2012 U.S. Championships News
Jeffrey Xiong is the No. 2-ranked 13-year-old in the nation behind Sam Sevian.
SAINT LOUIS (June 11, 2014) -- Ten of the top young chess players in the United States will compete in the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship June 19-29 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).
But there’s more than just the title on the line. The winner also will receive the $3,000 top prize and, more importantly, an automatic invitation to the 2015 U.S. Championship.
The nine-round, round-robin tournament will feature one newly anointed grandmaster and another rising star who is just one norm away from achieving the coveted GM title. But eight other worthy competitors are prepared to fight for the crown. The opening ceremony takes place June 19, and the first round of play begins at 1 p.m. CT on June 20.
GM Kayden Troff, 16, finally surpassed the 2500 FIDE rating necessary to earn his grandmaster title at the Chicago Open in May. For good measure, Troff turned in an impressive performance to solidify the title at the recently concluded Saint Louis Invitational at the CCSCSL. He enters the tournament as the highest-rated player.
IM Sam Sevian, 13, earned his second GM norm at the Saint Louis Invitational. Sevian won’t turn 14 until December and is on pace to break the record as the youngest grandmaster in U.S. history.
Tony Rich, executive director of the CCSCSL, said the Junior Closed Championship offers an excellent opportunity to showcase the best and brightest student chess players in the nation and provide them with valuable big-tournament experience.
“For students here in Saint Louis and students across the nation, it’s incredibly inspiring to see these top juniors compete,” Rich said. “These players are proof that hard work, commitment and study can produce successful results.”
Meet the field (USCF Ratings from May supplement):
- GM Kayden Troff (2573): West Jordan, Utah
- IM Sam Sevian (2545): Southbridge, Mass.
- IM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy (2521): New York City
- IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti (2515): Boise, Idaho
- IM Jeffrey Xiong (2513): Coppell, Tex.
- FM Michael Bodek (2486): New Rochelle, N.Y.
- FM Arthur Shen (2458): Edison, N.J.
- NM Joshua Colas (2426): White Plains, N.Y.
- FM Justus Williams (2366): New York City
- NM Matt Larson (2215): Saint Louis
Each round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship will feature live commentary with GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman. For more information about the tournament and the players, visit www.uschesschamps.com.
GMs Gata Kamsky and Irina Krush each turned in undefeated performances to win their respective U.S. Championship events.
By Brian Jerauld
You were expecting someone else?
The tight drama of the 2014 U.S. Championships turned out to be all for show. Several of the nation’s top 22 players took turns stealing headlines and taking their shots at the top, but when the dust of the near two-week long fight cleared, the two champions left standing were the same two champions as before.
Grandmaster Gata Kamsky has repeated as the U.S. Chess Champion, his fifth time holding the title, after defeating GM Varuzhan Akobian 1.5-0.5 in a playoff on Tuesday evening. As well, GM Irina Krush turned in a three-peat as the U.S. Women’s Champion, her sixth year as title holder, after knocking out WGM Tatev Abrahayam 1.5-0.5 in their own playoff on Tuesday. Though both champions admit struggling with the 2014 fields, Kamsky and Krush were the only players to finish undefeated.
“It has been a tough tournament for me, I can feel all these guys: They have been preparing and playing really well,” Kamsky said of his 11 challengers. “Of course, there were a lot of blunders because they wanted to win, but that made everything very competitive. It was nice to win this event.”
Kamsky was fortunate to even be playing chess in Tuesday’s playoff, after struggling to tally decisions for the entire tournament. With only three wins across 11 rounds, a scattering of uninspired draws left even Kamsky himself predicting a new national champion in the tournament’s earlygoing.
But Akobian and GM Aleksandr Lenderman, tied in first place entering the final round, fought each other to a draw when a win would have earned the title outright. It opened up the extra playoff day, which turned out to be a three-way playoff, as Kamsky finally caught pace with a final-round win over Josh Friedel on Monday. It was the first time all tournament Kamsky had appeared on the top of the leaderboard.
“I felt (the three-way playoff) was really exciting, it was really good for me,” Kamsky said. “Considering the game (Monday) that they played where Akobian could have won, I feel very lucky.”
Krush also left her sixth title in doubt, falling sick mid-event and suffering through a stretch of draws that left her a full point behind the leader with two rounds to go. But she caught pace with a win over rival IM Anna Zatonskih in round 8, then was fortunate that another draw in the final round was good enough to keep her up top - though not alone. The women’s competition also featured a three-way playoff.
