2012 U.S. Championships News
By GM Cristian Chirila
In the Women’s Championship, the leaders—Paikidze, Krush and Abrahamyan—were all facing players that were having a critical tournament situation. Let’s analyze the games and understand how the players fared in this nerve-wracking round!
2016 U.S. Championship
Xiong vs. Caruana ½ - ½
This was undoubtedly one of the most important games of the round. Fabiano was coming in as the leader and knew that in order to preserve that status he would need to place as much pressure on his opponents from now till the end of the tournament. But today, he was facing a different player; a guy that he has never faced—a player that is arguably the biggest talent raised on American soil since Nakamura burst on the chess scene. That player is Jeffery Xiong and this was not going to be a cakewalk.
The game started off with a hybrid Ruy Lopez with 4…g6. Maybe Fabiano was inspired by the World Champion who used this same opening to win a nice game only two days ago in Norway. Jeffery looked surprised and allowed Black to get the upper hand after giving up his bishop pair without much fight with 8.Bxc6?! From there on, Fabiano exerted incredible pressure for the rest of the game. Unfortunately for him he did not manage to convert due to a marvelous resilience by his opponent.
Draw and the title race tightens up.
Shabalov vs. So 0-1
This was clearly one of those off days for Shabalov. He is known to be an extremely active player but failed to continue the game immediately after his preparation was over. Wesley surprised Shabalov (maybe himself too) with 17…Nf6?! Which has been played only once and it is quite an inaccuracy. His elite GM confidence confused White and he did not manage to play the most natural 18.Nf5! which would have given him a very pleasant advantage. Shabalov resigned at move 23 due to a terrible blunder in an already difficult position.
Robson vs. Chandra 1-0
Nakamura vs. Akobian 1-0
Nakamura had the last say in the matter and proved that even when surprised, 2800 caliber players have a secret bank of information that helps them to casually beat top GMs. Let’s take a closer look at this game and see how Nakamura managed to outplay his opponent.
Onischuk vs. Shankland 1-0
Shankland came into this tournament as a feared player, but he has not managed to find his rhythm and the results have been below the expectations. Onischuk was having a stable event at 50% and was looking to make use of his Whites in order to climb the rankings and threaten the leaders. White chose a tricky line with Qc2-Rd1 in the QGD, but it did not seem to work as Shankland fully equalized after the opening and maybe could have even pressed for an advantage at some point. Instead, he started playing too passively and took some suspicious decisions that damaged his position. Onischuk slowly increased the pressure and forced his opponent into submission after showing impressive endgame technique. In the end, it was a game that shows that even in the most equal and dry positions there are always ways to test your opponent. Today it was Onischuk’s hunger to win that prevailed as he now moves at +1 and starts eyeing the top places.
Lenderman vs. Kamsky ½ - ½
White came very well prepared and manage to amass a serious edge out of the opening. Kamsky felt in danger of being squashed down and tried to create counterplay by sacrificing a pawn after 19…b5?! This was a rushed decision and White could have obtained a big advantage if he would have found the cunning 24.N1a3! Instead, the game continuation failed to produce any results and Black fully equalized a couple of moves later.
2016 U.S. Women’s Championship
Paikidze vs. Bykovtsev 1-0
Once again, Nazi clearly stated with her opening choice that she believes she is the superior player, the g3-b3 development not being objectively a difficult line to refute. Agata did not have a clear plan and the uncertainty got her in real trouble quite quickly, but with some good moves and a bit of luck she could have flipped the tables and actually obtain an advantage after 39…Bh6! Instead she played Ra8 and after the game continuation the position was almost resignable.
Krush vs. Eswaran ½ - ½
Krush dodged another bullet. The seven-time U.S. Women’s Champion tried to play a slow game and take her opponent to the endgame, where she thought she would outplay her and win with ease. This was not the case as the young Ashrita held her own and actually managed to outplay her much more experienced opponent. She should have held the bishops on the board with 25…Re2, after which Irina would have a difficult defense. Instead, she chose to enter the rook’s endgame, one that Irina knew to perfection and held the draw exemplary.
