2012 U.S. Championships News
by Denes Boros
Round 5 started off with multiple heavyweight battles: Michael Brown against Ruifeng Li, Akshat Chandra against Andrew Tang, and in the Girls’ Section the leading Emily Nguyen faced her tournament rival, Akshita Gorti.
U.S. Junior Championship
Both Michael Brown and Chandra played a Catalan type of structure, and surprisingly both of them had a slightly better position against Ruifeng Li and Andrew Tang respectively.
Tang chose to force some complications, which favored Chandra; but, in time trouble, Chandra could not find his way in the complications. After the time control, both players agreed to a draw in an equal position.
In the other game, Brown had a slight advantage, but Ruifeng Li, with good strategic moves, gradually equalized. The live commentators, Alejandro Ramirez and Cristian Chirila, were expecting a draw around move 30, but Ruifeng had different plans! After some shuffling of pieces, Ruifeng sacrificed a piece with 38…Nxf4!? which was objectively dubious, but kept the game going. Brown wasn’t impressed and managed to stabilize his position. Brown could have collected the point with 54.Rc5! and Bc3!, but he inexplicably wasted precious tempi with 51.Kg2 and Kf3. Those two tempi was all that Ruifeng needed, and he comfortably forced a draw after starting a pawn-avalanche with the moves g5-g4!
The leader, Kayden Troff, faced Bovey Liu with black. Bovey Liu decided to avoid mainstream Najdorf theory, and played Bb5+. He did not manage to surprise Troff, as after the clever intermezzo, 14. dxe5 c4!, it was Troff who was calling the shots. After that, Troff soon captured the bishop-pair and a pawn and soon after, the game! Troff can be happy with his play as his nearest rivals Liang and Checa are trailing him a full point behind!
U.S Girls’ Junior Championship
The biggest matchup of the day was between Emily Nguyen and Akshita Gorti. Gorti was chasing Nguyen with a half point, so she had to do her best to catch up to Nguyen. They followed the game played by Wesley So against Duda, but Nguyen made the inaccurate move 10…e4 and followed it up with the dubious Qh4. Gorti took some time to find the reply, but after her accurate Bb5+, Nguyen’s position crumbled. Nguyen fought hard afterwards, but her position could not be saved. With this win, Gorti took the lead from Nguyen. In the Junior Championships, it’s important to keep on fighting as upsets can happen, and after accumulating some points here and there, you might find yourself on the top of the scoreboard!
Talking about big winners, Maggie Feng, who celebrated her birthday yesterday, didn’t give any chances to her opponent today! Maggie Feng was playing Thalia Cervantes and the opening featured the g3 Gruenfeld, which positions are well-known from the famous Karpov-Kasparov matches. Maggie Feng played extremely precise chess today, her moves 15. Qb3! and the prophylactic 16.Rc2! made a deep impression. Thalia Cervantes tried to untangle, but today Maggie Feng proved irresistible. Maggie Feng won the game on move 33, and now she is a mere half point behind Akshita Gorti!
Troff is leading the Open Section with a full point lead ahead of Liang and Checa, while in the Girls’ Section Gorti is half a point ahead of Nguyen and Feng. Tomorrow is a rest day, but play will resume Friday.
by Denes Boros
Looking at the pairings, I expected some deep home preparation from the players. I was surprised to see that the tournament spontaneously turned into a Carlsbad Theme Tournament instead!
U.S. Junior Championship
The first crucial matchup was between Ruifeng Li and Akshat Chandra but did not feature the Carlsbad structure. Surprisingly, it was the third time Ruifeng played 1. b3!?. He did quickly achieve a tangible advantage, after his unusual third move 3.Nf3! On the other hand, the hometown favorite, Akshat Chandra held on strong and managed to stabilize his position, and achieved a draw without many problems. A nice quality game from both players!
The second key matchup was played between Kayden Troff and Michael Brown. Brown came up with an novel plan in the Carlsbad, but he was still slightly worse against Troff. Black’s position was passive, but solid, so Troff went for an early flank attack, which was unfortunately for him slightly premature. Brown stopped Troff’s attack on the Queenside, and went for the counterattacking h5-h4! Soon Troff’s position became critical, but Kayden came up with some inventive attacking moves that confused Brown. Michael Brown could have won with 27…Rc8!!, but he opted for Nxe4 instead, which was losing, as Kayden’s king found a safe haven on d1 and mate was inevitable! A truly dramatic game, which was crucial for the Open Section’s standings!