Krush admitted the national championship is never easy, despite her consistent results.
“All of these championships are hard - it’s not like what people think ‘oh, she wins every year,’” Krush said. “But the thing is, they are always difficult. Maybe last year was my smoothest victory, but a year before that I had a playoff with Anna (Zatonskih), and now I had a playoff with Tatev.
“But this one was definitely hard, I felt like I had one obstacle after another. The fact that I had a mild fever in the middle of the tournament, and then I was drawing these games and found myself so far behind Anna - it just felt like so many obstacles. It’s like: ‘Where is the sun? Where is it? I couldn’t see it.”
Tuesday’s three-way playoff first began with a single Armageddon match designed to knock one player from each race. Kamsky and Krush had earned advantage due to tiebreaks, setting up Akobian and Lenderman, as well as Abrahamyan and Zatonskih, to square off in an Armageddon game. In the specialized match, the player with the black pieces receives draw-odds and only has to avoid losing to advance. Abrahamyan had black and knocked out Zatonskih with a perpetual check; Akobian passed over his draw odds and just brought Lenderman down by checkmate.
It set up the finals, which was two rapid games - 25 minutes with a 5-second-per-move increment - to declare the champion. Akobian drew the first game with the white pieces, while Kamsky won in the second game as white. In the women’s final, Krush took the full point in her first game as white, then played Abrahamyan to a draw in the second game.
“One thing I know is that in a rapid game you need good nerves and a fresh mind,” Krush said. “It’s not really decided by opening preparation.”
Alex Lenderman drew Varuzhan Akobian in the final round of regulation at the U.S Championship. The two will play an Armageddon game to determine who faces reigning champ Gata Kamsky for the title. Image Credit: Lennart Ootes
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (May 19, 2014) -- The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as a “vast, decisive conflict or confrontation.” The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis agrees.
Armageddon will hit Saint Louis on Tuesday, as the 2014 U.S. Chess Championships spill into overtime for one final day of reckoning. Both tournaments have gone fully around-the-robin, seeing 11 rounds of play in the U.S. Championship and 9 rounds of play in the U.S. Women’s Championship - but America’s top chess talent refuses to stop fighting.
Six players entered Monday’s finale with mathematical chances to win the national title, though when the day was done, nothing had added up to a decision. Each tournament finished regulation in a three-way tie for first place, triggering a playoff on Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET, to settle the score.
U.S. Championship leaders Varuzhan Akobian and Aleksandr Lenderman, tied entering the last round, faced off against each other in round 11 with the winner promised the crown - though neither could wrestle the other to a decision. Their draw opened up Tuesday’s playoff, but not just for the two of them: In a nightmare scenario, reigning four-time champion Gata Kamsky caught pace with the leaders at the finish line, and with momentum. After eight frustrating draws and just two wins this tournament, Kamsky’s eleventh-hour mauling of Josh Friedel on Monday was a startling announcement that the champion still had plans to fight for his throne, despite earlier declarations that the national title was up for grabs.
Similarly in the Women’s Championship, another third wheel has hitched a ride into the playoffs. Tatev Abrahamyan - forever the outsider looking in on the U.S. Women’s title - caught pace with leaders Anna Zatonskih and reigning champion Irina Krush, who both failed to find wins in Monday’s final round. Both Krush against Viktorija Ni, and Zatonskih against Katerina Nemcova, narrowly escaped with draws from losing positions, while Abrahamyan convincingly smashed through Camilla Baginskaite with a Nimzo to join the knot in front. Krush and Zatonskih have combined for the last nine women’s championships, while Abrahamyan seeks her first.
BAGINSKAITE-ABRAHAMYAN Game Analysis by GM BEN FINEGOLD
The perfect combination of wins and draws has brought a three-way tie for first in both title races, forcing a playoff on Tuesday to decide the 2014 national champions. In a wonderful storyline, the playoff day will feature the introduction of a candidate to challenge each reigning champion, as both Kamsky and Krush lead by tiebreaks. The two remain the only unbeaten players in each tournament.
Both Akobian and Lenderman, as well as Zatonskih and Abrahamyan, will first battle in one 45-minute Armageddon game. The contest begins with a silent bid from both players in an attempt to win the black pieces, as well as draw-odds. Both players will bid time away from their clock, with the lowest bid receiving black and the shortened time to find a draw. The white pieces will receive the full 45 minutes and must win.
