2012 U.S. Championships News
Blitz is a dangerous game. The balancing act of time pressure, putting aggression on your opponent and not blundering anything is extremely tricky. Hikaru Nakamura is considered by many to be the best blitz player in the World, and if not that, at least top three. However, Fabiano Caruana had something to say about this - and even though he was not the favorite going into the last day of the Showdown in Saint Louis, he proved that he can play with the best of the best.
Fabiano Caruana vs. Hikaru Nakamura
Caruana dealt the first blow in game one. After a beautiful deflection early in the game, Black emerged up a pawn and had excellent winning chances. Nakamura kept holding on, and in the chaos of the time scramble even managed to get some chances to hold on. However, he failed to see the path, and Caurana’s passed pawns were too much for him to handle.
It was clear that Caruana wasn’t satisfied with just one win. He came in strong in the second game as well, getting a decisive advantage but failing to see the killing shot. His king became very weak, and again in a game that was decided in the final seconds, Nakamura took a perpetual after missing a key win.
The third game was all about Black yet again. Caruana’s position was already superior from the opening, and in a very fine positional style, specially for a three minute game, he simply blew Nakamura off the board. The final winning tactic was nice.
Nakamura came back in game four. Caruana’s was overzealous in his pawn grab, and in what should have been a drawish knight endgame, he ended up trapping his own minor piece. Nakamura’s king came over to the queenside, collected the stranded knight, and won the game.
The fifth blitz game came with a bit of a controversy. In a superior position, Caruana tried to promote his pawn. He pushed it to the eighth rank, and went to grab a queen. Unfortunately, he accidentally hit the clock before replacing the pawn. Nakamura claimed illegal move but Tony Rich, the arbiter, ruled that since it was an unintentional clock touch that the game should go on. At the end Nakamura held his own in a difficult position and drew the game.
Nakamura played strangely in the sixth game. In a must win position, he simply crumbled as Caruana’s knights galloped all over the board. Nakamura’s bishops never had any activity and they died entombed. With that win Caruana cemented his victory in the match!
White tried to win an opposite colored bishop in the seventh game, but Caruana would not let go of his position and ended up drawing after 151 moves!
Caruana missed a tactical blow in the eighth game that gave Nakamura a final win, but it was all over by then. Caruana takes the Saint Louis Showdown!
Parimargan Negi vs. Hou Yifan
The final blitz day was truly tragic for Negi. He was unable to convert many strong advantages and even lost on time once in a winning position.
Yifan started strong with an unexpected novelty in the main position of the Sicilian Dragon. She was better through most of the game, but Negi held on.
The Indian player clearly outplayed his counterpart in game two. His strong position in the queen and bishop endgame was sufficient for a huge advantage, but in severe time trouble he collapsed and blundered into a simply losing pawn endgame.
Negi was quite lucky to draw the third game, however, as Yifan should have converted in that game. Her pawns on the queenside were very strong and Negi survived by a miracle in the final endgame.
In the fourth game, Negi was up a piece. He had tricked Hou Yifan nicely and had a totally winning position. However, disaster occurred. In time pressure he confused himself, made things difficult, and instead of accepting a draw he thought too long and lost on time!
After two draws, Negi was able to take game seven for some consolation prize, but the match was certainly over by then. Despite Hou Yifan’s crushing victory, it was probably a closer match than what the score dictates.
Congratulations to the winners, Hou Yifan and Fabiano Caruana!
Round 1
Hikaru came out guns blazing, playing an opening that might be more appropriate for 960 than for top level chess. However, it worked! Caruana found himself very quickly in a difficult position, and had to come from behind. White was unable to find the best continuations, and it was actually Nakamura that had to find a way to draw near the end of the game:
Meanwhile Hou Yifan showed extraordinary understanding of the hedgehog positions to win a great game against Negi:
Round 2
There is no other way to describe game two but total suicide from Nakamura. The move 6...f6 is simply incomprehensible for a player of his level.
In a chess player's career there will always be opportunities to play a brilliant game. It doesn't happen to everyone, and it certainly doesn't happen often. It usually doesn't happen in fast time controls, as calculation is difficult, but today Negi proved that even in a 15+10 format truly brilliancy can be found in chess. Negi simply executed a masterpiece in a sharp Sicilian today:
Round 3
Caruana had a tough time from the opening in round three. The King's Indian type position certainly favored Nakamura, who had pressure all over the board. White might have cashed in his chips a little too early: Black got some counterplay, although he was unable to follow it up with precise moves. He kept missing chances to give up material and giving White's king problems, and found himself in a difficult position. Just when things looked bad, Fabi showed excellent class in holding the endgame:
In the third game of Negi-Yifan, there is no way to describe the bout but an absolute heartbreaker. Negi had a beautiful, winning position only to blunder it away in time trouble.
Round 4
The French Defense was Hikaru's choice in game four, but it did not go so well. Fabi got a slight edge from the opening and he was able to outplay his opponent. An aggressive king incursion cemented White's advantage. Nakamura tried to create counterplay with a passed d-pawn, but Caruana's precision sealed the deal:
Negi certainly felt defeated after his blunder, and it seemed like the wind was taken away from his sails in the last game of the rapid.
