2012 U.S. Championships News
GM Ben Finegold is getting hot at the right time, scoring a T-1st place finish against strong competition at the Bill Wright Saint Louis Open.
By Kostya Kavutskiy
Although the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is only a few years old, its walls are already filled with prestige and history. The 2013 Bill Wright Saint Louis Open took place April 12-14 giving players a chance to play in the same venue that has hosted the last few U.S. Championships, as well as other notable events. The overall turnout was about 80 players, split evenly among the open and reserve sections. As always, the conditions at the CCSCSL were ideal-they provided boards, clocks, and all the rounds started promptly on time.
The event was populated by regular members of the club and players from out of state, as well as quite a few college players, who represented the chess teams from local universities Webster and Lindenwood. Seven out of eight GMs playing the event came from the star studded Webster University, broadcasting one of the major benefits of the growing college chess scene in the United States.
Tying for first and winning the tournament with 4/5 points were GM Wesley So, GM Georg Meier, GM Manuel Leon Hoyos, and GM Ben Finegold (EDITOR's NOTE: GM Finegold will be participating in the upcoming 2013 U.S. Championship held in Saint Louis May 2-13).
In round three, GM Finegold found a winning sacrifice against GM Corrales Jimenez in what he called "one of his best games ever":
Heading into the last round, the four leaders (So, Meier, Hoyos, and Finegold) were all tied for first with 3.5/4. They each drew their respective games, albeit not without a fight, while last round match-ups Boros - Corrales and Bregadze - Bykhovsky were also drawn, leaving a four way tie at the top. I also had a chance to sneak into a share for first place, but that would have required a last round win over GM Diamant, a challenge I wasn't quite up for.
Earning 5th place in the Open were GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez, GM Anatoly Bykhovsky, GM Denes Boros, GM Andre Diamant, IM Vitaly Neimer, and IM Levan Bregadze, all with a score of 3.5/5. The U2300 prize was split between NM Nolan Hendrickson, FM Doug Eckert, NM Spencer Finegold, and Isaiah Gadson, who each scored 3/5 points. Lastly, winning the U2100 prize were Matthew Larson, Zach Stuart, and Tian Lu Peng.
The U2000 section was won by Spencer George Lehmann, who scored 4.5 points. Tying for 2nd were Matt Barrett, Albert Damont Howlett, Vanita Young, and Justin Gm Hull, all with 4/5. The U1800 prize was shared by Julian Proleiko and Joseph Michael Bean, while the U1600 prize was split by Clark Zhang Berry and Richard Berry. Finally, the U1400 prize was hotly contested and won by Bruce Potratz, Ken West, Josh Cardenas, Akshay Srinivasan, and Timothy Paul Baur.
There were also upset prizes, awarded to the winner of the first upset in each section. These were $25 apiece and offered by QuantumGambitz.com. In the open section Matthew Larson won the prize for his win over NM Ruifeng Li, while Paul Goddard earned the prize in the reserve section by beating Barry Manthe, the number one seed.
For full standings of the Bill Wright Saint Louis Open, check out the MSA report here, and if you're ever in the Saint Louis area, make sure to stop by the club http://saintlouischessclub.org and see for yourself what all the fuss and attention is all about! And be sure to follow uschesschamps.com for news on the 2013 U.S. Championship, starting on May 3 at the Saint Louis Chess Club.
Representatives from the upcoming U.S. Championships gathered in Washington D.C. to introduce a resolution naming Saint Louis the nation's Chess Capital. Pictured are Irina Krush, Sarah Chiang, Jennifer Shahade,Yasser Seirawan, Sam Sevian and Kayden Troff.
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 18, 2013 – Representatives William “Lacy” Clay (D-MO) and Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced resolutions in the U.S. House and Senate today recognizing Saint Louis as the Nation’s Chess Capital. The resolutions also recognized the success of chess after-school programs and the benefit for students, including fostering problem-solving skills, and improving math and reading test scores.
“Saint Louis is definitely America’s Chess Capital. I’m very proud to have both Webster University’s national champion chess team and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis in my congressional district,” said Representative William “Lacy” Clay (D-MO). “I thank my Missouri congressional colleagues for joining me in introducing this bipartisan resolution.”