The reigning champions await the winners of the Armageddon matches. Both Krush and Kamsky will face their candidates in two rapid games, which feature 25 minutes on the clock and a 5-second-per-move increment. Should the players tie the rapid games 1-1, the 2014 national titles will be decided by one final Armageddon game.
Catch all the action live starting at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET at www.uschesschamps.com/live.
GM Varuzhan Akobian is staring down his first U.S. Championship. He faces co-leader Aleksandr Lenderman today for the title.
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (May 19, 2014) -- Three has become a crowd.
Monday brings the final round for the 2014 U.S. Chess Championships and, in both races, three players are crowding the finish line. In the U.S. Championship, leaders Varuzhan Akobian and Aleksandr Lenderman (6.5/10) were able to break away from the pack over the weekend, but could not shake each other after both drawing their respective games on Sunday.
Which leaves the scheduling gods smiling upon the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis: Lenderman takes white against Akobian on Monday, with a win guaranteeing someone their first U.S. Championship. And if wearing America’s crown on the spot isn’t enticing enough, Gata Kamsky’s hot breath should provide extra incentive: He trails by a half point, leaving the door open for the reigning four-time champion to join a Tuesday playoff party, should Lenderman and Akobian decide to draw. Kamsky first must win as white against Josh Friedel (5.5/10).
U.S. Championship Ranking
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Akobian, Varuzhan | 6.5 | M | 2643 | 2720 | +1.04 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ |
| 2 | GM Lenderman, Aleksandr | 6.5 | M | 2582 | 2720 | +1.89 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ |
| 3 | GM Kamsky, Gata | 6.0 | M | 2713 | 2682 | -0.38 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 4 | GM Shankland, Samuel L | 5.5 | M | 2634 | 2640 | +0.11 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | GM Friedel, Joshua E | 5.5 | M | 2505 | 2646 | +1.92 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | GM Onischuk, Alexander | 5.0 | M | 2668 | 2602 | -0.90 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ |
| 7 | GM Robson, Ray | 5.0 | M | 2631 | 2602 | -0.40 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ |
| 8 | GM Naroditsky, Daniel | 5.0 | M | 2543 | 2626 | +1.11 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ |
| 9 | GM Gareev, Timur | 4.0 | M | 2653 | 2532 | -1.68 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | GM Ramirez, Alejandro | 4.0 | M | 2595 | 2537 | -0.80 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 11 | GM Erenburg, Sergey | 3.5 | M | 2633 | 2499 | -1.81 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | GM Molner, Mackenzie | 3.5 | M | 2522 | 2516 | -0.10 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ |
The women’s championship also sees three horses down the stretch, though the rest of the field will have a say in the matter. Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih (6/8) are tied up top after eight rounds, setting up yet another fight to the end for the national championship: It will mean the tenth straight title combined between the two.
But spoiler alerts abound on Monday afternoon. Trying to break the trend is Tatev Abrahamyan (5.5/8), who trails the duo by a half point and remains alive to join a potential Tuesday playoff. Zatonskih takes white against Katerina Nemcova (4.5/8), Krush defends as black against Viktorija Ni (3/8), and Abrahamyan also has black in her must-win over Camilla Baginskaite (1.5/8).
U.S. Women's Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Krush, Irina | 6.0 | F | 2489 | 2463 | -0.13 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 |
| 2 | IM Zatonskih, Anna | 6.0 | F | 2469 | 2454 | -0.02 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev | 5.5 | F | 2366 | 2404 | +0.49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 |
| 4 | WGM Nemcova, Katerina | 4.5 | F | 2282 | 2286 | +0.12 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ |
| 5 | WIM Zenyuk, Iryna | 4.0 | F | 2249 | 2287 | +0.41 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ |
| 6 | NM Eswaran, Ashritha | 3.5 | F | 1979 | 2225 | +2.22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca | 3.0 | F | 2238 | 2223 | -0.27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 |
| 8 | WIM Ni, Viktorija | 3.0 | F | 2206 | 2163 | -0.56 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 |
| 9 | FM Melekhina, Alisa | 3.0 | F | 2151 | 2200 | +0.33 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ |
| 10 | WGM Baginskaite, Camilla | 1.5 | F | 2267 | 2007 | -2.59 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ |
It was no secret that wildcard GM Mackenzie Molner was having a rough run through his first U.S. Championship, though he did manage to uncover a personal best over the weekend - and disrupted the tournament standings in the process. Molner admitted a boost of confidence after Saturday’s game against Kamsky, calling him the best player he’s ever faced - who was hungry at the time for the new-GM’s half-point.
