2012 U.S. Championships News
CCSCSL Founder Rex Sinquefield welcomes guests to Saint Louis at the opening ceremony of the 2015 U.S. Chess Championships. // Photo by Lennart Ootes
By FM Kostya Kavutskiy
One of the most highly anticipated events of the year is set to begin, as the 2015 U.S. Chess Championships kicked off with an elegant opening ceremony Tuesday night at the gorgeous Saint Louis Art Museum.
The natural highlight of the opening ceremony was the traditional “Drawing of Lots,” which determined the pairings for the next two weeks of U.S. Championship action.
2015 U.S. Chess Championship Round 1 Pairings - Wednesday, April 1
| WHITE | RESULT | BLACK |
|---|---|---|
| GM Ray Robson | - | GM Kayden Troff |
| GM Alex Onischuk | - | GM Timur Gareev |
| GM Conrad Holt | - | GM Hikaru Nakamura |
| GM Var Akobian | - | GM Sam Sevian |
| GM Gata Kamsky | - | GM Sam Shankland |
| GM Wesley So | - | GM Daniel Naroditsky |
The championship section looks to be exceptionally difficult, with world top-10 players GM Hikaru Nakamura and GM Wesley So eager to claim the status of being America's best player. Meanwhile, reigning U.S. Champion Gata Kamsky will aim to use a full career's experience to seek his sixth national title, while rising stars Sam Shankland, Ray Robson, Daniel Naroditsky, Kayden Troff and Sam Sevian are poised for several upsets during the event.
2015 U.S. Women's Chess Championship Round 1 Pairings - Wednesday, April 1
| WHITE | RESULT | BLACK |
|---|---|---|
| FM Alisa Melekhina | - | NM Apurva Virkud |
| WGM Tatev Abrahamyan | - | WIM Annie Wang |
| WFM Jennifer Yu | - | WGM Anna Sharevich |
| WGM Katerina Nemcova | - | IM Rusudan Goletiani |
| WGM Sabina Foisor | - | GM Irina Krush |
| WIM Viktorija Ni | - | IM Nazi Paikidze |
The women's section seems less combative, as GM Irina Krush is a clear favorite to win the event following the absence of her main rival IM Anna Zatonskih. Still, Krush will have to overcome WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, who seems to get closer to the title every year, as well as newcomers IM Nazi Paikidze and WGM Anna Sharevich, who will also be looking to fight for the crown.
Tuesday night's opening ceremony was conducted by CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich, who kept things light-hearted, yet inspiring, and introduced several special guests -- starting with “the driving force behind American chess,” Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield. Rich’s words were not hyperbole: Without the Sinquefields, the U.S. Chess Championship and U.S. Women’s Chess Championship would not be able to take place under such amazing conditions.
Jeanne spoke briefly about her partnering with the Boy Scouts of America and establishing the chess merit badge, revealing that over 87,000 Boy Scouts had earned the chess badge since its creation in 2011. Rex then took the stage to expand upon the overall mission of the CCSCSL, which includes spreading the educational value of chess, supporting the community and city of Saint Louis, and working to have chess recognized as a sport.
Saint Louis Mayor Francis Slay also contributed some opening remarks, and even though this is the seventh time the city has hosted the U.S. Chess Championships, Slay was as grateful as ever for the positive image and community support the CCSCSL has been able to provide the city. Saint Louis is officially recognized as the chess capital of the United States, mainly due to the prestigious events run by the chess club and the continuously growing efforts to implement chess programming around hundreds of Saint Louis-area schools.
Following the Mayor’s inspiring words were hall of fame inductions, where Olga Rubtsova, Lyudmila Rudenko and Carl Schlechter each earned a place in the World Chess Hall of Fame. Additionally, four-time U.S. Champion GM Alexander Shabalov was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame. Shabalov, only 47, was present to accept his induction, remarking that Boris Gulko won the 1999 U.S. Championship at the age of 52 -- prompting Shabalov to proclaim that he had no plans of retiring, but instead, he held ambitions of returning to Saint Louis soon to fight for the U.S. Championship title once again.
Last to speak was U.S. Chess Federation Executive Director Jean Hoffman, who expressed gratitude and amazement in the CCSCSL’s sensational events and continued commitment in spreading the educational value of chess.
The first round of the 2015 U.S. Chess Championship and U.S. Women’s Chess Championship will begin Wednesday, April 1 at 1:00 p.m. Saint Louis time. Every round will be broadcast live on www.uschesschamps.com/live, featuring the world-class commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Jennifer Shahade and GM Maurice Ashley. Live commentary will also take place next door to the CCSCSL next-door at the brand-new Kingside Diner, featuring GM Alejandro Ramirez and GM Ben Finegold.