“Chess provides our young people with the kind of reasoning skills they need in an ever-complicated world, and I am proud to have the opportunity in Congress to support Saint Louis’ designation as our nation’s chess capital,” said Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO). “This resolution is also an opportunity to recognize the region’s ongoing commitment to the development of our young people’s minds and spirits.”
“Excellence in this game requires the combination of creativity and intellect—skills our Saint Louis students are most certainly known for,” said Senator Claire McCaskill. “Making Saint Louis the nation’s chess capital would rightly highlight our state’s commitment to strong education, and our nation’s brightest young minds.”
“Chess is a way to promote problem solving, critical thinking, and self-esteem, which are important to the development and education of our nation’s young minds,” Representative Blunt said. “I’m proud to recognize Saint Louis as the ‘National Chess Capital’ and to applaud the success of our local chess scholars. I’ll continue to support chess programs in our schools and community centers in Missouri and nationwide.”
The introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral resolutions were announced during a morning reception on Capitol Hill where GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Irina Krush, WGM Jennifer Shahade, IM Kayden Troff, IM-elect Sam Sevian and WFM Sarah Chiang gave chess lessons to Members of Congress and their staff.
“We appreciate the leadership of Representatives Clay and Luetkemeyer and Senators McCaskill and Blunt recognizing Saint Louis as the nation’s chess capital,” said Tony Rich, executive director of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. “Their commitment to expanding the successful chess after-school programs is a tremendous example of how our nation can come together on a bipartisan basis to help our students.”
Also in attendance were students who have benefited from chess after-school programs led by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. These students played chess with Members of Congress and shared their personal stories of the educational benefits of chess.
Saint Louis, Mo., will host the 2013 U.S. and Women’s Chess Championships May 2-13, 2013 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, the fifth consecutive year the nation’s top players have come to Missouri to compete in the national championship.
GM Gregory Kaidanov will be inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame on May 2.
April 16, 2013 (Saint Louis, MO) – U.S. Championship veteran GM Gregory Kaidanov will be inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame at a ceremony scheduled on May 2. The induction will coincide with the opening ceremony of the 2013 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship .
The ceremony also will recognize four additional exceptional chess players as three are inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame and one more into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame.
The World Chess Federation (FIDE) nominated and selected Elizaveta Bykova, Nona Gaprindashvili, and Mikhail Chigorin for the World Chess Hall of Fame. They join 16 other players to receive the honor since the World Chess Hall of Fame’s creation in 2001. These are the first new inductees since 2011.
“This year’s World Chess Hall of Fame induction is particularly unique because it includes two women. The first and only woman who had previously received this honor was Vera Menchik,” said Beatriz Marinello, FIDE Senior Vice President.
The U.S. Chess Federation Hall of Fame Committee considers and sends candidates for the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame to the U.S. Chess Trust each year. The Trust votes on candidates, selecting Kaidanov and Mona May Karff to join the 50 other players currently in the Hall of Fame.
“These two players join luminaries like Bobby Fischer and Frank Marshall as some of the top players in U.S. history. Their contributions to the sport are numerous and lasting,” said Harold Winston, chairman of the U.S. Chess Federation Hall of Fame Committee.
“We are thrilled to host the 2013 Induction Ceremony. It provides the opportunity to focus a spotlight on the significance of this game both to Saint Louis and the world,” said Susan Barrett, director of the World Chess Hall of Fame.
About the 2013 World Chess Hall of Fame Honorees
Elizaveta Bykova (1913-1989): Bykova was a Soviet chess player who began winning championships in the 1930s before taking the top spot at the Women’s World Chess Championships in 1953, a title she would win three more times by 1962. She received the titles of Woman International Master, International Master, and Woman Grandmaster. In addition, Bykova was a respected chess author and columnist.
Nona Gaprindashvili (1941- ): Gaprindashvili is a Georgian chess player who was a Women’s World Chess Champion and the first female to be named Grandmaster. She was a contributing player for the USSR team that dominated women’s chess Olympiads in the 1980s, personally winning as many as 11 team gold and 9 individual gold medals. She won as recently as 2009 at the World Senior Championship for Women in Condino, Italy.
