2012 U.S. Championships News
GM Caruana has stayed perfect through three rounds at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, while World Champion Magnus Carlsen has just one point to show.
By GM Ian Rogers
Three rounds, three wins and a commanding lead: Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana has been unstopped in the 2014 Sinquefield Cup, his latest victory over the World Champion Magnus Carlsen in a remarkable match on Friday.
Caruana's win was far from simple but, after a quiet opening by Carlsen, the Italian always seemed to have the whip hand. The world champion was not happy with his early position, partially explaining his radical 13.h3!? and 15.Bxf7+!!??.
“I think he overlooked 12...Nh5,” said Caruana, “which has the idea 13.Nxe5 Nxe5! 14.Qxh5 Bg4. If he plays 15.Bc2 then, after 15...a5, black is very comfortable.” Carlsen later agreed that, without the bishop sacrifice, he would have just been worse.
Caruana reacted to the sacrifice aggressively with 17...Qg5!, but was surprised by 19.Nxh8 and went into the tank, spending almost half an hour before finding 19...Bg4. The position looked attractive, but yielded nothing more -- until Carlsen erred with 24. e5+.
Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov finally troubled the scorers with a far-from convincing win against local hero GM Hikaru Nakamura, with the former world champion describing his match as being far-below world-class standard.
The game opened as an Arkhangelsk Variation of the Ruy Lopez but started taking it's own flavor when Topalov chose the unusual 9.h3. Nakamura's b4-b3 plan was provocative, encouraging Topalov to break too early with 19.e5?!. The American’s 20...Nh5! was a great idea and, despite giving Topalov the center, Nakamura held the edge.
“I could have lost the game [very quickly] had Hikaru found 21...Bxf2+!!,” admitted the Bulgarian.
Having missed that shot, Nakamura was forced onto the defensive by a powerful pawn sacrifice at 22.e6!. The resulting position was not easy to play and, by move 27, Nakamura realized that the game had reached a critical moment. He spent 25 minutes looking for the correct tactical idea to break out of his shackles.
He chose poorly, with 27...Nc6?! 28.Nxc6 Bxc6 and the fantastic idea 29.Nxe6 Ng4!, when the complications favour Black.
Unfortunately Topalov found a simple yet powerful response 29.Bc3!, after which Black's e6 pawn was doomed. Despite some ingenious squirming by Nakamura, the former World No. 1 did not let the game escape his grasp.
Official World No. 2 Levon Aronian had a second unfortunate day in the opening and, unlike his comeback victory over Toplaov in Thursday’s second round, on Friday his opponent Maxime Vachier-Lagrave did not let the tricky Armenian escape. Aronian's problems began with 7...Be6 instead of the natural 7...Bf5.
“I think I have played 7...Be6 in blitz against GM Laurent Fressinet,” explained Vachier-Lagrave, who knew that the pawn sacrifice 10.Qxd2! was dangerous for Black. Aronian thought only two minutes before taking the pawn on c4, entering a position that gave Vachier-Lagrave massive pressure. 13.Qe3! was a particularly nasty move from the Frenchman, who rejected 13.Qb4 because of the amazing line 13...bxa2 14.Qxb7 Qb6 15.Qxa8 Qxb2 16.Qxa7 Rxf2!!. “The computer tells me that White is still better after 17.Rxa2,” said Vachier-Lagrave, “but 17...Rxf1+ 18.Kxf1 Qb1+ 19.Kf2 c5! still doesn't seem completely clear to me.”
Unwilling to defend passively, Aronian tried the tricky plan 15...Rf5!? and 16...Qb6!? but after 17.e4!, “the point is that 17...Rb5 18.Bf1 Rxb2!? loses to 19.Rxb2 Qxd4 20.Rd2!!,” explained Vachier-Lagrave in his post-game recap at the World Chess Hall of Fame.
Forced to go backwards, Aronian had to sit and wait for his opponent to push him off the board. Vachier-Lagrave duly regained his pawn, won another and then exchanged into a winning endgame.
Aronian's loss made it only the second time in history that the world number one and two had lost on the same day, the first being at the Grand Slam Final in Sao Paulo in 2011. Both Aronian and Vachier-Lagrave now sit in second place at 50% -- another sign of Caruana's dominance so far -- with Aronian facing the scary task of taking on the leader on Saturday.
GM Fabiano Caruana earned a win over French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on Thursday afternoon, the Italian's second consecutive win of the tournament.
By GM Ian Rogers
Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana combined extraordinary opening preparation with accurate calculation to win his second consecutive game at the 2014 Sinquefield Cup, leaving the rest of the highest-rated field in history snapping at his heels.
