794 |
vs. |
Leinier Dominguez |
2754 |
“This format of the unknown setup presents quite the challenge for even the top players in the world,” said Tony Rich, executive director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “We will see some of the most interesting games as this format puts these players in positions they may never have seen before.”
Play will begin at 1 p.m. each day September 11-14 at the Saint Louis Chess Club and be broadcast live on uschesschamps.com.
###
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:
Kiley Herndon
Marketing Communications Associate
(314) 309-0799
kherndon@saintlouischessclub.org
America’s Rising Chess Stars Converge in Saint Louis
2018 U.S. Junior & U.S. Girls’ Junior Chess Championships Set for the Saint Louis Chess Club
SAINT LOUIS (July 2, 2018) – The skilled and competitive new generation of chess talent will compete for the U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior Chess Championship titles at the Saint Louis Chess Club July 11-21, 2018. The two 10-player fields are filled with young prodigies who are ready to test their mettle in 9 rounds of classical chess. For many of these players, the tournament will serve as a stepping stone to achieving such lofty goals as the Grandmaster titles, elite player status, and potentially World Championship competitions.
This year’s tournament includes an exciting opponent in the 2018 Junior field, as 16-year-old WIM Annie Wang will be competing against all male opponents. She secured the wildcard position in the tournament due to her spectacular second place finish against IM Nazi Paikidze during the playoff of the 2018 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship in April. Wang will be competing for the prize fund of more than $20,000 and a coveted spot in the 2019 U.S. Chess Championship, where she would compete against America’s big three: GM Wesley So, GM Hikaru Nakamura, and world championship contender, GM Fabiano Caruana. Alongside her in the field will be other talented juniors, including previous champions GM Akshat Chandra and defending champion GM Awonder Liang.
“The U.S. Junior Championships are always a great opportunity for us to see what the future of chess looks like,” says Executive Director Tony Rich. “With Annie Wang as the wildcard and all the other young, yet seasoned players, the future of American chess is brighter than ever.”
The U.S. Girls’ Junior section also promises to offer exciting battles with previous U.S. Women’s Championship players FM Maggie Feng, WIM Emily Nguyen, and WIM Jennifer Yu. For many of these players, the tournament is an opportunity to improve their rating and prepare for future major tournaments. Although this tournament is fairly new, it has produced many players who have gone on to shine at major national and international tournaments, while others have taken the skills learned from chess to study at elite universities like Agata Bykovtsev at MIT. Along with winning the title, players will be up for the chance to win a piece of the more than $10,000 prize fund.
Covering all the action will be the expert commentary team of WGM Tatev Abrahamyan and GM Robert Hess. The team will be providing game analysis daily starting at 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.uschesschamps.com.
|
Name |
Invitational Rating* |
Qualification |
Hometown |
|
GM Ruifeng Li |
2686 |
Rating |
Plano, TX |
|
GM Awonder Liang |
2653 |
2017 U.S. Junior Champion |
Madison, WI |
|
GM Andrew Tang |
2620 |
Rating |
Plymouth, MN |
|
GM John Michael Burke |
2608 |
Rating |
Brick, NJ |
|
GM Akshat Chandra |
2593 |
Rating |
St. Louis, MO |
|
IM Advait Patel |
2592 |
Rating |
Midwest City, OK |
|
NM Mika Brattain |
2519 |
Rating |
Lexington, MA |
|
IM Praveen Balakrishnan |
2502 |
2017 Denker Champion |
Centreville, VA |
|
FM Alex Bian |
2411 |
2017 U.S. Junior Open Champion |
Lincolnshire, IL |
|
WIM Annie Wang |
2372 |
Wildcard |
La Cañada, CA |
|
Name |
Invitational Rating* |
Qualification |
Hometown |
|
WIM Jennifer Yu |
2423 |
Rating |
Ashburn, VA |
|
FM Maggie Feng |
2355 |
Rating |
Dublin, OH |
|
WIM-Elect Carissa Yip |
2344 |
Rating |
Andover, MA |
|
WIM Emily Nguyen |
2285 |
Rating |
Austin, TX |
|
WFM Thalia Cervantes |
2259 |
Rating |
Webster Groves, MO |
|
WCM Rochelle Wu |
2217 |
2017 National Girls Tournament of Champions |
Davis, CA |
|
WFM Martha Samadashvili |
2196 |
Rating |
Albany, NY |
|
WFM Nastassja Matus |
2183 |
Wildcard |
Plymouth, MN |
|
WFM Sanjana Vittal |
2161 |
Rating |
East Windsor, NJ |
|
Sophie Morris-Suzuki |
2155 |
Rating |
New York, NY |
* Invitational ratings are calculated and certified by the USCF. The USCF is solely responsible for invitational ratings.
