2012 U.S. Championships News
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.
Anna Zatonskih jumped into clear first place with a win over Camilla Baginskaite in round 6. Image Credit Sarah Carmody.
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (May 15, 2014) -- The show, for the moment, has been stolen.
After the bloodiest day yet - eight fought-out decisions across 11 games and another nail-biting escape with a draw by reigning women’s champion Irina Krush - both U.S. Championship races have new frontrunners as the tournaments turn down the home stretch.
Varuzhan Akobian (5/7), the No. 4 seed seeking his first national crown, turned in his third quality win in a row Wednesday, leaving him in sole possession of first place of the 2014 U.S. Championship, unbeaten through seven rounds. Also without defeat is reigning champion Gata Kamsky (4.5/7), who trails in clear second after knocking down previous tournament leader Aleksandr Lenderman. Four players share a tie for third with 4 points.
U.S. Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Akobian, Varuzhan | 5.0 | M | 2643 | 2746 | +0.96 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | GM Kamsky, Gata | 4.5 | M | 2713 | 2730 | +0.19 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 |
| 3 | GM Onischuk, Alexander | 4.0 | M | 2668 | 2665 | -0.01 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 4 | GM Lenderman, Aleksandr | 4.0 | M | 2582 | 2673 | +0.90 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | GM Naroditsky, Daniel | 4.0 | M | 2543 | 2663 | +1.17 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 |
| 6 | GM Friedel, Joshua E | 4.0 | M | 2505 | 2651 | +1.41 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | GM Gareev, Timur | 3.5 | M | 2653 | 2597 | -0.54 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ |
| 8 | GM Shankland, Samuel L | 3.0 | M | 2634 | 2574 | -0.58 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | GM Robson, Ray | 3.0 | M | 2631 | 2560 | -0.71 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | GM Erenburg, Sergey | 2.5 | M | 2633 | 2511 | -1.18 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 11 | GM Ramirez, Alejandro | 2.5 | M | 2595 | 2490 | -1.03 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | GM Molner, Mackenzie | 2.0 | M | 2522 | 2460 | -0.58 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ |
In the women’s competition, Anna Zatonskih now leads with 5/6 after waiting out Camilla Baginskaite, who hung herself in a 102-move rook-and-knight vs. rook endgame late Wednesday evening. Reigning champion Irina Krush (4.5/6), who had entered the day tied with Zatonskih, lost pace with a draw against Alisa Melekhina after barely making time control for the second day in a row. Krush sits alone in second place, with Iryna Zenyuk (4/6) in clear third.
Both tournaments enjoy a rest day on Thursday.
U.S. Women's Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IM Zatonskih, Anna | 5.0 | F | 2469 | 2514 | +0.32 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | GM Krush, Irina | 4.5 | F | 2489 | 2435 | -0.29 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ |
| 3 | WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev | 4.0 | F | 2366 | 2438 | +0.59 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 |
| 4 | WIM Zenyuk, Iryna | 3.5 | F | 2249 | 2399 | +1.21 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 |
| 5 | WGM Nemcova, Katerina | 3.0 | F | 2282 | 2255 | -0.18 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 |
| 6 | WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca | 2.5 | F | 2238 | 2240 | -0.04 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 |
| 7 | FM Melekhina, Alisa | 2.5 | F | 2151 | 2201 | +0.28 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 8 | NM Eswaran, Ashritha | 2.5 | F | 1979 | 2204 | +1.50 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | WIM Ni, Viktorija | 1.5 | F | 2206 | 2040 | -1.31 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 |
| 10 | WGM Baginskaite, Camilla | 1.0 | F | 2267 | 1982 | -2.08 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 |
Akobian had treaded water with four straight draws through the U.S. Championship’s opening, leading some to question his long-term tournament strategy. The critics have been silenced after his third consecutive victory - two of them with the black pieces, including Wednesday’s impressive stand against Ray Robson.
“I had been trying, but sometimes you can try really hard and it just wasn’t working out,” Akobian said of his drawing start. “In those openings, I was just not getting the positions I like to play.