Andrew Tang played a fighting game against Nicolas Checa. Tang essayed the London System, but Checa was well prepared and was never in real danger. Checa took over the initiative after the surprising 28…Qxd6!, he developed a devastating initiative. He won after 45 moves. Checa has shown very consistent chess so far, and now he is tied for second place!
U.S Girls’ Junior Championship
Gorti and Nguyen shared first place before the 4th round, so both players were eager to play some aggressive chess.
Emily Nguyen played Annie Wang, who opted for a setup already familiar to us: the Carlsbad Variation! Emily Nguyen, however, was more comfortable with the ensuing positions and won in style.
Gorti had to win to catch up with Nguyen, but faced a tough test facing Thalia Cervantes with Black. Thalia Cervantes had a nagging pressure, but then the position became extremely complicated for both sides. Cervantes was winning at one point in the last time control, but could not capitalize on her advantage in the end. The game ended in a draw after the 70th move.
The best fighting game was played between Bykovtsev and Ulrich. Both of them played exciting games, so the commentators were ready to see an interesting fight between them.
Bykovtsev again played her pet Fisher-Sozin line, but this time she faced 6…Qb6 instead of 6…Qc7 in the Najdorf. Bykovtsev decided to change the character of the position, and came up with the ambitious 18. Nb6!?. The idea did not seem completely sound, but Rachel Ulrich had some problems she needed to solve at the board. She did defend quite well until move 22, when she rushed to play the move Rb8. It was the first step in the wrong direction, as Tatev Abrahamyan pointed out in the commentary, 22…Rc8 would have been more precise overprotecting her pieces. After that, Bykovtsev could not be stopped, as she continued her onslaught with 23 e5! completely opening up the position; and, fter the elegant 25 Qxe5! sacrifice by Bykovtsev, Ulrich’s position became hopeless. Bykovtsev won on move 29.
After round 4, Kayden Troff is clear first with a point lead in the Open Section, while Emily Nguyen has a half point lead in the Girls’ Section.
by Denes Boros
Compared to the early rounds, players arrived with clear intentions, to challenge the leaders!
U.S Girls’ Junior Championship
The first decisive game was played by Rachel Ulrich. Coming into the game, she had already made a statement with a fighting draw against the highest seed, Maggie Feng. Today, she played one of the most aggressive lines possible against Apurva Virkud, the Botvinnik Variation! This could came as a big surprise for her opponent, as she lost her way early on in the complications. A fine win by Rachel Ulrich, who is closing in on the leaders!
Maggie Feng also played a good game against Carissa Yip and now she has 2 out of 3 points. Maggie Feng, just like Rachel Ulrich, is half a point behind the leaders, Gorti and Nguyen.
Both Akshita Gorti and Emily Nguyen played long fighting games to keep their leading positions.
Gorti won first, essaying a sideline most widely known as the Hebden-Attack. Her opponent reacted well, but started to drift into a difficult position after 12…Ng4. Gorti played the precise 13. Rdf1! chasing away the knight. Ashritha Eswaran had to withdraw her pieces, and after Gorti’s precise 17.g4!, Eswaran’s knight was out of the play for the rest of the game. Akshita Gorti never gave a second chance and won after move 41.
Emily Nguyen did not lose her pace as she took on Agata Bykovtsev. They played a dramatic game in a Fianchetto King’s Indian. Bykovtsev had her chances, but slowly Nguyen outplayed her with the use of her bishop-pair. That was not the end of the game, however, as Bykovtsev fought her way back into the game after Nguyen’s inaccurate 34-Bxd5 move. She could even take over the initative with 41…Re2!, but she chose Qxh3 instead. Later on, Nguyen won a pawn, and in mutual time-trouble, she managed to convert it to a win. An important win for Emily Nguyen as she is in tied first with Gorti after Round 3!
U.S. Junior Championship
The round started with a key matchup between Akshat Chandra and tournament leader, Kayden Troff. Chandra managed to put pressure on Troff in a Najdorf, even though Troff came up with a novel concept with the move 10…Bg4!?. Chandra then tried to push Troff off the board, but Kayden fought relentlessly. Chandra did have nice winning chances, but Troff defended well, and in a theoretically drawn Rook+Bishop against Rook Endgame, Troff forced the draw.