Lastly, make sure to check back in to www.uschesschamps.com for daily recaps of each round. We are under two weeks away from crowning a new U.S. Chess Champion!
Opening ceremonies for the 2015 national chess championships will be held at the Saint Louis Art Museum this Tuesday evening, March 31.
Join us for the Opening Ceremony of the 2015 U.S. Chess Championships on Tuesday, March 31 at the Saint Louis Art Museum.
The Opening Ceremony will begin Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. with a cocktail hour, followed by opening remarks from several special guests, including CCSCSL founder Rex Sinquefield and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. Inductions will be made to both the U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame, and 24 of America’s finest players will be introduced in the 2015 Drawing of Lots, unfolding the exciting schedule of the upcoming event.
Tickets are $25/person and may be purchased here, or by calling our Event Planner at 314.678.0500, or by emailing register@saintlouischessclub.org.
And don’t forget to RSVP for the biggest chess party of the year: The 2015 U.S. Chess Championships Closing Ceremony will be held Monday, April 13 at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, where we will crown the 2015 U.S. Chess Champion and Women’s Chess Champion.
Click here to purchase 2015 Opening and Closing Ceremony tickets.
SAINT LOUIS, MO (February 3, 2015) -- The recent and undeniable chess swell felt around the nation rises to serve one epic event: the fight for the American throne.
In April, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will bring together one of the strongest fields ever to compete for the national title, 12 of America's top Grandmasters who combine for a 2732 rating average. The 2015 U.S. Championship will be held in St. Louis from March 31 through April 14, simultaneously alongside 12 of the nation’s top females in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Championship.
|
2015 U.S. Championship Field |
2015 U.S. Women’s Championship Field |
|
GM Gata Kamsky (U.S. Champion) |
GM Irina Krush (U.S. Champion) |
|
GM Hikaru Nakamura (Rating) |
WGM Anna Sharevich (Rating) |
|
GM Wesley So (Rating) |
WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (Rating) |
|
GM Ray Robson (Rating) |
WGM Sabina Foisor (Rating) |
|
GM Alex Onischuk (Rating) |
WGM Katerina Nemcova (Rating) |
|
GM Daniel Naroditsky (Rating) |
IM Nazi Paikidze (Rating) |
|
GM Sam Shankland (Rating) |
FM Alisa Melekhina (Rating) |
|
GM Varuzhan Akobian (Rating) |
IM Rusudan Goletiani (Rating) |
|
GM Timur Gareev (Rating) |
WIM Viktorija Ni (Rating) |
|
GM Kayden Troff (US Junior Champion) |
WIM Annie Wang (Wildcard) |
|
GM Conrad Holt (US Open Champion) |
NM Apurva Virkud (Wildcard) |
|
GM Sam Sevian (Wildcard) |
WFM Jennifer Yu (Wildcard) |
Half of this year’s championship field features players ranked among the top 100 in the world, including two in the top 10. The 2015 U.S. title fight will feature the first highly anticipated clash between world No. 10 and longtime U.S. No. 1 GM Hikaru Nakamura and GM Wesley So, the U.S. Chess Federation’s most-recent acquisition who is currently peaked as the world’s No. 7 player.
Neither globetrotter will be able to look past an incredible cross-section of American chess, beginning with five-time U.S. Champion GM Gata Kamsky, who seeks his third-straight national title and fifth in the past six years. Also representing the top players in the world is GM Sam Shankland, America’s star gold-medalist from the 2014 Chess Olympiad; two-time collegiate champion GM Ray Robson; and GM Alex Onischuk.
Six-time U.S. Women’s Champion GM Irina Krush seeks to maintain an iron grip over an up-and-coming field of American females, including the U.S. youngest master, 12-year-old WIM Annie Wang; and the reigning U12 World Junior Champion, WFM Jennifer Yu. Newly added to the U.S. Women’s Championship this year is the $64,000 Fischer Bonus, awarded to any player who can match Bobby Fischer’s legendary 11-0 score in the 1963-64 U.S. Championship.
The 2015 U.S. Championships will be streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, again featuring play-by-play and analysis from the world-renowned commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade. Live spectators may also take in the action in the upstairs tournament hall of the CCSCSL, which offers additional on-site GM-led commentary as well as food catering included with ticket purchase. Additional event, ticketing and hotel information may be found here.
GM Hikaru Nakamura upheld his reputation as one of the world's finest blitz players on Tuesday afternoon, scoring 9.5 times in 16 games with Levon Aronian on Tuesday afternoon. With the round victory, Nakamura wins the Showdown in Saint Louis.
American super Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura stood victorious in his nation’s centerpoint, using a furious blitz offensive in the final round of the Showdown in Saint Louis to earn its $60,000 winner’s purse.