On Sunday, Molner was able to fend off another hungry tournament leader in Lenderman. His French Defense progressed through a familiar line Lenderman had used to shock Alejandro Ramirez in round 3, racing his h-pawn toward an early surprise attack, though this time his setup was less flashy.
The game progressed through the middlegame in a balanced positional battle, though the live audience got rowdy after the awkward-looking 26. c4 looked to tip the board in black’s favor. Lenderman missed his shot, however, missing a Bg4 attack on white’s queen and rook that would have triggered a collapse of Molner’s position.
“I realized he had chances to do something (with 26...Bg4), but I didn’t actually think it was winning either,” Molner said. “We must have seen the same things and just assumed that it wasn’t working.
Instead, Lenderman gave his short-lived advantage back with 26...e4, an equally awkward move that seemed to roadblock black’s lanes of attack. The game followed with straightforward liquidation.
MOLNER-LENDERMAN Game Analysis by GM BEN FINEGOLD
Akobian also had chances in his headliner-matchup against Kamsky on Sunday, though they were less concrete than Lenderman’s opportunity and ultimately played into a no-risk draw for the tournament leader.
Kamsky defended with the Dutch, though sat for 10 minutes before his third move, later admitting that he had played a wrong move order than the line he had originally intended. He never found traction for the rest of the game.
Akobian’s early lead came from his knights’ overwhelming central control coupled with Kamsky’s bad light-squared bishop, a slight advantage he attempted to carry into the endgame. He offered liquidation early, inviting Kamsky’s knight for a bishop at 10...Nxd3 and then initiating the nifty 14. Rxc5 Rxc5 15. Bd6, forking the rooks. The open c-file served to liquidate even further, including Akobian’s 20. Qxc8+, a voluntary trade of the queens that he later believed surrendered his advantage.
A pivotal moment came after Kamsky’s 24...Nd7, which offered a knight trade and a step closer to a winning endgame for Akobian, with the superior minor piece. He gave back a sizable time advantage and then some on the decision, falling below Kamsky by ten minutes before finally deciding on 25. Ndf3. The board soon after became locked.
“It was difficult; I think I had some chances, but I think he defended well,” Akobian said. “I was trying to win, and I had an advantage, but I misplayed it. I had a great position, but I think I should have kept the queens on the board.”
Sam “the Spoiler” Shankland has done it again. It’s a pity that the 22-year-old couldn’t convert against the tournament’s weaker players - all draws against the bottom half of the field - as he has been a thorn in the side of tournament leaders. Shankland knocked down both Akobian and Lenderman earlier this week, during rounds where both opponents led the U.S. Championship, and he tripped up yet another tournament frontrunner in Josh Friedel on Sunday. Friedel was putting together a fantastic closing sprint, scoring 3.5 points across the last four rounds to join a tie with Kamsky in third place, but Shankland stomped out Friedel’s hopes.
The game was an instant sprint out of the gate, racing through the first 11 moves of an English that left Friedel with a perpetual draw in hand after 12. Nb5. A win was needed, however, and Friedel built a small advantage through the middlegame. Black’s 27...b5 was slow, allowing white dominating control over both open c- and e-files thanks to 28. Qc1. Soon the white queen was actively roaming, and Shankland was on his heels.
Time pressure got the best of Friedel, however, as his 34. Rd1 slowed initiative and 39. h4 simply killed it, a desperate and ultimately poorly supported attack on black’s king made just before time control.
“I probably should have just tried to really hold the position instead of making a play on his king,” Friedel said. “It was very easy to miscalculate those positions, so I probably should have played it safer and played for a draw when I didn’t have time. Instead I was trying, not necessarily to win, but I tried something more complicated which did not pay off that well.”
For scores, results, standings and to replay all the games, visit www.uschesschamps.com. Live play-by-play of both events begins at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET at www.uschesschamps.com/live.
Irina Krush stayed cool under pressure in a must-win showdown against her main rival Anna Zatonskih. Image Credit: Lennart Ootes.
