2012 U.S. Championships News
After exciting pre-tournament build-up, the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship finally spread its wings and took off. And what a takeoff it was! With five decisive games in the open section and intense battles on all boards in the women’s section, this was everything a chess fan could have hoped for. From quick demolitions to endgame masterpieces, any student of the game had something to learn from today’s round. Let’s dissect the games and see how our competitors opened their quest for the 2016 national title.
Open Section
So vs. Kamsky 1-0
This miniature showed just how big the difference of strength between the top three contenders and all the other participants is—including the recent U.S. Chess Hall Of Fame inductee, Gata Kamsky. Wesley surprised Gata in the opening and the two soon entered one of the most solid defense against 1.e4, the Breyer variation of the Ruy Lopez. So unexpectedly released the tension on the queenside with 18.axb5 which also happens to be a novelty in that position. White continued to concentrate his resources on the king side in an attempt to create pressure against Black’s king. In an uncharacteristic fashion, Kamsky blundered early on with 21…Kh7? And after the powerful knight sacrifice 22.Nhf5 Black found himself in dire straits.
Caruana vs. Akobian 1-0
Fabiano Caruana arrived very motivated for his first U.S. Championship game but immediately found himself under pressure when Akobian surprised him with the Scandinavian defense. Akobian blitzed out his moves and obtained quite a comfortable position out of the opening. Unfortunately for him, he failed to understand the small details required to stop White’s expansion on the kingside. One small inaccuracy and Black found himself in a terrible situation—being squeezed by White’s pawn kingside avalanche and the powerful supporting pieces behind them. Akobian’s time management was not strong either and Caruana convincingly converted his advantage.
Nakamura vs. Lenderman 1-0
Nakamura came into this year’s tournament as the defending champion, and his first round statement was quite impressive. He chose a sharp pawn sacrifice with 8.b3 which lead to an extremely unbalanced position. A very original plan of transferring his pieces on the kingside and pressuring Black’s pawn construction forced Lenderman to adopt a passive defense. Nakamura patiently pressured Black’s position forcing Black to concede more and more weaknesses. After the forced 17…g6, the dark square weaknesses in Black’s position proved to be fatal. Nakamura patiently maneuvered his pieces and finalized his masterpiece by breaking Black’s position with 25.d5! after which Black was completely lost. A great game by the defending champion!
Shankland vs Chandra 1-0
Another favorite started his 2016 campaign with a positive result. Shankland arrived at the venue with a great smile on his face and kept the engines rolling for most of the game. His opponent tenaciously defended but failed to maintain a good time management and fell into a deep time trouble hole. He managed to crawl out of it only to wrongly assess his plan in the endgame and allow White to finish him with precise play. 43…Rd1 would have given Black very good chances for counterplay and a shot at a successful defense.
Onischuk vs Xiong ½-½
The young Jeffery Xiong managed to survive his first U.S. Championship game by tenaciously defending against the experienced veteran. White obtained a small advantage out of the opening but black managed to find a powerful tactical resource with 17…Nxe5, annihilating White’s pressure and simplifying into an equal endgame. Onischuk still had a slight edge but Jeffery skillfully proved his defensive skills. A solid start for the young star from Texas!
Shabalov vs. Robson 0-1
Both these players are known to be extremely dynamic competitors and this game was announced as one of the most entertaining ones. Shabalov has never shied away from a challenge and Robson is considered by many experts as one of the main treat for the top three titans. Shabalov employed the same line as Nakamura but chose a different approach by advancing his pawn to e5 as quick as possible. Robson found an incredible 20…Bc1! and forced his opponent to accept and inferior endgame. He slowly grinded his opponent until he cracked with 42.Ne8?? allowing the final blow 42...Ne2!
2016 Women’s Championship
Paikidze vs. Zatonskih ½ - ½
White came very well-prepared to the game and obtained a serious positional edge out of the opening. After 19.c5 there was little doubt about who was better with White controlling all the trumps in the position. The controlling bishop on e5, coupled with the fact that Black’s bishops had absolutely no targets on the board gave Paikidze the commanding role. Unfortunately for her, she misplayed the endgame by allowing her opponent to activate her rook with the a5-Ra4 maneuver. White maintained a solid edge but was not enough to convert it into a full point.