Fischer Random chess has been a controversial chess variant for some time. With the semi-random way the game starts (there are positions that cannot be played as they give White too big of an advantage), it is impossible to predict exactly how the games will begin and therefore it is impossible to have any kind of theoretical knowledge. Even though the players had eight positions to study before the match - four of which they would play - it was almost an unanimous approach not to calculate variations before the match started. One could be driven crazy analyzing so many positions from the very first moves!
The afternoon started well for Fabiano Caruana. In his first game of the day he was black against Hikaru Nakamura, and the #1 player in America decided to sacrifice a pawn with the White pieces. His superior piece coordination always gave him plenty of compensation, but slowly he let go of the requirements of the positions and allowed Black to untangle. An opposite color bishop endgame was reached and Caruana took game number one with some precise calculation to promote his pawns.
Things improved dramatically for Hikaru in the next two games. From the opening Black’s position was already more pleasant than his opponent’s, and going into the middlegame Black’s fabulous bishop on d4 gave Caruana serious headaches. The sidelined knight on a4 was a poor counterpart for such a magnificent piece, and although Caruana was by no means lost yet it was a poor position for him. A blunder cost White his f2 pawn, and after that Hikaru steamrolled his way to victory.
Game three was similar. Caruana’s opening left him in a desperate position early in the game, and White’s tactic with Bb7+!? was enough to win a pawn, but according to Fabiano, Hikaru did not even need to do that to gain the advantage. White entered an endgame up a pawn after the tactical exchanges, and it was all suffering for Caruana. To his credit he managed to almost equalize the game at a point, had he found a very specific sequence, but he did not manage to and eventually White’s extra pawn was enough for a full point.
In the last game of the day Caruana’s opening was again insufficient. He found himself in a passive position, but very cleverly he jettisoned a pawn to gain counterplay. Black found himself with an extra pawn and the advantage, but White’s activity was not easy to deal with. Hikaru took the day 2.5-1.5 and now leads by one point.
Yesterday was a rough day for Hou Yifan, who started her Showdown in Saint Louis with a 0-2 loss. However, she showed today why she is the top female player in the planet with an incredible comeback. Despite never having played Fischer Random in a tournament setting, she showed absolutely dominance over the nuances of development, pawn structure and piece placement in every single game. The story was very similar in the first three games: Hou Yifan was able to obtain a better position from the opening strategically, gaining an advantage in space. After this Parimarjan Negi found himself in difficult positions, eating away at his clock in attempt to find any kind of useful plans or moves to liberate his position. Hou Yifan was in no mood to led his opponent out of her binds, and she capitalized her advantages three times in a row with marvelous execution.
After a 0-3 start Negi finally pulled himself together and established a good position with the black pieces, which somehow resembled some kind of symmetrical English from normal chess. It was clear that Black had a very slight pull in the position, but the locked nature of the situation made a draw the most likely result. Negi overpressed, and he found himself in some trouble after he was forced to put his knight in the atrocious a8 square. Hou Yifan missed a winning shot at the end, but despite this the draw was good enough for a 3.5-0.5 score in the Fischer Random chess and an overall lead of 3.5-2.5 going into the rapids of day three.
Fabiano Caruana remarked after the day was over the “It's taken us hundreds of years to understand just the normal starting position in chess so I don't think that an extra ten or fifteen minutes is going to help me over the board." It simply shows you how complex chess can be, and how complex chess 960 is even for top players!
Nakamura vs. Caruana
The Basque chess games started with some exciting developments. It is difficult to juggle two games of chess at the same time, especially against such strong opposition. In the Nakamura vs. Caruana game, the number one player in America essayed the Trompowsky opening; however, it was not successful at all. Fabi gained a big initiative with the black pieces by timely breaking in the center. This left Hikaru’s dark squares in shambles, his king weak and his position in serious danger. In an uncharacteristic sequence, Fabiano let go of most of his advantage by playing relatively meek chess. An aggressive approach would have given him a massive advantage. Hikaru regained control of the position, simplified some pieces, and headed towards a draw.
In Caruana vs. Nakamura, it was the black side that went on the aggression with an early Nh4 and f5 ripping apart the kingside. It is likely that this was not very well founded positionally, and Hikaru’s position was questionable. Just when it seemed that things were going south for him, he found a fantastic resource with e4!? sacrificing a full pawn simply to activate his pieces. Caruana did not react in the best way, and Black even had chances to gain an advantage at a critical juncture. Hikaru’s materialistic approach was almost punished when his weak king saw itself in danger, but Fabiano’s moves were not accurate enough, and he had to content himself with a draw by perpetual check.
Hou Yifan vs. Negi
Excellent play today from the young player from India! In his game with white, Negi showed excellent mastery of the Dragon positions despite Hou Yifan’s early deviation with a strange but interesting Re8. Negi simply rammed his h-pawn down the board and created real problems for his opponent. The game was very complicated, but perhaps the crucial mistake came with the move 20...Nd5. After White castled, Black’s bishop on h5 was too weak, and that spelled disaster.
