2012 U.S. Championships News
Joshua Colas and Justus Williams each scored huge upset victories in round 1 of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship.
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (June 21, 2014) -- A day of decisive results marked the opening round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, the national title for players under 21, with all five matches finding their way to victory.
Tallying first-day points were top-seed GM Kayden Troff and IM Jeffrey Xiong -- two players in the Kasparov Chess Foundation’s Young Stars program -- though their third teammate suffered an early shocker. IM Sam Sevian, the tournament’s second seed, had his peculiar line of the Sicilian wrestled away by FM Justus Williams, who turned the action into a French defense before his d-pawn rampaged to b2 for an ultimately fatal queening threat.
“Going into the game, I thought he was going to play slow and try to grind me out,” said Williams, who scored more than a 150-point upset over Sevian. “Somehow I was able to change positions from Sicilian to a French, and I felt that kind of leveled the playing field a bit. I created some more imbalances, and that allowed me to get an advantage.”
Also winning the first round was FM Josh Colas, who notched a 150+ point upset of his own over IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti; as well as FM Michael Bodek over NM Matthew Larson. Click here for a replay of the live play-by-play of the first round.
Rankings after round 1
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Troff, Kayden W | 1.0 | M | 2494 | 3131 | +0.28 | 1 |
| 2 | IM Xiong, Jeffrey | 1.0 | M | 2437 | 3223 | +0.48 | 1 |
| 3 | FM Bodek, Michael H | 1.0 | M | 2389 | 2960 | +0.21 | 1 |
| 4 | FM Williams, Justus D | 1.0 | M | 2278 | 3242 | +0.72 | 1 |
| 5 | NM Colas, Joshua | 1.0 | M | 2247 | 3212 | +0.72 | 1 |
| 6 | IM Sevian, Samuel | 0.0 | M | 2442 | 1478 | -0.72 | 0 |
| 7 | IM Ostrovskiy, Aleksandr A | 0.0 | M | 2423 | 1637 | -0.48 | 0 |
| 8 | IM Harmon-Vellotti, Luke | 0.0 | M | 2412 | 1447 | -0.72 | 0 |
| 9 | FM Shen, Arthur | 0.0 | M | 2331 | 1694 | -0.28 | 0 |
| 10 | NM Larson, Matthew W | 0.0 | M | 2160 | 1589 | -0.21 | 0 |
Things looked odd early with 3. Bc4 in a Sicilian by Sevian, normally honest in the main lines, to see Williams respond with a quick 3...d6 -- immediately introducing a French flavor. White’s awkward bishop moved three times in the first 10 moves, and Sevian kicked off an early tactical shot with 14. Ne5 that ultimately won him a rook for a knight-and-pawn -- though not necessarily the advantage.
“I felt that if I didn’t sacrifice the exchange, he would just grind me out and there would be no real way for me to play,” Williams said, who abandoned his rook to 16. Nxf6. “But it just made playing easier. Two or three moves later, he started taking a lot of time and then he wasn’t playing the most accurate moves -- so I started feeling like that exchange sac had worked.”
Indeed, Williams’ gamble turned into a quick payout after his 19...d4 slashed its way to 20...dxc3 and 21...cxb2, applying heavy restraint on the white army to stop its advance. Sevian’s defense soon collapsed.
Adding concern to the upset is Sevian’s looming second-round match on Saturday against top-seed Troff -- who can share in some of his Young Stars teammate’s pain.
“I have a lot of friends that I’ve gotten to know as I’ve grown up in this chess environment, but as far as Team U.S.A., with me and Sam and Jeffrey, we’ve gone to a lot of different places to see each other and play each other and support each other,” Troff said. “I think, in a way, we’ve got to kind of prove something here: One of us needs to try and walk away with (the Junior Closed title). We’re trying to be the people that win these things.”
Troff suffered a first-round upset in last-year’s Junior Closed, which ultimately derailed his title intentions despite being one of the entering favorites.
“It’s tough: (Williams) is a strong player, but he is one of the lower ratings in this field. To start off with white -- maybe take a draw, but you don’t want to walk away with a loss like that. For me last year, it was really hard to get back into shape. As far as just morale and what it does to your head, it’s tough. I can definitely relate in that aspect.
“I’m playing him tomorrow so I guess I’ll be getting the side effects from that, maybe good or bad; I guess we’ll see.”
Troff’s first-round win as black over FM Arthur Shen came from his standard Grunfeld defense, with a rather surprising 8...a5 and 9...b5 and an early queenside pawn storm. Troff credited the rush as a line that offers several pawn break opportunities down the road, including 15. c5 which cracked a sharp middlegame open.