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (May 18, 2014) -- Irina Krush has decided to play this one out.
Only one round remains in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship, though for a moment, it wasn’t entirely clear the extra day would be needed. The five-time reigning champion Krush skidded into the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis on Saturday afternoon, having just suffered three straight draws and falling a full point behind the leader’s pace.
Sobering the mood even more was the woman who sat in front of her - both in the standings and now across the board: Anna Zatonskih, Krush’s enemy No. 1 and a four-time champion herself, ready to call it halves on their decade-long rivalry.
And like everyone else, Krush could do the math: Saturday was win or go home.
But she answered the call in Monday’s round 8, taking early advantage as white and spending the rest of the 75-move thriller slowly squeezing out any hope for a draw. The result knots the two in first place with 6/8, and also allowed Tatev Abrahamyan (5.5/8) into the fold after her win over Ashritha Eswaran.
Monday’s round 9 will settle matters: Zatonskih takes white against Katerina Nemcova (4.5/8), Krush defends as black against Viktorija Ni (3/8), as does Abrahamyan against Camilla Baginskaite (1.5/8). If necessary, a playoff is scheduled for Tuesday. The women’s tournament takes a scheduled rest day Sunday.
U.S. Women's Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Krush, Irina | 6.0 | F | 2489 | 2463 | -0.13 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 |
| 2 | IM Zatonskih, Anna | 6.0 | F | 2469 | 2454 | -0.02 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev | 5.5 | F | 2366 | 2404 | +0.49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 |
| 4 | WGM Nemcova, Katerina | 4.5 | F | 2282 | 2286 | +0.12 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ |
| 5 | WIM Zenyuk, Iryna | 4.0 | F | 2249 | 2287 | +0.41 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ |
| 6 | NM Eswaran, Ashritha | 3.5 | F | 1979 | 2225 | +2.22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca | 3.0 | F | 2238 | 2223 | -0.27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 |
| 8 | WIM Ni, Viktorija | 3.0 | F | 2206 | 2163 | -0.56 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 |
| 9 | FM Melekhina, Alisa | 3.0 | F | 2151 | 2200 | +0.33 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ |
| 10 | WGM Baginskaite, Camilla | 1.5 | F | 2267 | 2007 | -2.59 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ |
There is also a share for the lead atop the U.S. Championship, as time dwindles away with two rounds remaining. Varuzhan Akobian entered Saturday in clear first by a full point but never got comfortable in his eventual loss - his first of the tournament - to Sam Shankland.
Akobian stays in first with 6/9, though now shares the position after Aleksandr Lenderman caught pace after materializing a surprising win from a drawn-looking position against Daniel Naroditsky. Reigning champion Gata Kamsky - unbeaten, yet only at +1 through 9 rounds - picked up another draw with Mackenzie Molner and now trails a half-point behind the leaders in third place (5.5/9). Also in third place is 2013 U.S. Open winner Josh Friedel, the lowest-rated player in the field who has quietly turned in 3.5 points across the last 4 rounds to enter the fray. [Click here to play through all the games from round 9 of the U.S. Championship and round 8 of the U.S. Women's Championship.]
U.S. Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Akobian, Varuzhan | 6.0 | M | 2643 | 2723 | +0.94 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | GM Lenderman, Aleksandr | 6.0 | M | 2582 | 2744 | +1.97 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | GM Kamsky, Gata | 5.5 | M | 2713 | 2687 | -0.28 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ |
| 4 | GM Friedel, Joshua E | 5.5 | M | 2505 | 2688 | +2.25 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 |
| 5 | GM Onischuk, Alexander | 4.5 | M | 2668 | 2609 | -0.73 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ |
| 6 | GM Shankland, Samuel L | 4.5 | M | 2634 | 2614 | -0.22 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 |
| 7 | GM Robson, Ray | 4.5 | M | 2631 | 2603 | -0.35 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 |
| 8 | GM Naroditsky, Daniel | 4.5 | M | 2543 | 2621 | +0.94 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 |
| 9 | GM Gareev, Timur | 4.0 | M | 2653 | 2557 | -1.15 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 |
| 10 | GM Ramirez, Alejandro | 3.5 | M | 2595 | 2527 | -0.85 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ |
| 11 | GM Molner, Mackenzie | 3.0 | M | 2522 | 2506 | -0.18 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 12 | GM Erenburg, Sergey | 2.5 | M | 2633 | 2439 | -2.34 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 |
The final two rounds of the U.S. Championship promise a web of matchups between the four leaders, including Sunday’s headliner between Akobian and Kamsky.