Melekhina vs. Abrahamyan 0-1
Zatonskih vs. Gorti 1-0
This was a one-sided affair with the experienced Anna Zatonskih playing an almost perfect game and completely outplaying her younger opponent. Akshita did not understand the requirements of the position she was playing and incorrectly released the central pressure with 10.fxe5? This allowed White to obtain an incredible outpost on e5, as well as a game long target on e6. Anna knew she has a decisive strategic advantage and she never let go of it. Akshita did not have the necessary patience to defend such a passive position and cracked by playing 26…g5? Which simply gives a pawn and does not get any ounce of counterplay in return. The game quickly ended after that in a convincing victory for Zatonskih.
Nemcova vs. Yip 1-0
Foisor vs. Yu 1-0
Sabina has had a difficult tournament up to this point but one thing that she surely didn’t lose is her motivation to win games. Today’s game was proof of that as the players played a tame game and ended up in a completely equal endgame. Sabina channeled her inner Carlsen and decided to play on to see how well her opponent handles technical endgames. Yu played a good game but at some point forgot about her opponent’s threats and blundered with 70…Ra1?? Allowing her opponent’s king to invade via f5 and obtained a decisive advantage. Sabina took advantage of her chance and finished her opponent with immaculate technique.
by GM Cristian Chirila
There are good days and very good days at the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship. Today was a day from the latter category with plenty of decisive results, important theoretical battle, nail-biting turns of events, and overall a fun packed set of games. Caruana respected his elite status and demolished Onischuk after playing a perfect game. So and Nakamura had a tense game and a few key moments could have shifted the balance of power in So’s favor. In the end, it finished in a draw and Nakamura can count out one of his nine lives. In the Women’s Championship it was a decisive round with only the leader—Nazi Paikidze—allowing Carissa Yip to pull a miraculous escape after a very odd opening from the young participant.
Let’s start the recap!
2016 U.S Championship
So vs. Nakamura ½ - ½
This was surely the most anticipated battle of the round. Wesley has showed that he, along with Caruana, is the top contender for the ultimate title. Nakamura was coming off a dominant performance against Shankland and surely was looking for a fight in order to regain some ground in the title fight. The game started off with a French and the players followed the game of Salem vs. Satyapragyan up until the 15th move when Nakamura made a strong novelty.
In a position with opposite side castles, it was White’s attack that seemed to have more steam and ultimately it was him who managed to open up the position. Let’s give this game a closer look and see if So could have pressured his opponent more.
Caruana vs. Onischuk 1-0
Saint Louis is clearly one of Fabiano’s favorite places to play chess. After his famous 7-0 run in the Sinquefield Cup, and it seems like another impressive performance is in the making. He knew that this is one of the most accessible rounds in terms of trying to become the sole leader, as his main rival was facing Nakamura. The rest day also played an important role and he came into the game extremely well prepared and ready to pulverize his opponent.
28 moves—that’s all he needed to outplay one of the strongest guy in the tournament, Alex Onischuk. Let’s try to understand how the world #2 prepares and executes an almost perfect game!
Kamsky vs. Robson ½ - ½
Despite the fact that so far in this event Kamsky did not shine, he is still one of the best players in the U.S. and a serious threat to anybody facing him. Robson, on the other hand, has had an amazing tournament, besides his game before the rest day against Lenderman. Both guys had something to prove and it was quite clear from the start on that they weren’t going to sign the result without a fight. The players entered a variation of the Semi-Slav, with Kamsky trying to prove that his bishop pair is better than his opponent’s queenside majority.
Chandra vs. Xiong ½- ½
The game between the Junior Champion and the runner-up was definitely a treat chess fans were eagerly expecting. White opened with 1.d4 and once again Xiong decided to change his opening approach and went for the Queen’s Indian instead of the Grunfeld—probably feeling that his rival might have prepared something serious during the rest day. Black did not have any serious problems equalizing and the game soon ended in an uneventful draw. A cautious game that did not spark any fire on the board.