Colas had heard about Harmon-Vellotti’s reputation as a tactical magician in last year’s Junior Closed, and even suffered a loss to such tricks in Las Vegas’ North American Open -- creating a seemingly easy plan for revenge on Friday.
“I just tried to change his style on the board,” Colas said of Harmon-Vellotti. “Luke is a very ambitious, tactical person, whereas I’m kind of a positional player. I was looking at a few Gata Kamsky matches before the game, and I didn’t see any of Luke’s games against the London System -- I knew it was a better fit to my style than his.”
Indeed, Harmon-Vellotti found little initiative against Colas’ London setup, suffering through the slow-crawler-of-an opening and forcing the issue with 12...Ne4. It put white instantly on the offensive, with Colas’ 18. Rxd8 evoking a mistake out of Harmon-Vellotti. The response 18...Rxd8, instead of recapturing with the bishop, left the black a-pawn hanging. Colas grabbed the advantage and began liquidation, eventually picking up another stacked pawn on the e-file and rolling toward checkmate.
Each round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed will see its first move daily at 1:00 p.m. local, beginning Friday through June 29, with a rest day on Wednesday. The tournament will be streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman.
Senate Chaplin Barry Black, Sam Sevian, Aksithi Eswaran, Jeffrey Xiong and Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) participate in the first Congressional Chess Tournament in Washington D.C. on June 18.
By Brian Jerauld
The 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, the national title fight for players under 21, held its opening ceremonies on Thursday night at the host Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The ceremony marked the fifth consecutive year the event has been held at the iconic midwest venue, which has given away over $1M in prizes in hosting the trifecta of American title events - including the U.S. and Women’s Championships - since opening in 2008. This year’s Junior Closed offers a prize pool of more than $10,000 to ten of the nation’s top youths, with the winner earning $3,000 as well as an invitation to the 2015 U.S. Championship. The first move is Friday at 1:00 p.m. local.
The 2014 field of young stars is being headlined by just that: The Young Stars - Team USA is a five-year grant program partnership with the Kasparov Chess Foundation that began in 2012 to help develop several American prodigies. True to the program’s design, three of those Young Stars -- GM Kayden Troff, IM Sam Sevian and IM Jeffrey Xiong -- represent the top-three seeds of this year’s Junior Closed, according to FIDE.
Round 1 Pairings
| Table | White | Score | Rating | Black | Score | Rating | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IM Xiong, Jeffrey | 0.0 | 2437 | IM Ostrovskiy, Aleksandr A | 0.0 | 2423 | |
| 2 | NM Colas, Joshua | 0.0 | 2247 | IM Harmon-Vellotti, Luke | 0.0 | 2412 | |
| 3 | NM Larson, Matthew W | 0.0 | 2160 | FM Bodek, Michael H | 0.0 | 2389 | |
| 4 | FM Shen, Arthur | 0.0 | 2331 | GM Troff, Kayden W | 0.0 | 2494 | |
| 5 | IM Sevian, Samuel | 0.0 | 2442 | FM Williams, Justus D | 0.0 | 2278 |
Troff, 16, is the lone grandmaster in the field after earning the elite title just last month, after reaching a 2500 FIDE rating at last month’s Chicago Open; while Sevian, 13, has collected two GM norms toward the title -- and still with a year-and-a-half left to break the record as the youngest American GM in history. This year’s event marks the second appearance for Xiong, 13, who has padded more than 60 points onto his rating since last year.
All three should enter extremely polished after just completing a rigorous training session with Kasparov himself in Washington D.C. earlier this week, as part of the program. There, in between training, Kasparov and his Young Stars visited Capitol Hill to help promote chess’ educational benefits to members of Congress. The students helped coach members of a newly formed Congressional Chess Caucus through the first-ever Congressional Chess Tournament that pitted Republicans versus Democrats.
The opening ceremony for the Junior Closed featured CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich, who congratulated the players as being role models in American chess, noting that each of them will likely commit 12 hours per day to chess between play and study through the nine-round event. The ceremony also featured a welcoming by Rex Sinquefield, founder of the CCSCSL and sponsor for each of the U.S. Championships. Sinquefield, who also made the trip to D.C., lauded the Young Stars for their efforts in raising awareness to the benefits of chess, as well as helping the Republicans take down the Democrats -- even though Sinquefield was begrudgingly placed on the Democrat team.
Each round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed will see its first move daily at 1:00 p.m. local, beginning Friday through June 29, with a rest day on Wednesday. The tournament will be streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman.
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.”
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