Krush was certainly no stranger to pivotal matchups with Zatonskih, and Monday’s game left little doubt as to what hung in the balance.
“Of course it was a must-win,” Krush said. “If you want to do anything in this championship, it’s a must-win. You can’t ask other people to do your work for you.
“I had sort of fallen asleep for a few rounds there, and woken up in this situation. The minimum I could do to get this tournament back on track is to win today, because otherwise I just wouldn’t deserve to be the champion.”
Though both players seemed lost early through the Catalan line, Krush was instantly the aggressor, skirting the early center fight and wrecking black’s queenside in the opening. After 13. Rxc4 cleaned up the early tactical swap of the queens and minor pieces, Zatonskih opted out of castling to protect her isolated c-pawn with 13...Kd7. It soon became the focus of Krush’s attention.
Pressing for a draw while Krush pressed for a win, Zatonskih eventually bailed on the weakness with 35...c4 to swap it out - though white simply refocused its forces on the also isolated a-pawn. Krush converted to a material advantage with 39. Rxa7.
Black’s e-pawn passer still gave chances, however, through the majority of a long rook-and-bishop endgame that challenged both players on the clock. 70...Ra8 was an interesting idea to bring black’s pawn to promotion, though ultimately failed when Krush sacked her rook at 71. Rxe2 to eliminate the threat. Black’s remaining rook was powerless to stop the connected pawns.
“I had a bad position out of the opening; I was surprised,” Zatonskih said. “I had this planned for white, I just forgot the lines. I just completely don’t remember them.
“(Krush) has improved her endgame dramatically recently. Before, it was worse, but now ...”
KRUSH-ZATONSKIH Game Analysis by GM BEN FINEGOLD
Shankland may no longer be in the race for the national title, but it doesn’t leave him any less dangerous of an opponent: Tension has filled each one of his games this tournament, his adversaries holding their breath on what kind of opening-book potion he might have concocted just for them. The 22-year-old had already reached into his bag of tricks in round 6 to knock then-leader Lenderman from his pedestal, and on Saturday he did it again to another frontrunner in Akobian.
Akobian defended in the Caro-Kann and admitted displeasure with white’s 7.c3, exemplified by his awkward 10...Bc5 that left the piece useless and wandering through much of the middlegame. Starting with 15...Be7, where the dark-squared bishop likely should have first moved, Akobian moved the piece five times in six moves.
The leak of tempo was an over-reliance on the solidarity of the Caro-Kann structure. As a result, black’s king never made it out of the center, and Akobian later lamented on missing the opportunity to play h5. White occupied the square instead at move 20, leaving black’s kingside in distress.
Challenged on the clock from the opening, Akobian was under two minutes still with ten moves to go before the 40-move time control, and his army collapsed in a hot mess under the pressure. His 28...g5 was an awkward-looking push, though his 29...d4 only served to open the board and reveal his uncoordinated pieces. In the undoing, Akobian’s queen found itself trapped by pawns on the queenside, requiring a sacrifice of his bishop at 35...Bxb4.
“(Akobian) pointed out that c3 is not the most challenging theoretically, and it doesn’t have the highest reputation - but i think it’s actually dangerous and I had some new ideas,” Shankland said. “It’s very sharp and for black to equalize, he has to really know his stuff and play into the sharp stuff, which can be very intimidating if you don’t know it. He played this strange-looking move Bc5, and very quickly I was quite comfortable with my position.”
The U.S. Women’s Championship enters its final rest day today. The live broadcast of round 10 of the U.S. Championship will begin at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET on www.uschesschamps.com/live.
GM Varuzhan Akobian has pushed his lead to a full point with just three rounds to go in the U.S. Championship. Image Credit Lennart Ootes.
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (May 17, 2014) -- Rest days are meant for relaxation and preparation, a chance to collect one’s self and focus on the finish line. It’s a time to tighten up your stride for the home stretch.
But nobody got the memo in Saint Louis.
The 2014 U.S. Championships, hosted by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, returned from its break for one of the most chaos-driven rounds since the tournament began. In an afternoon that began with Camilla Baginskaite’s instant resignation after a touch-move snafu on move 15, picking up her a-pawn out-of-order instead of first tending to her double-attacked knight, the majority of Friday’s games followed a similar theme of head-scratching play amidst bruising back-and-forth drama.