“But winning as black is very important in this kind of field. You think maybe a draw is a good result, but whenever you have the opportunity, you have to play for a win.”
Akobian found yet another opportunity up front on Wednesday after equalizing early in a Catalan. Robson opened with a surprise, but not much: His 1. d4 may have strayed from his own tradition, but it played right into Akobian’s wheelhouse - a lifelong d4 player.
Robson has already lost twice in these U.S. Championships and 19. Bh3 coupled with 21. Ng5 showed that the 20-year-old was now shifting tournament gears toward aggression, though the attack ultimately left the f3 square weak. After exchanging minor pieces, Akobian picked up a free pawn there with 25...Qxf3.
The advantage was good enough to hold through the endgame, especially after Akobian’s 46...g5 put Robson’s remaining army in a near-state of zugzwang.
ROBSON-AKOBIAN Game Analysis by GM BEN FINEGOLD
Lenderman was looking strong as tournament leader, collecting three wins through the first four rounds, but has since gone ice cold with just a draw over the last three. Not favorable is the schedule: He drew the black pieces against reigning champ Kamsky, and is slated as black again against Alex Onischuck after the rest day. The two are tied in third with 4/6.
On Wednesday, the veteran knocked Lenderman out of preparation early in a King’s Indian Attack, setting up a positional battle early to take the 22-year-old on in the middlegame, later stating: “Once you feel that a guy is in great form, you take a cautious approach. You don’t go in swinging right from the opening.”
The move 11. h4 a5 started sprints up the board from opposing wing pawns, though toward much different results: Lenderman only earned space and a frozen queenside after 12...a4, while Kamsky earned a vicious nail into black’s position with 13. h6.
Kamsky’s 16. Nxd4 aimed to stack black’s d-file, though its opening of the c-file became the focus of Lenderman’s middlegame initiative. By move 30. Kh2, however, the white fortress was looking sharp and the h6 nail dangerous; Lenderman’s weakness on the d-file finally fell at 32. Nxd4.
Kamsky closed with technique, liquidating the minor pieces and relieving the queenside. His pawn advantage turned into a downhill a-file passer.
“Alex has been a hard-working guy, slowly improving over the last four or five years,” Kamsky said of his opponent. “I remember that all of my games with him were really tough, and the way he played here, the way he just took off in the start like that, was no surprise to me. I’m sure he is still going to leave his mark, as long as he doesn’t take these two losses badly. He just has to forget about these games and just start the tournament anew.”
Krush was setting up familiar storylines as leader with 3.5 points through four rounds, but she has struggled to collect draws out of the last two. Just after the now-former leader was forced to race through a complex endgame against Tatev Abrahamyan in round 5, playing the last 10 moves on her clock’s 30-second per-move increment, she found herself in even warmer waters at time control against Alisa Melekhina in round 6.
Melekhina’s Blumenfeld Gambit earned her fantastic play in the opening and complicated matters early, quickly challenging the development - and the clock - of the reigning champion. Krush was late arriving to her castle on move 19, and when she got there, the black army had it well surrounded. 19...g5 threw the kitchen sink.
Both players’ clocks had fallen below 10 minutes with 15 moves until time control, though Krush was under duress. Melekhina’s 26. Rxa4 was the first of two exchange sacrifices - this one admittedly unsound - which proved to be fantastic plays against Krush’s clock: One of her moves was made with just one second remaining.
“I couldn’t see any concrete wins, and I took a big risk with the exchange sacrifice in time trouble,” Melekhina said. “That probably shouldn’t have worked, but I was playing on her time, and in the end I managed to get an advantage. I sacked again, right at the time control.”
Indeed, black’s second sacrifice at 40...Rxh3+ was a bit more sound and left Krush staring at a losing position for the first portion of her bonus time control. Melekhina didn’t have quite enough resources to close in the endgame, however, taking a well-earned half-point by perpetual check.
Today is the players’ rest day, and round 8 of the U.S. Championship and round 7 of the U.S. Women’s Championship will take place tomorrow, May 16, at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET. Follow all the action live at www.uschesschamps.com/live.