Mikhail Chigorin (1850-1908): Chigorin was a Russian player credited as being the inspiration for the Soviet Chess School, which dominated the chess world in the 20th century. He began winning at tournaments across Russia, Europe, and the U.S. around the age of 26 and continued through the rest of the nineteenth century. He pioneered many chess concepts and was an unofficial ambassador of Russian chess, giving lectures, writing, and founding a chess club in Saint Petersburg.
About the 2013 U.S. Chess Hall of Fame Honorees
Gregory Kaidanov (1959- ): Kaidanov is a Grandmaster born in the Ukraine and currently living in Lexington, Kentucky. He won both the World Open and the U.S. Open in 1992. He was a member of the U.S. team that won the World Team Chess Championship in 1993 and received a silver medal at the 1998 Chess Olympiad, also as a member of the U.S. team. He currently has a USCF rating of 2673, placing him among the top 15 players in the country.
Mona May Karff (1908*-1998): Russian-born Karff moved to the United States in the 1930s and dominated women’s chess during the 1940s and 50s, winning four consecutive U.S. Open titles among many other honors. She was one of the first to be named a Woman International Master when FIDE established the title in 1950.
GMs Alex Onischuk and Gata Kamsky will be top contenders for the 2013 U.S. Championship title.
SAINT LOUIS, April 11, 2013 -- The fields are set for both the 2013 U.S. Championship and 2013 U.S. Women’s Championship, scheduled to be held simultaneously May 2 through May 13 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).
This marks the fifth consecutive year that each of these prestigious events will be held in Saint Louis. The opening ceremony takes place on May 2, and the first round for both events will kick off at 1 p.m. CDT on May 3.
In honor of the five-year anniversary, the 2013 U.S. Championship will feature a 24-player Swiss, the same format that was featured the first time the CCSCSL hosted a national championship in 2009. This year’s event will feature a guaranteed prize fund of more than $180,000.
Tony Rich, executive director of the CCSCSL, said the expanded field is sure to encourage fighting chess with many decisive results.
“With such a dynamic field, this year’s event is shaping up to be our most exciting U.S. Championship to date,” Rich said.
GM Hikaru Nakamura, the reigning U.S. Champion, declined his invitation to play in this year’s event, opting instead to compete in the Norway Chess 2013 super tournament featuring World Championship challenger GM Magnus Carlsen.
With Nakamura out, a number of youthful challengers hope to usher in a changing of the guard including reigning World Champions IM Kayden Troff (U-14 World Champion) and IM-elect Sam Sevian (U-12 World Champion). Among other new faces at the U.S. Championship is GM Timur Gareeev, who recently transferred federations from Uzbekistan and is coming off of an undefeated, first-place finish at the North American Open in Las Vegas this past December.
The complete list of players, and their current USCF ratings, for the 2013 U.S. Championship is as follows:
- GM Gata Kamsky (2815)
- GM Timur Gareev (2766)
- GM Alexander Onischuk (2732)
- GM Ray Robson (2698)
- GM Sam Shankland (2698)
- GM Varuzhan Akobian (2690)
- GM Alex Stripunsky (2680)
- GM Gregory Kaidanov (2673)
- GM Alexander Ivanov (2664)
- GM Robert Hess (2661)
- GM Larry Christiansen (2657)
- GM Yury Shulman (2639)
- GM Alex Shabalov (2633)
- GM Marc Arnold (2626)
- GM Melikset Khachiyan (2625)
- FM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (2621)
- GM Joel Benjamin (2618)
- IM-elect Yaacov Norowitz (2612)
- GM Alejandro Ramirez (2606)
- GM Conrad Holt (2591)
- GM Ben Finegold (2570)
- FM John Bryant (2542)
- IM Kayden Troff (2505)
- IM-elect Sam Sevian (2467)
In addition to the $180,000 prize fund, the CCSCSL again will sponsor the “$64K Fischer Prize,” to be awarded to anyone that scores a perfect 9-0 in the U.S. Championship, in honor of Bobby Fischer’s result at the 1963-64 U.S. Championship.