Nemcova vs. Krush ½ - ½
This was a fairly uneventful game in which both players chose a careful approach and did not take any risks when presented with a choice. The pieces quickly came off the board and a fairly normal outcome was reached. Solid start for both competitors.
Abrahamyan vs. Bykovtsev 1-0
Abrahamyan scored an important victory and launched her bid for the title. A crushing start for one of the most aggressive players in the event. Abrahamyan skillfully steered the game into her type of positions and immediately started a violent pawn storm on the kingside. Black seemed to have everything under control up until 21. Qb4 when her knight started to feel quite uncomfortable. Abrahamyan immediately opened the center with 22.e5! and her pair of bishops started feeling at ease tearing up Black’s defense. She quickly finished the game with precision to take the lead of the tournament.
Foisor vs. Melekhina ½ - ½
A very straightforward game in which neither side had any hope for an advantage. Melekhina chose the correct plan with a6-Rb8-b5 and the positioned immediately petered into an equal opposite color bishop middle game. Neither side tried to impose their will on their opponent and soon an uneventful draw was agreed.
Yu vs. Eswaran ½ - ½
Another very balanced affair. Black had a minimal edge throughout the opening phase but failed to understand the insights of the position and wrongly exchanged the bishop for White’s knight with 21...Bxf3? White returned the favor by exchanging the queens when instead she should have tried to pressure her opponent by playing 23.d7 with an extremely dangerous edge. After the queen came off the board none of the players really have a clear chance at obtaining an advantage.
Yip vs. Gorti 1-0
Today was a great start for the youngest player in the tournament and one of America’s top talents. White played a solid game—waiting for her opponent’s mistake to come. Black did no blunder, but did not find the right plan either; she lost too many tempos with the queen maneuver Qf7-d5-g5-a5 which allowed White to set up her pieces and start collecting the pawns on the c file. Black never really recovered and Yip nicely finished her opponent with the nice tactical blow 43.Qh8! A confident start for the young star and a promise for the future for the American chess.
By GM Cristian Chirila
April 13, 2016 will be remembered as the opening day of the strongest U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship in history. The excitement surrounding the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is palpable. Players, coaches, commentators, journalists, and fans from all over the world are eagerly waiting to feast on the chess spectacle that this event is going to bring to the table. The mixture of styles, age, and experience that this year’s fields created are quite the delight for anybody interested in the royal game.
Yasser Seirawan, four-time U.S. Champion and one of the Chess Club’s regular commentators, concluded that, “this year’s event is one of the strongest national championship in the world, with only Russia—on paper—being stronger.”
U.S. Championship
While previous years typically produce a clear favorite, this year’s event has an unprecedented level of outcome unpredictability. The U.S. Championship has drawn in three of the top ten players in the world: Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So. The three titans are all hungry for the national crown but they all have a very different motivation that will drive their performance throughout the event. Nakamura, the reigning champion, will certainly look to defend his title at all costs. Nonetheless, he is playing in the U.S. Championships after probably the most exhausting and rather disappointing tournament of his life: the Candidates. “Defend the title” will be his mantra! Caruana is participating for the first time since his switch to the U.S. Federation last summe. His performance was terrific in the Candidates Tournament; unfortunately, he failed to crown himself as the challenger due to a heartbreaking loss in the last round. Despite this tiring event, Caruana confidently stated that, “the Candidates was pretty exhausting, so I mainly focused on regaining my energy, which I think I fully achieved.” He is now facing a very different field of players, and the unfamiliarity might play an important role in the final outcome. Nevertheless, he assured his supporters that, “the strategy somewhat changes here compared to the type of events I normally compete in, but I'm always ready for a fight!”
Wesley So is by far the freshest of the top three since he did not participate in the Candidates. He is looking to silence his critics after last year’s disappointing performance. He is driven, prepared, and will no doubt try to impose his dominant game as soon as the first round’s bell rings. Many experts have him as the main favorite to take home the crown.
U.S. Women’s Championship
Irina Krush is the top contender and is coming into this year’s event as the clear favorite. Will this be her eigth title or will the infusion of young and hungry talented players prove to be a difficult wall to climb on her quest?