GM Varuzhan Akobian jumped into a tie for first place after his round 6 win at the U.S. Championship. Image Credit: Lennart Ootes.
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (May 14, 2014) -- Now the fists are flying - though nobody is coming out of the pile.
Despite a slow, draw-filled start, the U.S. Championship heated up as it passed its halfway point, with Tuesday’s sixth round featuring another day of bloodshed to shake up the standings. Aleksandr Lenderman, who had raced out to an early lead with three wins through the first four rounds, has now been slowed to a crawl with just a half point over the last two. Sam Shankland issued the frontrunner his first loss of the tournament on Tuesday, while Varuzhan Akobian (4/6) turned in his second quality win in a row to catch pace with Lenderman on top.
Tied for third a half-point behind the leaders are Gata Kamsky and Alex Onishuck (3.5/6), who stayed unbeaten after a straightforward 32-move draw; and five other players trail in a logjam with 3 points apiece. Ray Robson and Josh Friedel both won on Tuesday to join the cluster, while Timur Gareev suffered his second consecutive loss.
U.S. Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Akobian, Varuzhan | 4.0 | M | 2643 | 2706 | +0.48 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | GM Lenderman, Aleksandr | 4.0 | M | 2582 | 2734 | +1.22 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 |
| 3 | GM Kamsky, Gata | 3.5 | M | 2713 | 2693 | -0.13 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ |
| 4 | GM Onischuk, Alexander | 3.5 | M | 2668 | 2665 | +0.01 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ |
| 5 | GM Gareev, Timur | 3.0 | M | 2653 | 2585 | -0.56 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | GM Shankland, Samuel L | 3.0 | M | 2634 | 2637 | +0.04 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 |
| 7 | GM Robson, Ray | 3.0 | M | 2631 | 2605 | -0.23 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | GM Naroditsky, Daniel | 3.0 | M | 2543 | 2610 | +0.55 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ |
| 9 | GM Friedel, Joshua E | 3.0 | M | 2505 | 2602 | +0.79 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 |
| 10 | GM Ramirez, Alejandro | 2.5 | M | 2595 | 2549 | -0.41 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | GM Erenburg, Sergey | 2.0 | M | 2633 | 2504 | -1.03 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ |
| 12 | GM Molner, Mackenzie | 1.5 | M | 2522 | 2423 | -0.73 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Meanwhile, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship - previously showing no shortage of decisions - had its closest round of balance yet. Anna Zatonskih turned in the lone win of the day over Ashritha Eswaran, gaining a half point on the rest of the field with all draws. Combined with tournament leader Irina Krush’s nailbiting escape with a draw from Tatev Abrahamyan, Zatonskih has now caught back up with the leading pace. Abrahamyan (3/5) trails by a point in clear third.
U.S. Women's Championship
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Krush, Irina | 4.0 | F | 2489 | 2501 | +0.09 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ |
| 2 | IM Zatonskih, Anna | 4.0 | F | 2469 | 2476 | +0.08 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 |
| 3 | WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev | 3.0 | F | 2366 | 2400 | +0.26 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ |
| 4 | WIM Zenyuk, Iryna | 2.5 | F | 2249 | 2369 | +0.77 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 5 | WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca | 2.5 | F | 2238 | 2284 | +0.29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ |
| 6 | NM Eswaran, Ashritha | 2.5 | F | 1979 | 2256 | +1.64 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 |
| 7 | WGM Nemcova, Katerina | 2.0 | F | 2282 | 2238 | -0.32 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ |
| 8 | FM Melekhina, Alisa | 2.0 | F | 2151 | 2139 | -0.10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ |
| 9 | WIM Ni, Viktorija | 1.5 | F | 2206 | 2081 | -0.87 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ |
| 10 | WGM Baginskaite, Camilla | 1.0 | F | 2267 | 1973 | -1.84 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ |
Lenderman’s method of operations through the first portion of the 2014 U.S. Championships had been formed around well-prepared openings, confidently played and designed to surprise - which made it all the more obvious that things had gone wrong early on Tuesday.
Lenderman was rocked back into his seat just after the day began, tentatively progressing through the opening after being the first to admit that Shankland’s 2...e6 - the first time ever played by his opponent - had completely destroyed his preparation.