Nakamura fell back on his instincts Tuesday afternoon, peppering Armenian heavyweight GM Levon Aronian with 9.5 points across 16 games of Blitz chess in the fifth round. The speed attack tipped the Showdown’s scorecard just before its last bell, after the match had entered Tuesday’s final round tied after four Classical games of chess. Nakamura and Aronian traded wins in the first two rounds, then fought to a pair of draws.
In his post-game interview, Aronian admitted the 3-minute, 2-second-increment time control had often served as kryptonite in his blitzing history, perhaps revealed by his clock falling tragically behind in nearly every game played at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The American, however, looked comfortable in his zone on Tuesday, upholding his reputation as one of the chess world’s fastest thinkers. The earth’s second highest-rated Blitz player perhaps showcased his talents best in the round’s opening game -- first hanging his queen, then stunning Aronian with a rook-and-two-knights checkmate. Nakamura eventually won the round with six wins, besting Aronian’s three. They drew seven times.
Aronian, ranked as the World No. 4 Blitz player, earned $40,000 for his efforts in the Showdown.
Watch the Showdown in Saint Louis' Tuesday Blitz, and each of the match's first four classical games with Grandmaster commentary, on the event's video replay page.
A second draw in Monday's fourth Classical game kept the Showdown in Saint Louis tied entering the final day of the match. Tuesday's fifth round will settle the score with 16 games of Blitz chess, with the winner claiming a king's share of the $100,000 prize purse.
Grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Levon Aronian have each landed an uppercut, and both world heavyweights have dodged another. Now it’s time for the flurry.
Monday’s fourth round of the Showdown in Saint Louis, the last game of the match in Classical time control, quickly fizzled into an opposite-colored bishop endgame and drew after just 30 moves. The quick result keeps the head-to-head match between two of the world’s top-ten tied up, with just Tuesday’s round remaining to settle the score.
This afternoon, 16 games of Blitz chess -- featuring a time control of 3 minutes, with 2-second increment per-move -- will decide the winner of the Showdown in Saint Louis. The round’s first jab will be thrown at 2:00 p.m. St. Louis time, and a new game will begin every 15 minutes. The winner will be awarded a 60-percent share of the Showdown’s $100,000 purse, and the exciting match conclusion can be watched live at www.uschesschamps.com.
Monday’s game featured the same line of the English that Aronian had used with the white pieces in Round 2 -- though this time, without the Nakamura misstep in the endgame. Round 4 featured a sharp, tightrope-walking middlegame, with Nakamura’s queen looking dangerously cramped in the middle of the board with 11... Qc5, though the American super Grandmaster would eventually find his way through to the half-point.
Nakamura vs. Aronian Round 4 Analysis by GM Yasser Seirawan
Armenian super GM Levon Aronian dodged Hikaru Nakamura's attack in Sunday's third round of the Showdown in Saint Louis, leaving the match tied with one Classical game remaining. Tuesday's final round will feature 16 games of Blitz.
We’ve passed the point of backing down in the Showdown in Saint Louis.
Super Grandmaster Levon Aronian came out in an admittedly playful mood in the third round of the Showdown in Saint Louis, the Armenian fleet with his moves and looking to dance through a lesser-known line of the Grunfeld on Sunday afternoon. But American No. 1 Hikaru Nakamura wasn’t looking for grace, shaking off any initial surprise from Aronian’s opening choice and charging forward with an aggressive 10. e5 and 11. h4 to spin the game into a sharp tactical fight.
But Aronian deftly parried all of Nakamura’s intentions, carefully handling the American’s initiative and dissolving the game into a lifeless rook-and-pawn endgame before the game’s 40-move time control.
The draw keeps the Showdown in Saint Louis knotted after three rounds, with one victory claimed by each heavyweight before Sunday’s draw. For scoring purposes, each classical game counts as four points, leaving the match tied at 6-6 with Monday’s fourth round bringing the final classical time control. Tuesday’s final round will feature 16 games of Blitz, each scoring one match point apiece.
Nakamura vs. Aronian Round 3 Analysis by GM Maurice Ashley
In the Showdown’s surrounding GM/IM norm invitational events at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, GM-elect Sam Sevian -- who just crested FIDE 2500 on Saturday night as his final title requirement -- will apparently not be relinquishing headlines of the GM section. After winning his first four games, Sevian added 1.5/2 on Sunday -- including a win over GM Ben Finegold, Sevian’s third point collected from GMs in the event -- to take lethal control of the standings.
In the IM norm section, FIDE Master M. William Brown also turned in a 1.5/2 Sunday to distance himself in clear first and move closer to achieving an International Master norm.