One of the new and exciting players to follow in this year’s event will be Akshita Gorti. When asked how she is dealing with her emotions going into such a high-caliber event, Gori immediately made her bold intentions public stating,“I am excited and nervous at the same time. I will be playing against some of the top women players this country has to offer, and it will surely be a learning opportunity. I will take it one game at a time. This Championship will help me with my long term goals of winning the women's world championship; I am here to win no matter what!” A bold prediction for such a young participant. We are all eager to see her performance!
The chess family is once again reunited in Saint Louis for the most prestigious event in American chess. We are all tensely waiting to see which one of these competitors will end up crowned as the 2016 U.S. Champion and 2016 U.S. Women’s Champion. Let the party begin!
By GM Cristian Chirila
In less than one month, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) will once again become the most interesting chess club in the world. That is not because of some fluke; the American chess crème de la crème is set to step foot in the historical venue and engage in an unprecedented war over the chessboard. Thanks to the U.S. Chess Federation, the CCSCSL will host its 8th consecutive U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship. This year’s event will be the strongest U.S. Championships in history, and plenty of fireworks are promised to the eagerly awaiting fans all over the world. Let’s take a closer look at the fields and try to understand who the favorites and underdogs are.
2016 U.S. Championship
This year’s dynamic championship will not have a clear cut favorite. With three players in the world’s top ten, it would be a mistake to say any one of them will clearly dominate the field. The defending champion, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, will have to overcome fresh obstacles if he wants to keep his title and cement his national domination. The return of world-number-three GM Fabiano Caruana to the U.S. Federation will see him contesting the title for the first time. However, he is not the only one aspiring to become the U.S. Champion. GM Wesley So has used his first year as a chess professional to hone his skills against top competition and learn how to handle the pressure a tournament of this magnitude will throw at him. Despite his unfortunate U.S. Championship campaign in 2015, he remains one of the most dangerous players in the world circuit and will undoubtedly be among the top contenders when the event reaches its final rounds.
The top three warriors will surely have the lion’s share of the spotlight, but let’s not forget about the young and upcoming talents of Robson, Lenderman, Shankland, Xiong, and Chandra. These young guns will try to bring their A-game and use their soaring energy levels and hunger to fight for the title. Onischuk, Kamsky, and Shabalov share 10 U.S. Championship titles among them, which by itself shows how big of an impact this trio will have throughout the 2016 U.S. Championship. Akobian has yet to claim the top American laurel, yet he is an experienced veteran and will surely be a tough nut to crack. The audience is sure to expect great battles and many surprises to follow!
2016 U.S. Women's Championship
The Women’s Championship will likely be a less balanced affair than its counterpart. We can safely say that there are two clear favorites in the race for the national title: GM Irina Krush and IM Anna Zatonskih. These are most likely to be the names on every chess enthusiast’s lips heading into the final rounds, as the two ladies have dominated the U.S. Women’s Championship for the last decade, with Anna winning it four times and Irina winning six times since 2006.
Despite these dominant stats, the favorite duo will surely have a challenging time facing an opponent with one of the most uncompromising styles of play in the tournament, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan. Coming in as the third seed, Tatev is currently warming up at the strong Reykjavik Open where she is facing GM-level opponents on a daily basis. The audience can expect Tatev to come prepared and eager to claim her spot at the top of the national hierarchy. Nemcova and Paikidze follow closely and are likely to be a decisive factor in the tournament standings. The young and upcoming talents completing the field will try to assert as much pressure as possible on the favorites, and if recent history is an indicator, we can expect some upsets along the way.
There is no doubt that the strongest U.S. Championships in history will provide an electrifying experience for fans all over the world. These dynamic and competitive players will throw everything they have at their opponents. Novelties, middlegame and endgame mastery, as well as clutch time trouble situations will be the ingredients that will crown the 2016 champions. The countdown has begun; who will claim the largest-ever prize fund in U.S. Championship in history? Following the closing ceremonies, the top three players from the U.S. Championship will face off in two days of blitz round robin with legendary chess World Champion Garry Kasparov.
For tickets, information on side events or live commentary from the world-renowned commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade, visit www.uschesschamps.org.