“Normally Sam plays the Grunfeld, maybe the Slav - he has never started with this particular move order,” Lenderman said. “I still had ambitions to maybe outplay my opponent later on, in equal position, but he just kept finding all these good moves, creating problems for me out of nowhere.”
Lenderman spent considerable time thinking about his third move, and proceeded to tiptoe through the opening with caution. Meanwhile, Shankland was rapidly showcasing his brand-new line: 9...Qa5 was played instantly, sending Lenderman into the tank for the second time in the game. His response, 10. Rd1, was weak and let black in on an early attack that scattered white’s queenside. Both the isolated a- and c-pawns later became objects of black’s desire.
LENDERMAN-SHANKLAND Game Analysis by GM BEN FINEGOLD
Akobian had played through four balanced draws through the tournament’s start, but for the second day in a row squeezed out a full point from his opponents’ slightly worse positions. The imbalance came early on Tuesday, after both sides looked to be thrown into fresh territory in the game’s opening moves: Akobian spent 20 minutes thinking on his response to 3...dxc4, and Alejandro Ramirez put time in after 5. a4. His 7...c5 allowed Akobian the edge on development.
White’s bishop pair stayed menacing through the middlegame, while the kingside pawns put a cramp on black's position. Akobian’s 42. f5 was an interesting idea that allowed a backwards pawn, but did well in freezing several black pieces in the area - but 46...g5+ was a surprise that kept Ramirez fighting for another 40 moves.
“I had a big advantage and was just trying to find a way to win, but I missed this g5 move in the endgame - I thought he was just resigning afterward, actually,” Akobian said. “Maybe I should have played h4 earlier to prevent this idea, I think I had time to do that. But even after g5, f6 was very weak, so I think I was always in control.”
While g5 bought Ramirez some extra time, it created a backwards pawn of black’s own, a weakness that stayed the focus through the rest of the endgame. 49...Rxe4 offered the exchange sacrifice, bailing out and seeking compensation in the form of a fortress. It almost came.
Zatonskih had slipped out of a first-place tie with Krush after Monday’s draw with Viktorija Ni, leaving her desperate for the full point in Tuesday’s match against Eswaran - the lowest-rated player in the field and 500 points Zatonskih’s inferior. But where some competitors have quietly grumbled about the lack of preparation material available for the 13-year-old -- she has no games in the database -- Zatonskih pulled out an old-school trick in the French defense that her young competitor was unlikely to have prepped herself.
“In the opening, I played (5.) Be7 - it was an opening I played many years ago,” Zatonskih said. “Of course, I play so many openings that (Eswaran) probably didn’t prepare this line - my last game was 12 years ago, maybe more. I think she was not aware of what was going on in this variation; she got, almost from the opening, a slightly worse position.”
The surprise brought some early swapping of minor pieces, with 9. Qd2 and subsequent queenside castling slowing up white’s opening. Eswaran’s 19. Qc7 was a hasty push inside, immediately dropping her g-pawn with threats of back-rank mate. Also proving to drive her backwards was 32. b4, met immediately by a5 to crack open the white king’s protection. Eswaran soon after lost her bishop to a skewer at 37...Qb1+.
Tournament leader Krush broke her first sweat of the tournament, as third-seed Abrahamyan made the reigning champion frantically work just to see the time control on Tuesday. The round five matchup featured more of a positional struggle rather than the tactical slugfest the two have created in the past, and both players had just six minutes of clock left with 15 moves left before the bonus.
Krush caught the worst of it, playing on increment after 30...Kh7 at a pivotal point in the game that demanded much calculation. She dropped a pawn with 35. Rxb5, though played accurately - and quickly - enough down the stretch to make control and defuse the situation to a draw.
For a complete replay of all the games, click here. Round 6 of the U.S. Women’s Championship and Round 7 of the U.S. Championship begins today at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET. Catch all the action live atwww.uschesschamps.com/live.