Ruifeng Li showed his talent in his game against Andrew Tang. Li played creative chess today, even playing a surprising 6. Be2!?, which totally baffled the commentators, and maybe even his opponent. Nevertheless, Tang was doing okay, until Li found the strong and paradoxical idea of 13.g3! bolstering the knight on h4! After that, Li took control and finished the game in style with a fantastic kingside attack.
Bovey won a one-sided game against Joshua Colas, while Checa had a fighting draw against Awonder. Michael Brown could not break the defenses of Mika Brattain and drew in a peaceful opposite-colored position.
Troff leads the Open Section by half a point, while Emily Nguyen and Akshita Gorti share first place in the Girls’ Section.
by Denes Boros
Round one seemed to have an impact on the players and the players dramatically changed their game in round two.
U.S Girl’s Junior Championship
Thalia Cervantes chose a more solid approach today against defending champion Emily Nguyen. Her strategy seemed to pay off as she occupied the center with the knight hoping to e5!. She soon achieved a comfortable bind against Nguyen. Cervantes managed to increase her advantage, but she started to play too fast in a winning position, and fell into a fortress. A narrow save by Emily Nguyen conserved her lead in the tournament!
The most exciting game played in the Girls’ section was between Eswaran, Asritha and Wang, Annie. The game started as a quiet Spanish, which was spiced up by Asritha’s inventive 16.d4!? move. Annie managed to avert Asritha’s dangerous attack and started to improve her position little by little. Eventually, she made the intuitive sacrifice 42…c5!, which gave her a long lasting initiative! Suddenly, Ashritha’s position became critical, and Annie won a piece and with it the game!
Gorti and Virkud won their games in the true spirit of counter-attacking chess! Gorti built a stable position against Yip, and when Carissa played 24 Rg4, she fell into Gorti’s counter idea based on 24…f5!. In the ensuing complications, Gorti came out on the top and, with this win, she joined the leaders!
Apurva Virkud had a complex Najdorf battle against Agata Bykovtsev. Bykovtsev played white and came up with an interesting idea, 13.Nce2!?, which was first seen in the famous game played by Kasparov-Gelfand in 1991! Bykovtsev did have a pleasant position from the opening, but she soon drifted into a worse position after the unfortunate 30.Nd5. She could have kept her advantage after 30.Bb1!. After this inaccuracy, Virkud took over and won after 72 moves!
U.S. Junior Championship
The round started with a key matchup between Kayden Troff and Ruifeng Li.
Coming into the round Ruifeng Li had a slight setback with his draw against Mika Brattain, while Troff played a great game against Andrew Tang. Troff decided to enter a heavily analyzed line, and this caught Li unaware. Li tried to come up with an original plan, but his move 14…h6 wasn’t good enough and by move 27 Troff was able to force resignation! A powerful display of home preparation by Troff, which catapulted him to the sole lead with 2/2!
The two players trying to keep pace with Troff are Akshat Chandra and Michael Brown.
Akshat Chandra had a difficult position against Brattain, but somehow managed to salvage a draw. Michael Brown, on the other hand, managed to win a topsy-turvy game against Joshua Colas.
The game of the day was definitely between Tang and Liang. Tang uncorked the strange looking 2.c3!?, which helped him built up a London System against Liang. Surprisingly, a similar idea was already played by Kamsky against Levon Aronian in the Sinquefield Cup!
Liang took his time, but Tang was more comfortable with the ensuing positions and, after setting up an attractive battery along the d-line with 28.Rd1!, it was clear that Tang has a superior position and soon he won his game! A great comeback from Andrew Tang after a difficult game against Troff.
Troff is in clear first place in the Open Section, while there is a four-way tie for first place in the Girls’ section between Nguyen, Gorti, Virkud and Annie Wang.
by Denes Boros
A day after the opening ceremony, where players were given presents and some good advice from Tony Rich, the tournament director, the players were ready for the first round of the 2017 Junior Championships!
U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship
What a first round it was; Akshita Eswaran essayed the Benoni against defending champion Emily Nguyen, and Thalia Cervantes went all-out against Agata Bykovtsev, with the ultra-sharp Four Pawn’s Attack!
Emily Nguyen reacted well against Akshita Eswaran’s Benoni and gained the upper hand. Nguyen played 14. Qb3! targeting the weak Black Queenside, and after the inaccurate move 15…g5, she uncorked the typical Benoni break with 16.e5! and 17.d6! The rest was simple, and Emily Nguyen won her first round game!