The 2013 U.S. Women’s Championship will feature 10 players and a guaranteed prize fund of $65,000. IM Irina Krush looks to defend her U.S. Women’s Championship crown. Invitations for the 2013 U.S. Women’s Championship are as follows:
- IM Anna Zatonskih (2506)
- IM Irina Krush (2489)
- WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (2409)
- WGM Sabina Foisor (2397)
- WGM Camilla Baginskaite (2358)
- WIM Viktorija Ni (2353)
- WIM Iryna Zenyuk (2341)
- WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia (2334)
- WFM Sarah Chiang (2238)
- WFM Alena Kats (2229)
For the first time in the five years the CCSCSL has hosted the event, organizers are bringing in three commentators to provide even more extensive live coverage of the games and more in-depth player interviews and post-game analysis. GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade will provide live play-by-play coverage of the event via www.livestream.com/uschess.
Additionally, the live coverage will be picked up by FOX Sports Midwest online, with a special hour-long recap of the event airing on FOX Sports Midwest on May 25.
Franc Guadalupe will be the chief arbiter for the U.S. Championship with Carol Jarecki helming the U.S. Women’s Championship.
Check www.uschesschamps.com for the latest updates, full player bios, info about past U.S. Championships and news about the top players in the U.S.
2012 U.S. Women's Champion Irina Krush and 2012 U.S. Champion Hikaru Nakamura pose after their respective victories last year.
SAINT LOUIS, January 22, 2013 -- 2013 will mark five years of checkmates and championships in Saint Louis.
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) will host the 2013 U.S. Championship and 2013 U.S. Women’s Championship simultaneously May 2 through May 13. This marks the fifth consecutive year that each of these prestigious events will be held in Saint Louis.
In honor of the five-year anniversary, the 2013 U.S. Championship will feature a 24-player Swiss, the same format that was featured the first time the CCSCSL hosted a national championship in 2009. This year’s event will feature a guaranteed prize fund of more than $180,000.
Tony Rich, executive director of the CCSCSL, said the club is honored to once again host these national championship events.
“In addition to promoting the many educational benefits of chess, we also strive to raise the prominence of the game at the highest levels by hosting top-level events like the U.S. Championships,” Rich said. “We are working to ensure that this year’s installment is the best yet.”
In addition, the CCSCSL will sponsor the “$64K Fischer Prize,” to be awarded to anyone that scores a perfect 9-0 in the U.S. Championship, in honor of Bobby Fischer’s result at the 1963-64 U.S. Championship. Invitations for the 2013 U.S. Championship are as follows:
• (1) 2012 U.S. Champion: GM Hikaru Nakamura
• (1) 2012 U.S. Open Champion: FM John Bryant
• (1) 2012 U.S. Junior Closed Champion: IM Marc Arnold
• (1) 2012 U.S. Senior Open Champion: GM Alexander Ivanov
• (15) The 15 remaining highest-rated players according to the March supplement: TBD
• (5) Five wildcard invitations: TBD
The 2012 U.S. Women’s Championship will feature 10 players and a guaranteed prize fund of $65,000. Invitations for the 2012 U.S. Women’sChampionship are as follows:
• (1) 2012 U.S. Women’s Champion: IM Irina Krush
• (7) The seven remaining highest-rated players according to the March supplement: TBD
• (2) Two wildcard invitations: TBD
The U.S. Junior Closed Championship also will be held in Saint Louis once again June 13-23. This marks the fourth consecutive year the CCSCSL has hosted this prestigious event.
Stay tuned for more details!
GM Gata Kamsky finished strong with a victory over GM Mateusz Bartel in the final round.
By Alex Marler
The U.S. finished in 5th place in the open section of the Olympiad after a last-round win over Poland! Armenia won the gold, Russian won the silver ad the Ukraine won bronze. The U.S. missed out on a golden opportunity to keep itself in the mix for a medal with a round 10 loss to China, a match that the U.S. had good chances to draw late in the game.
The U.S. Women's team finished in 10th place after a last round win over Israel.