GM Irina Krush is in clear first at the U.S. Women's Championship, leading by a half point through four rounds. Image Credit: Lennart Ootes
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (May 13, 2014) -- While the U.S. chess king questioned who might bear his crown next, America’s queen began resizing hers.
Four-time champion Gata Kamsky walked through another uneventful draw on Monday afternoon - his fourth split in five rounds - while Varuzhan Akobian, Alejandro Ramirez and Daniel Naroditsky each gained traction in the standings by notching their first wins of the tournament. Afterward, nodding to the competitive 2014 field and expressing frustration with his current inability to win, Kamsky admitted: “Probably you’re going to see a new U.S. champion this year.”
In the U.S. Women’s competition, however, reigning champion Irina Krush reminded us: Probably not.
Krush, seeking a three-peat and her sixth title, showed no inefficiency in collecting wins and grabbed control of yet another U.S. Women’s Championship race. Krush rolled on Monday, stomping out Camilla Baginskaite’s Nimzo-Indian to take clear first in the 2014 event with 3.5/4. Anna Zatonskih, who entered the day tied for first, lost pace after narrowly escaping with a draw against Viktorija Ni and now holds clear second with 3/4. Tatev Abrahamyan and Ashritha Eswaran trail in third with 2.5/4.
U.S. Women's Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Krush, Irina | 3.5 | F | 2489 | 2570 | +0.26 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 |
| 2 | IM Zatonskih, Anna | 3.0 | F | 2469 | 2458 | -0.03 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ |
| 3 | WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev | 2.5 | F | 2366 | 2383 | +0.09 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ |
| 4 | NM Eswaran, Ashritha | 2.5 | F | 1979 | 2333 | +1.75 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ |
| 5 | WIM Zenyuk, Iryna | 2.0 | F | 2249 | 2402 | +0.79 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 6 | WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca | 2.0 | F | 2238 | 2292 | +0.27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | WGM Nemcova, Katerina | 1.5 | F | 2282 | 2249 | -0.22 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | FM Melekhina, Alisa | 1.5 | F | 2151 | 2110 | -0.26 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ |
| 9 | WIM Ni, Viktorija | 1.0 | F | 2206 | 2024 | -0.97 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ |
| 10 | WGM Baginskaite, Camilla | 0.5 | F | 2267 | 1906 | -1.68 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 |
Aleksandr Lenderman (4/5), who collected three wins through the first four rounds, drew for just the second time this U.S. Championship on Monday against Sergey Erenberg, yet continues to set the pace by a full point. Kamsky, Akobian, Alex Onischuck and Timur Gareev share second place (3/5); Ramirez and Naroditsky lurk with 2.5/5.
U.S. Championship Standings
| Rank | Name | Score | M/F | Rating | TPR | W-We | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Lenderman, Aleksandr | 4.0 | M | 2582 | 2843 | +1.65 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 2 | GM Kamsky, Gata | 3.0 | M | 2713 | 2701 | -0.07 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 3 | GM Onischuk, Alexander | 3.0 | M | 2668 | 2659 | -0.05 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 4 | GM Gareev, Timur | 3.0 | M | 2653 | 2673 | +0.14 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 5 | GM Akobian, Varuzhan | 3.0 | M | 2643 | 2650 | +0.05 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 6 | GM Ramirez, Alejandro | 2.5 | M | 2595 | 2599 | +0.02 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | GM Naroditsky, Daniel | 2.5 | M | 2543 | 2605 | +0.43 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | GM Shankland, Samuel L | 2.0 | M | 2634 | 2576 | -0.39 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | |
| 9 | GM Robson, Ray | 2.0 | M | 2631 | 2549 | -0.58 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | GM Friedel, Joshua E | 2.0 | M | 2505 | 2520 | +0.09 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 11 | GM Erenburg, Sergey | 1.5 | M | 2633 | 2497 | -0.91 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | |
| 12 | GM Molner, Mackenzie | 1.5 | M | 2522 | 2464 | -0.38 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 |
Baginskaite has done well in keeping her half-point from Krush’s grasp in past women’s championships, including a 2010 matchup that settled in a 12-move draw-by-repetition, a relationship that prompted a look ahead in the schedule by the reigning queen.