For more information, please contact:
Nicole Halpin
Communications Coordinator
(314) 309-0799
nhalpin@saintlouischessclub.org
For Immediate Release
Highest Rated Field Set for 2016 U.S. Championships
Nakamura, Caruana, So, and Krush Confirmed
SAINT LOUIS (February 9, 2016) – For the eighth consecutive year, the nation’s top 24 chess players will gather in Saint Louis to compete for the titles of U.S. Champion and U.S. Women’s Champion.
The 2016 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship, boasting the strongest fields of American men and women ever assembled, will be held simultaneously at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) from April 13 through April 30.
The U.S. Championship features a headline clash between the nation’s top-three players: Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, the top American player and world number seven will seek to defend his title against world number three GM Fabiano Caruana, who is making his first-ever U.S. Championship debut, and GM Wesley So, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the world. Beyond the three global elite, half of this year’s national championship field are players currently ranked in the top 100 in the world, including former U.S. Champion GM Gata Kamsky and 2014 Olympiad gold-medalist GM Sam Shankland.
The 2016 U.S. Women's Championship will feature seven-time U.S. Women’s Champion GM Irina Krush, who seeks to maintain her iron grip over an up-and-coming field of American females. Krush’s competition includes IM Anna Zatonskih, the current No. 1 rated American woman, who returns this year after taking last year off due to having a new baby, and two up-and-coming teenagers - 14-year-old WIM Jennifer Yu and 12-year-old Carrisa Yip.
“The U.S. Championships are my favorite events each year. We work hard to promote America’s best players, and many of them feel like a part of our chess family,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the CCSCSL. “These players represent an outstanding cross-section of the current state of U.S. chess, creating what is certain to be a fierce competition for our nation’s highest titles.”
The 2016 U.S. Championships will be streamed live daily on www.uschesschamps.com, featuring play-by-play and analysis from the world-renowned commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade. Live spectators may view the action in the tournament hall and enjoy additional GM-led commentary on-site. Additional event, ticketing and hotel information may be found at www.uschesschamps.com.
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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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|
2016 U.S. Championship Field |
|||||
|
Title |
First Name |
Last Name |
USCF Rating Jan 2016 |
Age |
Residence |
|
GM |
Hikaru |
Nakamura |
2869 |
28 |
New York, NY |
|
GM |
Fabiano |
Caruana |
2858 |
23 |
Saint Louis, MO |
|
GM |
Wesley |
So |
2848 |
22 |
Minnetonka, MN |
|
GM |
Ray |
Robson |
2752 |
21 |
Saint Louis, MO |
|
GM |
Gata |
Kamsky |
2737 |
40 |
Brooklyn, NY |
|
GM |
Alex |
Onischuk |
2745 |
41 |
Lubbock, TX |
|
GM |
Alex |
Lenderman |
2727 |
26 |
Brooklyn, NY |
|
GM |
Sam |
Shankland |
2723 |
24 |
Orinda, CA |
|
GM |
Varuzhan |
Akobian |
2704 |
32 |
North Hollywood, CA |
|
IM |
Akshat |
Chandra |
2608 |
15 |
Iselin, NJ |
|
GM |
Alex |
Shabalov |
2622 |
48 |
Pittsburgh, PA |
|
GM |
Jeffery |
Xiong |
2675 |
15 |
Coppell, TX |
|
Average Rating |
2739 |
||||
|
2016 U.S. Women’s Championship Field |
|||||
|
Title |
First Name |
Last Name |
USCF Rating Jan 2016 |
Age |
Residence |
|
GM |
Irina |
Krush |
2535 |
32 |
Brooklyn. NY |
|
IM |
Anna |
Zatonskih |
2542 |
35 |
Hartsdale, NY |
|
WGM |
Tatev |
Abrahamyan |
2450 |
28 |
Glendale, CA |
|
WGM |
Katerina |
Nemcova |
2428 |
25 |
Saint Louis, MO |
|
IM |
Nazi |
Paikidze |
2398 |
22 |
Baltimore, MD |
|
WGM |
Anna |
Sharevich |
2367 |
30 |
Saint Louis, MO |
|
WGM |
Sabina |
Foisor |
2332 |
26 |
Lubbock, TX |
|
WFM |
Jennifer |
Yu |
2306 |
13 |
Ashburn, VA |
|
NM |
Carissa |
Yip |
2305 |
12 |
Andover, MA |
|
WIM |
Ashritha |
Eswaran |
2238 |
15 |
San Jose, CA |
|
WIM |
Agata |
Bykovtsev |
2239 |
16 |
Goleta, CA |
|
WIM |
Akshita |
Gorti |
2297 |
13 |
Chantilly, VA |
|
Average Rating |
2370 |
||||
Nicole Halpin
Communications Coordinator
(314) 309-0799
nhalpin@saintlouischessclub.org
For Immediate Release
Nation’s Chess Capital Welcomes 2016 U.S. Championships
Garry Kasparov to face top three finishers in blitz competition.