Timur Gareev and Alejandro Ramirez settled on a fairy-tale draw that featured a two-pawn gambit in the opening, a crushing pendulum-swing of an attack in the middlegame and a magic recovery in the endgame. Tatev Abrahamyan fell horribly behind early in a Grunfeld, yet outmuscled Viktorija Ni in an endgame to win back her half-point.
But despite the methods, both U.S. Championship leaders, Var Akobian (6/8) and Anna Zatonskih (6/7), increased their respective leads entering the final weekend while their closest chasers fell away. Irina Krush (5/7) struggled to her third consecutive draw, falling a full point behind Zatonskih and setting up a do-or-die match for Saturday afternoon, another chapter in the duo’s epic decade-long rivalry. Akobian gained ground after reigning U.S. Champion Gata Kamsky was fearlessly attacked to a draw by U.S. Junior champion Daniel Naroditsky.
U.S. Women's Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IM Zatonskih, Anna | 6.0 | F | 2469 | 2537 | +0.45 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | GM Krush, Irina | 5.0 | F | 2489 | 2400 | -0.60 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 3 | WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev | 4.5 | F | 2366 | 2400 | +0.38 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ |
| 4 | WGM Nemcova, Katerina | 4.0 | F | 2282 | 2306 | +0.30 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | WIM Zenyuk, Iryna | 3.5 | F | 2249 | 2290 | +0.38 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | NM Eswaran, Ashritha | 3.5 | F | 1979 | 2259 | +2.33 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca | 3.0 | F | 2238 | 2275 | +0.27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ |
| 8 | FM Melekhina, Alisa | 2.5 | F | 2151 | 2186 | +0.15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 |
| 9 | WIM Ni, Viktorija | 2.0 | F | 2206 | 2094 | -1.10 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ |
| 10 | WGM Baginskaite, Camilla | 1.0 | F | 2267 | 1950 | -2.56 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 |
U.S. Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Akobian, Varuzhan | 6.0 | M | 2643 | 2787 | +1.45 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | GM Kamsky, Gata | 5.0 | M | 2713 | 2712 | -0.03 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ |
| 3 | GM Lenderman, Aleksandr | 5.0 | M | 2582 | 2724 | +1.52 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | GM Naroditsky, Daniel | 4.5 | M | 2543 | 2669 | +1.39 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ |
| 5 | GM Friedel, Joshua E | 4.5 | M | 2505 | 2648 | +1.58 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ |
| 6 | GM Onischuk, Alexander | 4.0 | M | 2668 | 2611 | -0.63 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 |
| 7 | GM Gareev, Timur | 4.0 | M | 2653 | 2596 | -0.62 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ |
| 8 | GM Shankland, Samuel L | 3.5 | M | 2634 | 2568 | -0.73 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ |
| 9 | GM Robson, Ray | 3.5 | M | 2631 | 2554 | -0.88 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ |
| 10 | GM Ramirez, Alejandro | 3.0 | M | 2595 | 2512 | -0.95 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ |
| 11 | GM Erenburg, Sergey | 2.5 | M | 2633 | 2476 | -1.67 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 |
| 12 | GM Molner, Mackenzie | 2.5 | M | 2522 | 2479 | -0.43 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ |
None of America’s 22 best players made better use of their rest day than Aleksandr Lenderman. Lenderman was the early leader of the U.S. Championship, but he was headed in the wrong direction with just a draw over the last three rounds after suffering a shocking loss to Sam Shankland in round 6, and then getting rolled by Kamsky the following afternoon. The promise of the black pieces against bend-but-never-break Alex Onischuk loomed large through a rainy rest day.
But Lenderman found a reset button.
“My approach was to try and completely forget about what happened through the first half of the tournament,” Lenderman said. “Approach like it is a new tournament. (Onischuk) never loses - but he does sometimes … it could happen, and I figured today he’s going to try and battle against me because I lost two games in a row. He was going to try and pressure me, so I knew I would get more chances than maybe I would normally get; and I was pretty optimistic that if I had a good mindset, then I would have my chances.”