In her game with white, Yifan was simply too optimistic. An exchange sacrifice by Negi was met with a countersacrifice of a full piece, leaving the material balance two pieces vs. a rook. White’s a-pawn was simply not enough, and slowly but surely Negi took over the initiative and his extra material won him the game. Negi is the clear leader with 2-0!
For more information, please contact:
Nicole Halpin
314-309-099
nhalpin@saintlouischessclub.org
For Immediate Release
America’s Best Set to Compete in Exhibition Games in Saint Louis
SAINT LOUIS (October 14, 2015) – American chess is getting stronger and is on the rise. This fall, Grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, the top two players in the United States, will visit the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) and compete in a series of games over four days: Thursday, November 12 through Sunday, November 15.
“The Saint Louis Chess Club always seeks to find innovative and exciting events to host. With players like Nakamura and Caruana, spectators should expect fireworks over the board,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the CCSCSL.
Featured exhibition matches will include:
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4 games Fischer Random (Chess 960) at G/20 + 10 seconds
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4 games Rapid Chess at G/15 + 10 seconds
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8 games Blitz Chess at G/3 + 2 seconds
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And more to come!
All games count towards the final score with a win counting as 1 point, a draw as a ½ point and a loss as 0 points. Players will be competing for $100,000 in prizes.
Former Women’s World Champion, GM Hou Yifan and GM Parimarjan Negi will also square off, following the same format. Hailing from China, 21-year-old Hou Yifan is the strongest active female player in the world; she is the only female currently ranked in the top 100. Indian GM Negi, at 22 years old, is a former Asian continental champion and currently attends Stanford University.
Each game of the exhibition matches will feature live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Jennifer Shahade and GM Maurice Ashley. The event will be streamed live via www.uschesschamps.com. Join us Thursday, November 12 through Sunday, November 15 to watch these champions battle it out.
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.
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Written and analyzed by GM Mackenzie Molner. Photos taken by Austin Fuller.
Awonder Liang vs. Akshat Chandra
After the first three rounds of the tournament these two players were the leaders, and it was presumed that this 9th round matchup could potentially decide the tournament’s results. It turned out that this was true but not the way Awonder would have wanted it. In his last five games, Awonder was only able to score one point, compared to Akshat Chandra who was still leading the tournament. A round nine win for Akshat would guarantee him first place, $6,000 and a seat in the next U.S. Chess Championship. With the Black pieces for round nine, it would prove to be no easy task.
Chandra’s form took a dip in the middle of the tournament, but he peaked in the last couple rounds and was playing his best chess of the tournament. He reacted to Awonder’s 1.e4 in his typical fashion, playing the Taimanov Sicilian. The game was a relatively quiet Sicilian, devoid of the tactical opportunities that usually characterize this particular opening. Awonder held slight pressure throughout the opening and early middlegame, but it never led to more than mild discomfort for Chandra. Chandra slowly gained control of the game. By move 33 he had a great chance to solidify his advantage with the move f4! He made the most of this opportunity, playing this move relatively quickly. Awonder’s 35th move was the cause of his demise. Rather than playing Rd3, he needed to play Rf3, with reasonable chances of defending.
By the time Black played 36… Bc6, White’s position was beyond salvation. Chandra brought the point home in convincing fashion, needing only 5 more moves before forcing White’s resignation. A quiet but very well-played game. With the win in round nine, Akshat Chandra won the 2015 U.S. Junior Closed Championship!
Curran Han vs. Jeffrey Xiong
Xiong needed to win this game in order to maximize his chances of competing for first. I thought it would be interesting to see which opening he would play in order to generate winning chances. Xiong relied on his standard Grunfeld defense against Han’s 1. d4. I thought this might not be the best choice. As a Grunfeld player myself, I often find it difficult to create winning chances against some of the long forcing variations that White can play. Han chose a solid system, with an early Be3 and Bb5. The critical point in the game was White’s 18th move. Han needed to play Rc5 instead of Rc4, the move that was played in the game. Han’s choice radically altered the evaluation of the position, immediately going from equal to a loss in just one move! Xiong finished off the game in good style, efficiently converting his advantage. The pressure was now on Akshat to at least draw for Xiong to stand a chance!
Arthur Shen vs. Luke Harmon-Vellotti
Harmon-Vellotti decided to deviate from his nearly automatic French defense against 1. e4. He played the Caro-Kann defense, perhaps looking to plan specific preparation against the Fantasy Variation, which was Shen’s previous choice this tournament. Shen deviated from his previous game, favoring the classical main line. The opening led to a very sharp middlegame position with opposite side castling. Shen’s 15th move, g4!, led to a strong kingside attack. It wasn’t until 30… Rd2 that White’s attack became unstoppable. 30… e5 was a better choice. Shen’s attack crashed through, right before the time control. Shen’s 9 decisive games is an impressive feat!