Caruana may have been surprised by Vachier-Lagrave's Caro-Kann Defense, though he used the chance to employ some preparation done with his second, Vladimir Chuchelov, a few months ago -- readying for a game against Azeri GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
With 5...c5 and 6...Qb6, Vachier-Lagrave ventured into a super-sharp line of the Short Variation, but Caruana's 15.g4!?, followed by the equally remarkable 17.Rf2!, was new and unexpected. Vachier-Lagrave began burning time, falling an hour behind on the clock, though his reaction was adequate -- until 17...Nh6. Now Caruana was on his own, spending 13 minutes calculating through complications to find the only winning response: 18.Bd3!
The rest of the game was pure suffering for Vachier-Lagrave, short of time and presented with a variety of losing options. The Frenchman continued, despite being down a piece, but after 30 moves he had nothing for the lost material and resigned.
Game Analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez
The game of the day was expected to be GM Hikaru Nakamura's attempt to secure his first career victory against GM Magnus Carlsen. Nakamura had gone close to knocking over the World Champion with the White pieces twice already in 2014, but Carlsen had turned the tables and won both times.
Nakamura's Spanish Opening was met by the surprising 3...g6 -- a move which Nakamura himself had used to beat then-World Champion Viswanathan Anand in 2012. The American reacted along classical lines, leading the game into positions resembling a King's Indian Defence, though without a key pair of bishops.
Carlsen surprised both Nakamura and the commentators with the unusual idea 14...c6, playing on the side of the board where Nakamura was attacking. Nakamura's reaction led to a roughly equal position before Carlsen lashed out with 18...Nh5!!?, sacrificing one and possibly two pawns.
With 21.f6 and 24.Qb1! -- a move Carlsen had missed -- Nakamura maintained the balance, and soon the World Champion was forced to sacrifice a bishop to achieve perpetual check.
The result was reasonably satisfactory for both players: Carlsen has survived his first two games with the Black pieces and will benefit with the first move in five of his next eight games, while Nakamura has safely negotiated games against the tournament's two highest-rated players.
Game Analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez
GM Levon Aronian briefly regained his world number two ranking -- briefly being for about two minutes, until Caruana earned his second victory -- after winning a game against GM Veselin Topalov that looked almost hopeless for the Armenian after just 15 moves.
Playing White, Aronian faced Topalov's Slav with a well-known plan, but 9...Ne4!? sent him into a death spiral. The World No. 2 had spent only seven minutes before playing into a forced sequence, a series that ended with Aronian staring at 14...Bxd4! in disgust.
Aronian found a way to play on, sacrificing the exchange, and Topalov continued to allow counterplay. After black’s disastrous decision to castle queenside (instead of kingside), Aronian believed that he was close to winning, pointing out the cute variation 23...Kb7 24.Bxc6+! Kxc6 25.Qg2+ with a decisive attack.
Aronian admitted luck after he demonstrated the game to a crowd in the World Chess Hall of Fame but, lucky or not, the Armenian has moved into second place in the tournament, half a point behind Caruana. Topalov, meanwhile, is languishing on 0/2, blaming calculation errors for ruining decent positions against both Caruana and Aronian.
Game Analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez
World No. 8 GM Veselin Topalov expresses concern, while No. 3 GM Fabiano Caruana explores the possibilities during the first round of the 2014 Sinquefield Cup.
SAINT LOUIS (August 27, 2014) -- One of the strongest just got stronger.
Italian-American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana did some heavy lifting in the strongest chess tournament in history -- and pumped himself up to his max in the process. The 22-year-old got big with the black pieces in Wednesday’s opening round of the 2014 Sinquefield Cup, knocking down Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov after the recent Olympiad gold-medalist went astray in the middlegame.
The win gives Caruana the lead in the second annual American super tournament, and boosts his live rating to a highest-ever 2805.
The only other two players in the world above 2800 are with him at the host Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, though both GM Levon Aronian and World Champion GM Magnus Carlsen could only find draws in Wednesday’s first round. Carlsen spent considerable time sorting through French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave’s Scotch opening to earn his half point, while Aronian’s intentions were quickly defused by the Slav defense of American GM Hikaru Nakamura.
Round 2 begins Thursday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. local time, with Caruana looking to reach yet another peak against Vachier-Lagrave, who has lost just two games in 2014. Carlsen brings to the table an undefeated record against Nakamura, though the American played solid on his home soil against the World Champion in last year’s Sinquefield Cup. Topalov seeks a quick rebound Thursday afternoon against Aronian.