SAINT LOUIS (January 7, 2016) – For the eighth consecutive year, the nation’s top 24 chess players will gather in Saint Louis to compete for the titles of U.S. Champion and U.S. Women’s Champion.
The 2016 U.S. Chess Championships, boasting one of the strongest fields of American men and women ever assembled, will be held simultaneously at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) from April 13 through April 29.
The 12-player field of the 2016 U.S. Championship will invite eight players determined by the January 2016 U.S. Chess rating supplement. Offers will also be extended to 2015 U.S. Champion GM Hikaru Nakamura, the 2015 U.S. Open Champion GM Alex Shabalov, 16-year-old IM Akshat Chandra, the 2015 U.S. Junior Closed Champion and one wildcard.
The 2016 U.S. Women's Championship will feature seven-time U.S. Women’s Champion GM Irina Krush, who seeks to maintain her iron grip over an up-and-coming field of American females. The 12-player round robin will also include 8 players selected by the January 2016 U.S. Chess rating supplement, two wildcards and the U.S. Junior Girls Champion, 15-year-old WIM Ashritha Eswaran, who also appeared in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship.
“We’re excited to assemble America’s best chess players in Saint Louis for the eighth year running,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the CCSCSL. “The top rated American players have all expressed interest in participating in the 2016 U.S. Championships.”
The U.S. Championship will culminate with the top three players competing in a special blitz round robin format against legendary chess champion Garry Kasparov. The round robin matches will take place over two days upon the conclusion of the Championships.
The 2016 U.S. Championships will be streamed live daily on www.uschesschamps.com, featuring play-by-play and analysis from the world-renowned commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade. Live spectators may also view the action in the tournament hall of the CCSCSL, which offers additional on-site commentary led by grandmasters. For further details, 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 of Saint Louis 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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Having two players like Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, truly the top of the top of the World, live in the same city, is absolutely wonderful. The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis brought them together in an amazing exhibition of games. Even though they are known to be powerhouses in classical chess, both players are also incredibly strong Rapid, Blitz and Fischer random players. Watching the top two Americans battle it out over a period of four days was truly a pleasure.
Even better than having the two just play, they were joined by arguably the two strongest college students in the World: Parimarjan Negi and Hou Yifan. Negi attends Stanford University and Hou Yifan is currently the top women’s player in the world and attends Beijing University.
The Nakamura vs. Caruana match was extremely close. They kept trading blows game after game, decisive result after decisive result. It didn’t seem like either one of them could get the better side of the other. The two went into the final day, Blitz chess, with only a one point difference between them. Nakamura was certainly the favorite in this modality, but Caruana showed that he is one of the top players in the world no matter what time control you put in front of him. Caruana, unexpectedly, dominated the Blitz and won the 2015 Showdown in Saint Louis!
In the match of Negi and Hou Yifan, tragedy truly struck in Negi’s positions. He dominated the Basque exhibition games, but Hou Yifan struck back by dominating Fischer Random. With only a point difference between them going into Rapid Chess, anything could still happen. Unfortunately, nothing went well for the Indian player in day three and four. Promising positions, good attacks, and decisive advantages were blundered away and lost to time pressure or to the clock itself! Through sheer resilience, resourcefulness and great timings, Hou Yifan was able to crush Negi on the scoreboard and win their match.