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:
Kiley Herndon
Communications Coordinator
(314) 309-0799
kherndon@saintlouischessclub.org
For Immediate Release
U.S. and U.S. Women’s Chess Championship to be Held at the Saint Louis Chess Club
Tenth consecutive year for Saint Louis to host U.S.and U.S. Women’s Championships
SAINT LOUIS (January 8, 2018) – For the tenth consecutive year, the Saint Louis Chess Club will host the U.S. Chess Championship and U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. Since the 2009 Championships, the Chess Club has awarded more than two million dollars in prize money, with an additional $294,000 on the line for this year’s 24 competitors.
When: April 18-30, 2018
Who: The 2018 U.S. Chess Championship will include the defending 2017 U.S. Champion - Grandmaster Wesley So, 2017 U.S. Junior Champion - Grandmaster Awonder Liang, and 2017 U.S. Open Champion - Grandmaster Alex Lenderman, along with one wildcard and 8 players who qualify based on their United States Chess Federation (USCF) rating. The 2018 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship will include defending 2017 U.S Women’s Champion - Woman Grandmaster Sabina Foisor, 2017 U.S. Girls’ Champion - Women’s International Master Akshita Gorti, two wildcards, and 8 players who qualify by USCF rating.
Where: Saint Louis Chess Club, 4657 Maryland Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63108
Event Details: Information will be available at uschesschamps.com. Spectators will be able to enjoy world class commentary live at uschesschamps.com or by visiting the Saint Louis Chess Club located in the heart of the historic Central West End. Tickets will be $10/day and include access to watch games live in the tournament hall, as well as live commentary provided at Kingside Diner. Complimentary valet parking also provided for spectators and media.
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:
Kiley Herndon
Communications Coordinator
(314) 309-0799
kherndon@saintlouischessclub.org
World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Americans Dominate
at Champions
Showdown in Saint Louis
SAINT LOUIS (November 15, 2017) – Six days of fast time controls with
no increment or delay proved to be exactly what viewers were wanting to watch.
Blood was literally spilled as the three Americans, Grandmasters Fabiano
Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Wesley So beat their opponents Alexander
Grischuk, Veselin Topalov, and Leinier Dominguez, respectively. By the end of
day six, the reigning World Champion, Magnus Carlsen, also proved that he is
nearly impossible to beat.
Two of the matchups came down to the last day, with GMs Wesley So and
Fabiano Caruana narrowly edging out their opponents. Both players were down on
the second to last day of play and came back to win nearly all of the final
blitz games to clinch the victories. Wesley So was hitting his clock so hard he
broke open a callus on his hand leaving blood splatter covering the clock. At the same time, GMs Hikaru Nakamura and
Magnus Carlsen dominated their opponents to prove their true grit in the rapid
and blitz games.
“The time controls provide some of the most frenetic chess we’ve see in
a quite a while, said Tony Rich, executive director of the Saint Louis Chess
Club. “These are the best players in the world and to watch these games come
down to pieces flying, was an outstanding experience for chess enthusiasts.“
At the end of the tournament, each winner took home $60,000, while the
opponents took home an impressive $40,000 for a grand total of $400,000,
courtesy of the generous support of Saint Louis Chess Club founders Dr. Jeanne
and Rex Sinquefield. As chess continues to rise in prominence around the globe,
this prize fund reflects that of what true professional athletes make for their
hard work at the board.
For more information, visit www.uschesschamps.com.
About The Chess Club and
Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis 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 Chess
Club and Scholastic Center 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.
###