Round 2 Pairings:
| White | Black |
| GM Hikaru Nakamura | GM Magnus Carlsen |
| GM Fabiano Caruana | GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave |
| GM Levon Aronian | GM Veselin Topalov |
The 2014 Sinquefield Cup is a 10-round, double round robin tournament that runs through September 7, with each round beginning daily at 2:00 p.m. local time. Monday, September 1 will be a rest day. Every round will be broadcast live through www.USChessChamps.com, featuring analysis from the world-class commentating team of GMs Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley, and WGM Jennifer Shahade.
Last year’s Sinquefield Cup, which featured Carlsen, Aronian, Nakamura and American No. 2 Gata Kamsky, became the strongest tournament ever held on U.S. soil. The 2014 player field features six of the top-ten players in the world and averages a historical 2802 rating. The winner will take home $100,000.
GMs Hikarua Nakamura, Levon Aronian and World Champion Magnus Carlsen will return for the 2014 Sinquefield Cup.
SAINT LOUIS (July 29, 2014) -- The 2014 Sinquefield Cup will be the highest-rated tournament in the history of chess, bringing six of the world’s top-nine Grandmasters together at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.
Last year, the inaugural super-tournament thrilled spectators as the strongest chess competition ever held on U.S. soil. For its 2014 encore, beginning August 27 to September 7, the tournament will be the strongest ever held on earth, its six players averaging a historical peak FIDE rating of 2802.
World Champion Magnus Carlsen, winner of the 2013 Sinquefield Cup, will return to defend his title against an expanded field. This year’s prestigious event will award $100,000 to its winner, part of a $315,000 total prize fund.
Returning with Carlsen is Armenia’s Levon Aronian and the United States’ Hikaru Nakamura, respectively the World’s No. 2 and No. 5 players. New challengers to the Sinquefield Cup include Italy’s Fabiano Caruana, Bulgaria’s Veselin Topalov and France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
|
World Rank |
Name |
Age |
Country |
Rating |
|
No. 1 |
Magnus Carlsen |
23 |
Norway |
2877 |
|
No. 2 |
Levon Aronian |
31 |
Armenia |
2805 |
|
No. 3 |
Fabiano Caruana |
22 |
Italy |
2801 |
|
No. 5 |
Hikaru Nakamura |
26 |
U.S.A |
2787 |
|
No. 8 |
Veselin Topalov |
39 |
Bulgaria |
2772 |
|
No. 9 |
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave |
23 |
France |
2768 |
The 2014 Sinquefield Cup will be a six-player, double round-robin tournament, and will be followed by a bonus event titled “Ultimate Moves” to be held through Tuesday, September 9. Ultimate Moves will feature eight teams made up of a GM and an amateur player, where teammates alternate moves. Other special events for spectators are planned, and more details will be released through www.USChessChamps.com.
The 2014 Sinquefield Cup will feature live play-by-play and analysis from three different teams of grandmaster commentators. Online viewers worldwide will enjoy the daily live commentary stream hosted by the legendary team of GMs Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley, as well as WGM Jennifer Shahade, on www.USChessChamps.com. Live spectators will have two additional options of GM-led commentary, both at the World Chess Hall of Fame and Lester’s Restaurant on the Central West End chess campus. A free meet-and-greet autograph session with the players will also be held before the tournament on Tuesday, August 26 at noon.
As a special compliment to the Sinquefield Cup, the WCHOF is presenting a brand-new exhibit titled A Memorable Life: A Glimpse into the Complex Mind of Bobby Fischer, featuring a rare collection of items that celebrate one of the best American chess players in history, and one of the best chess players ever.
Tickets to the 2014 Sinquefield Cup start at $15 per round, but discounted ticket packages are available at $65 for five rounds or $100 for all ten rounds of the event. For more information on the event, including the full schedule, ticket information and lodging details, visit www.USChessChamps.com.
Kayden Troff defeated Matt Larson in the final round to win the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship.
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (June 30, 2014) -- When in doubt, just win out.
GM Kayden Troff, the 16-year-old phenom out of Utah, has won the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship in clear first with an impressive 7/9 score, grabbing the national championship for players under 21 by finishing 1.5 points ahead of the field. For his efforts, Troff has won the top prize of $3,000, as well as an invitation to the 2015 U.S. Championship.
“I’m really excited,” Troff said. “This moment has come and gone a few times, where I’ve been excited before and missed. I have just always seemed to struggle in this tournament specifically -- for it to be official and done, it’s a pretty good feeling.”