“That was one of the things I noticed when I got the pairings: that I was white against Camilla,” Krush said. “I have made a couple draws with her in these championships with black, and I had to play pretty sharply in order to win the games I’ve won. She has a lot of experience and she’s a solid player, so I thought it was a good thing to get white against her.
“This win was a little bit different from what I usually get, because I don’t get to win so stylishly so often.”
Indeed, Krush looked formidable on Monday, tearing open Baginskaite’s Nimzo-Indian and forcing resignation after 23 moves in dominating fashion. Black’s 16...Be4 was a mistake, sending the game down a line that Krush said she had calculated earlier, while maneuvering her knight through a4. What Baginskaite missed was 18. Rd5, a fantastic zwischenzug that kicked off a lethal attack. 19...f6 was a loser, an attack on Krush’s knight ignored after exposing the black monarch to a quick demise.
KRUSH-BAGINSKAITE Game Analysis by GM BEN FINEGOLD
Akobian’s often straightforward, bend-but-don’t-break style had produced four consecutive draws and may have kept him jogging along in the tournament’s early going, but it would ultimately leave the No. 4 seed slow on any intentions to make a run for the national title. Round 5 made it clear that the 30-year-old planned on opening up his stride.
Akobian won with black on Monday against Timur Gareev, who entered the day in clear second, heating up with back-to-back wins and without many difficult positions to speak of in his tournament’s start. Akobian’s French defense looked to lead the game down his standard storyline, especially after his 11…Qd5 created a false threat on the white g-pawn and left him chasing equalization after losing a tempo to Gareev’s natural 12. Nf3.
But Akobian noted 28. Kh2 as a turning point, an inaccuracy that left Gareev’s f-pawn unguarded - gobbled up by 30...Nxf2 after three straight knight moves. The game soon after raced toward time control, and when it hit, Akobian was seeking more than a half point.
“It was quite complicated and we both had one or two minutes,” Akobian said. “Then after move 40 I was already better. I think (41.) Nd4 is where I spent about 13 minutes out of my extra 30 minutes, liquidating pieces and going into the rook endgame, which gives me chances. I don’t know if it’s winning, probably a draw with very precise play, but I think Timur made some mistakes and just got into a losing position.”
Stacked pawns on the a-file proved to be the bane of white’s endgame initiative, as Gareev was left to force a slower idea with his h-pawn. Akobian’s passer on the c-file easily walked.
U.S. Juniors Closed Championship winner Naroditsky knew his position was familiar, just not on the board. Naroditsky last played Ray Robson in the 2011 U.S. Championship - at the same venue, in the same round, and with the same color - and on Monday it proved to bring the same result.
Naroditsky won as black in the fifth round to serve Robson his second consecutive loss, despite being shocked early by his opponent’s surprise 6. Ba4.
“I was a little nervous, especially with Ray, who is known for his opening preparation,” Naroditsky said. “When he confidently plays a novelty, and it looks pretty dangerous, then I’m immediately on my heels. But there’s no magic in chess, he didn’t refute the Ruy Lopez, so I just gathered myself and found a way out of it.”
More accurate was that Robson got himself into it, sending his rook astray in an endgame and losing it inside the black camp. Despite emerging from the opening in a promising position thanks to dominance of the open d-file, Robson’s rooks were pestered all game, first by Naroditsky’s knight at 19...Nf4 and again at 21...Nd5, pushing the white rook behind black’s pawn structure. Dangerous, yet isolated, the major piece became an early focus of battle and ushered in liquidation.
But the rook-and-knight endgame saw Naroditsky with a more active king, who switched wings to help harass Robson’s other probing rook. By 37. Ra6, it was in an awkward spot, and soon the black army had it sealed in the corner. Once again, time trouble got the best of Robson: He received his 30 minute bonus after the 40th move time control and was back below 3 minutes after 42. b3. Naroditsky easily leaned on the added pressure through 63 moves.
For a complete replay of all the games, click here. Round 5 of the U.S. Women’s Championship and Round 6 of the U.S. Championship begins today at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET. Catch all the action live at www.uschesschamps.com/live.