Onischuk enjoyed an advantage out of the Nimzo-Indian opening, but went wrong after battle opened up on the c4 square. White picked up a pawn at 17. Bxc4, albeit a moment too late: His 15. Rfd1 seemed one patient move too many. Black used the extra time to bring in another knight to help the battle at c4, and when it finally opened up, the white queen lay prone to several pins. Instead of alleviating the position, Onischuk just mistakenly defended it with the error 21. Rac1 and was instantly losing. Lenderman’s 21...b5 attacked the knight; 23...bxc4 won it.
White pushed on into an endgame, hoping to find play from a connected passer on the d-file, but
Lenderman left no hope on the table: 38. Qb6 was another error pounced on immediately by white, this one promising to lose his queen to an eventual skewer.
ONISCHUK-LENDERMAN Game Analysis by GM BEN FINEGOLD
Akobian’s schedule had looked a bit more favorable, returning after the rest day on a three-win streak and with the white pieces against Sergey Erenberg, who was winless in his first U.S. Championship at -2. Still, the 31-year-old had tricks prepared to throw the tournament leader out of his comfort level early.
“(Erenberg) surprised me - like all my opponents have been - playing an opening he doesn’t usually play,” Akobian said. “He played the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, which I had looked at a little bit, but it wasn’t anything deep because it was not his opening.”
Akobian was enjoying a small lead out of the opening, including an annoying pawn advanced on e5 and a battery on the open c-file. Akobian’s 24. Bxa7 seemed to allow equalization, a trade that relieved some of the pressure against black, but it did not last for long: Erenberg passed on the chance to trade queens, misjudging the threat of white’s passed a-pawn.
“The crucial moment was (30.) Qb6,” Akobian said. “He had to exchange queens and go for this endgame that had some drawing chances -- but it was very unpleasant. So, in time trouble, he went Qc3 and missed this very strong Qd8-Qd1, protecting the rook and pushing the passed pawn. I think it was probably lost at that point.”
A round earlier Alisa Melekhina had refused to just roll over and surrender her half-point to tournament-leader Irina Krush, instead pushing the reigning champion to the brink just to find a draw. Melekhina came with the same intent on Friday, this time against Zatonskih -- though this time the leader powered through where Krush could not.
Melekhina repeated the same line she had used in round 2 against Sabina Foisor, a personalized gambit that sacrificed a central pawn at 8...Nxd4. Last week, it had worked to bring Melekhina into a winning endgame; on Friday, Zatonskih was waiting.
“I know she likes to give up pawns,” Zatonskih said of Melekhina’s penchant for early sacrifices. “I considered some different gambits on the day off, and I prepared some analyzed work with some rare variations, some gambits. But with so many lines, I wasn’t sure if she would repeat it.”
Melekhina did not receive much compensation for the pawn, perhaps a slight lead on development and some small initiative in chasing a black queen out of position. She did enjoy a lodged e-pawn and opened up more lanes with 21. Rxd5, though the clearance only provided Zatonskih’s bishop with devastating control of the a8-h1 diagonal - and white with no light-squared bishop to protect it. White’s greed to recover the pawn from the early gambit was punished after 24. Rf4, a threat on black’s stacked pawn ignored after 24...Rc2, relatively pinning white’s bishop.
The white army was soon uncoordinated, and Zatonskih eventually collected both of white’s queenside pawns to join her third from the gambit. Black easily leaned on the straightforward advantage, liquidating the major pieces and allowing its bonus pawns to win the game.
The Women’s field has collectively put a stop to Krush’s stomping of it, her last three opponents putting up more than enough fight to keep their half-point out of the reigning champion’s clutches. Not helping her chances toward another title was uncharacteristically sub-par play against Sabina Foisor on Friday.
“I made a horrible move right out of the opening - an awful move (15...Bxd5),” Krush said. “After that, it’s almost resignable in so many ways. Just a very bad position. It was an uphill struggle from that point on.”
Indeed, Krush sweated through her third-consecutive game, worse when Foisor’s 22. Qg6+ jammed the black king into the corner. Middlegame liquidation only served to help white’s advantage, until Foisor opted out of a queen trade, choosing instead to seek victory with her best piece.
Black struggled to mount a coordinated attack, however, and the board equalized as time trouble hit both players. By move 52, both were playing on increment, causing Foisor to miss some chances down the stretch that may have brought victory. She instead bailed out to an opposite-colored bishop endgame.
Round 9 of the U.S. Championship and the penultimate round 8 of the U.S. Women’s Championship will begin today at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET. Follow all the action live at www.uschesschamps.com/live.