In his fourth appearance in the Junior Closed, Troff entered as the tournament’s top seed and only grandmaster, ultimately tallying six wins across the 10-player, round-robin event. That is twice the amount of victories Troff has recorded in preceding Junior Championships, his previous-best score coming last year at 4.5/9.
And despite the strong finish, Troff’s new title was anything but certain until the end -- especially after his fifth-round loss to FM Michael Bodek knocked him down into a tie for third place entering the rest day.
“My loss to Michael was a tough moment to get through; it just changed everything,” Troff said. “Everything was going quite well for me before that, and it was just this sudden shift of momentum. Trying to come back from that was probably my hardest moment.”
Troff apparently found zen on the rest day, however, returning to win out the rest of the tournament in convincing fashion. To get back to the top, Troff was forced to go right through it: Both his sixth- and seventh-round opponents, IMs Luke Harmon-Vellotti and Jeffrey Xiong, were tournament leaders at the time. And though a late surge by Bodek brought him within a half-point, Troff handled his own fate just fine by taking down FM Josh Colas and then the feisty NM Matt Larson in the final two rounds. Troff’s impressive score comes out of an extremely hard-fought Junior Closed Championship that featured 33 decisions across 45 games -- and most of the draws were bitter fights to the end.
“I think this tournament makes a good statement on where the U.S. is headed in chess,” Troff said. “All these good players who all play so well, I have so much respect for them. Even Matt Larson, even though he was the lowest-rated by quite a bit, showed his guns and brought it to this tournament.
“Going in, even though people might have thought I was supposed to win this, once the tournament started I have to admit I was a little scared. Everyone was fighting, and even the draws were long and hard fought.”
Winning the national crown caps off an impressive month for Troff, who just earned his new grandmaster title at the Chicago Open and continues to grow as one of America’s ambassadors of chess. The 16-year-old is a promising member of the Young Stars - Team USA program partnership with the Kasparov Chess Foundation, which provides coaching and other support, and is partly responsible for padding more than 200 points to his rating over the last two years. Days before arriving in St. Louis for the Junior Closed, Troff and the Young Stars visited Washington D.C. for the second time to help promote the educational benefits of chess to Congress.
“This has all been so exciting; I’m grateful for it all,” Troff said. “Okay, I’m one of the top players in the country now, yet before all this started I was just some kid from Utah who was pretty good at chess. But I still feel that way: Just some kid from Utah who is pretty good at chess. I just want to work hard and keep it going; all of these opportunities and things that are happening around me, I can only be grateful.”
Bodek (5.5/7) finished in a tie for second with Troff’s fellow Young Star IM Sam Sevian, who scored 4.5 in his last five rounds after suffering three losses in his first four. Xiong (5/7), another Team Stars member, finished in clear fourth after the leading the tournament in its entirety, until Troff knocked him down in round 7.
Final Results
| Rank | Name | Rating | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Troff, Kayden W | 2494 | x | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 7.0 |
| 2 | IM Sevian, Samuel | 2442 | 0 | x | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 5.5 |
| 3 | FM Bodek, Michael H | 2389 | 1 | 0 | x | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 5.5 |
| 4 | IM Xiong, Jeffrey | 2437 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 5.0 |
| 5 | IM Harmon-Vellotti, Luke | 2412 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | x | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 4.5 |
| 6 | IM Ostrovskiy, Aleksandr A | 2423 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | x | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 4.0 |
| 7 | FM Shen, Arthur | 2331 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.5 |
| 8 | FM Williams, Justus D | 2278 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | x | 0 | 1 | 3.5 |
| 9 | NM Larson, Matthew W | 2160 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | x | ½ | 3.5 |
| 10 | NM Colas, Joshua | 2247 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | x | 3.0 |
FM Michael Bodek is turning in a fantastic tournament performance and finds himself just a half point behind the leader, GM Kayden Troff, heading into the final round.
By Brian Jerauld
SAINT LOUIS (June 29, 2014) -- The 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship has been decisive in its theme, with victories claimed on four of five boards in each of the tournament’s last four rounds -- and today seems like another good day for a fight.
The final round of the national championship for America’s best players under 21 begins Sunday at 11 a.m. CST, with all of its matchups poised to deliver one last shock to the standings. At stake is the place-distribution of more than $10,000 in prizes as well as an invitation to the 2015 U.S. Championship for the winner, a bid that GM Kayden Troff (6/8) currently holds in his hand.