The game between Thalia Cervantes and Agata Bykovtsev was one of the most intriguing games of round one. Thalia Cervantes, who came to the Junior Championship straight from the Pan American Championships, went all out against Bykovtsev. Bykovtsev, as she told Cristian Chirila after the game, thought that 14…b5!? was part of her preparation. In any case, it turned out to be slightly dubious, as Thalia duly accepted the pawn offer and produced the fantastic rook lift 20. Ra3! and 21. Rg3! gaining a sizable advantage! She was well on her way to win, when she captured the wrong piece. 32. Bd4! would have won, but she played 32.Bc5+ allowing Bykovtsev back into the game, and after another mistake by Cervantes, Bykovtsev took over! It was a dramatic game, were Thalia Cervantes showed some powerful play in the middlegame, and Agata Bykovtsev, showed great fighting skills, which helped her bring the point home.
”I expect blood!” exclaimed Tatev Abrahamyan in the live commentary with fellow commentator Alejandro Ramirez, right before the start of the round. Right she was, as the player’s from both section came with the same intentions; to win at all costs!
U.S. Junior Championship
Ruifeng Li, the heavy rating favorite of the Open section, played his trademark move 1.b3!? against Mika Brattain. Brattain, however, wasn’t impressed by Larsen’s famous move and built up a solid position against Li. After few hours of play, Li managed to gain some space on the Queenside, but that was compensated by Bratain’s counterplay on the Kingside. Li had a slightly better position, but after Mika Brattain’s 24…Nh8! it was increasingly more difficult to make progress. Ruifeng Li, conscious of his advantage refused the repetition of moves, but ran into a fantastic sacrifice 27…Nf4! by Brattain, and the tables turned! Brattain was calling the shots afterwards, but after missing several wins, the ever-resourceful Ruifeng Li managed to escape; with a perpetual check!
The most contested matchups based on ratings were between Troff - Tang and Brown - Checa.
Brown played an interesting sideline in the Slav against Checa, but even though both players avoided repetition multiple times, it still petered out to be a draw.
Troff against Tang was a different affair. Troff came with a very aggressive line, which was known from the famous game played by Carlsen and Aronian. Tang tried to surprise Troff with the freeing move 9…g5!?, but Kayden Troff was irresistible, and won a model game.
The hometown favorite Akshat Chandra, and the freshly-minted grandmaster Awonder Liang won their games fairly comfortably.
In the Open Section, Liang, Chandra and Troff are in the lead, while in the Girls’ Section; Emily Nguyen and Agata Bykovtsev are sharing first place with one point each.
by Cristian Chirila
Another U.S. Championship has ended today, and we couldn’t have asked for a more exciting finish! Yesterday, Sabina Foisor wrote history with her emotional victory. Today, Wesley So added another chapter to his legacy when he defeated Alexander Onischuk in a highly disputed tiebreak match.
The first round started with Wesley choosing a rare variation of the English opening, a rational choice to try and surprise Alexander, who is a player that trains opening theory religiously. Alexander was well prepared and the game quickly entered virgin territory.
Alex decided to sacrifice a pawn, and then another one, and Wesley couldn’t fight the temptation. The second pawn grab was probably not a good idea, as Alex overtook the initiative and it looked as if Wesley might be in trouble. His inaccuracy was 18…Qd4 instead of 18…Nd4, which would have placed Wesley under serious pressure. It was all downhill for Alex after that and Wesley drew first blood!
The second game was a wild affair. Alex gathered all his strength and decided to try and outplay Wesley in a long, grind based game. The strategy worked as he managed to win the bishop pair and start pressuring Wesley with precise moves. Wesley’s clock was ticking as he was trying to survive, and it looked as if Alex would be the one to break his invincible aura.
But it was not meant to be, and all the cards fell right in place for Wesley. White could have garnered a sizable advantage if he would have went for 41.Bd5! instead of running for the second pawn with Qb8-b6. After that miss, Wesley found a powerful dark square blockade and never allowed Alex to power through, despite the latter’s attempts. Wesley killed the game and forced a draw with a nice pattern based on the strong collaboration between Queen and Knight.
Wesley So is the 2017 U.S. Champion and extends his impressive series of tournament victories! Kudos to you, Mr. So!