The tournament’s top seed retook control of the standings after round 7, with two rounds to go against the field’s two lowest seeds -- though there will be no walks through the park here. On Saturday, FM Josh Colas more-than questioned the leader, putting the grandmaster on the ropes before one fatal misstep by his king allowed Troff to desperately squeak past. And now today, Troff takes on tenth-seed NM Matt Larson, the event wildcard who has lived up to the moniker. Larson has scored all 3.5 of his points undefeated in the last six rounds -- two of those points from three opponents who outrate him by more than 300, including his win over IM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy.
Yesterday’s foe now turns into a friend for Troff, as Colas faces the only player who can catch pace in the standings in FM Michael Bodek (5.5/8) on Sunday. Bodek has surged into clear second thanks to 3.5 points over his last 4 rounds, including a fifth-round win over Troff and yesterday’s outmuscling of IM Jeffrey Xiong in a battle for second place.
Also highlighting Sunday afternoon are two third- vs. fourth-place matches, decisions that could flip-flop positions in the standings. Xiong (4.5/8) and IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti (4/8) shared the tournament lead at its rest day, but since then both have fallen to each of the tournament leaders -- and now face each other to end their skids. Also battling over place is Ostrovskiy (4/8) against IM Sam Sevian (4.5/8), on a surge of his own with 3.5 points over the last 4 rounds -- and only one draw all tournament.
If needed, playoffs will be held at 5 p.m. CST on Sunday.
Crosstable after Round 8
| Rank | Name | Rating | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Troff, Kayden W | 2494 | x | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 6.0 | |
| 2 | FM Bodek, Michael H | 2389 | 1 | x | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5.5 | |
| 3 | IM Sevian, Samuel | 2442 | 0 | 1 | x | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | |
| 4 | IM Xiong, Jeffrey | 2437 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | |
| 5 | IM Ostrovskiy, Aleksandr A | 2423 | ½ | ½ | 0 | x | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 4.0 | |
| 6 | IM Harmon-Vellotti, Luke | 2412 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | x | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | |
| 7 | FM Williams, Justus D | 2278 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | x | 0 | 1 | 3.5 | |
| 8 | NM Larson, Matthew W | 2160 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | x | 0 | ½ | 3.5 | |
| 9 | FM Shen, Arthur | 2331 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | x | 1 | 2.5 | |
| 10 | NM Colas, Joshua | 2247 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | x | 2.0 |
Bodek has well earned clear second-place with two wins over the last two rounds, the first from a third-place battle with Harmon-Vellotti and then Saturday’s point over Xiong in a fight for second.
As black, Bodek’s Dragon Sicilian seemed to get off to a chunky start, stagnant on the queenside and castled toward white’s activity, bringing Xiong’s attack quickly. His sacrifice 11. h4-h5 opened up a dangerous lane towards Bodek’s king, and then 16. exd5 went to work on the center. Xiong began to pry away black’s defenders, and 19. Qc3+ f6 exposed the black monarch even further. But despite the precarious-looking position, Bodek reportedly found comfort on the next move.
“Out of the opening, I was really struggling at first, but I felt like Jeffrey released some of the pressure with (14. Bxg7),” Bodek said. “Still, I was really not happy with my position at the start, and it was very difficult for me to equalize. But at (20...) Bf5, I felt like I had done so.”
Despite its drafty position on g7, Bodek’s king stood safely on its ground and led a fantastic turnaround assault on white, not being chased until the desperate ending moments of Xiong’s game. Black put together a rook battery on the c-file to coordinate with his f5-bishop, pressure that Xiong released with 27. Rd8 that ultimately gave him control of Bodek’s back rank. Yet the black king still stood safe.
By the time Xiong was finally able to deliver check -- a lone strike at 32. Qg8+ -- Bodek’s pieces lay poised for attack. His 34...Bxc2 forced the action, and 35...Qe4-Qb4-Qe4 offered him the perpetual draw -- as well as pause for thought.
“I realized a draw is basically like giving the tournament away,” Bodek said, who now trails Troff by just a half-point. “So I just decided to go for the win. I figured I had good chances, why not? It’s better than taking a perpetual, then going home and just putting it into an engine.”
Bodek 38...Rc7+ kicked off a combination, ultimately winning white’s bishop and driving Xiong’s king into a hole. Bodek got into a tight spot of his own, cut off on the h-file by both the queen and rook, but all of white’s mating attacks were slow. His 45...Rb7 forced a faster threat, and Xiong bailed out with the hopes of perpetual check. It did not come.
“I don’t control my tournament fate, so all I can do is just play the game,” Bodek said of Sunday’s final round against Colas. “I would have played it for a win, even if I had just one point.”
The 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship will stream its final round live at 11 a.m. Sunday at www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman. If necessary, a playoff will be held at 5 p.m. CST.