Shankland vs. Shabalov 0-1
An entertaining battle between two motivated competitors. Shankland has recognized the fact that Shabalov is a very unpleasant opponent for him. Only recently did he manage to snap a series of losses by winning against him in the Millionaire Open.
Today it seemed like he is dwelling on that game and wanting to ride the victory wave. Unfortunately for him, Shabalov was not having any of that. White opened with 1.e4 and we were soon witnessing a Scheveningen, which seems to be the Sicilian of choice for this championship. Shankland seemed a bit impatient and erred early on with 11.Nce2. He himself pointed out in the press conference after the game, “he wanted to punish his opponent too much.” Shabalov quickly refuted White’s apparent attack and started his own initiative focused in the center. White was in deep trouble by move 20, and by move 40 he could have safely resigned. A clean game by Shabalov who gets back to 50% and will try to make a push for the primer spots in the rankings.
Akobian vs. Lenderman ½ - ½
Akobian once again tried a very rare continuation as early as move 5.b3 which caused Lenderman to make some early decisions in regard to his set-up. White got what he wanted out of the opening and could have claimed a serious advantage if he would have kept two pairs of rooks with 29.Rad1 instead of 28.Re5?! Lack of shape was once again a serious factor in Akobian’s play as he seemed to lack poise in the last stages of the middlegame. After the heavy pieces were exchanged, it was only a matter of time before the players would sign the scoresheets.
2016 U.S. Women’s Championship
Yip vs. Paikidze ½- ½
This was a crucial game in regards to the standings in the Women’s Championship. Paikidze knew she had to win in order to maintain her lead, and she came into the game with that outcome well established in her mind. Yip seemed to be on the same page as she played a strategically dubious opening and got herself into deep trouble when her opponent’s pieces started corralling her king. Fortunately for her, Paikidze did not spot the powerful 29…Bb5! and instead went for the less precise 29…e4? which allowed her opponent back into the game. None of the players blundered in time trouble and the game ended in a draw soon after the time control. A disappointing draw for Nazi and a cheerful result for the resilient Yip.
Abrahamyan vs. Foisor 1-0
In this game White got the better side of a Ruy Lopez, obtaining a very unpleasant initiative on the kingside. Foisor didn’t manage to create any counterplay and she soon found herself in a suffocating situation. Under the pressure, Foisor blundered with 28…Qc8? which allowed White to exchange the double pawn on the “g” file for the important Black “f” pawn.
White now had a clear advantage and Abrahamyan skillfully proved why she is one of the most ruthless players in the competition. Abrahamyan wins and catches the leader at 4.5/6p with five rounds to go.
Game annotation by GM Robert Hess.
Eswaran vs. Melekhina 1-0
Alisa chose a different opening than her usual Sicilian, and her lack of experience backfired badly. White got a stable advantage out of the opening and Alisa could not keep her patience for long, as it is often required in Ruy Lopez type of positions. After Black opened with the dubious 14…f5?!, White had the initiative for the rest of the game. Ashrita did not allow Alisa back into the game as she easily converted her pawn up in a rook’s endgame.
Gorti vs. Krush 0-1
A Ragozin that offered White no advantage out of the opening turned into a complete nightmare after Black started pushing her central pawns and opening his pieces towards her opponent’s king. Gorti did not have a clear plan as she maneuvered her knight to the completely dominated square “g3”. The defending champion slowly built up her advantage, positioning her pieces to their idea squares. In the end, the pawns started collapsing and Black cruised to victory with ease. After this win, Krush joins the leading pack and is back as the main favorite to defend her title.
Bykovtsev vs. Zatonskih 0-1
A difficult game to judge. Agata once again played a very precise game up to a point and then completely lost control in the final moves before the time control. This is one of those games that will leave a deep scar in Agata’s mind. She could have finished her opponent with 30.Rgf2! winning a piece but failed to spot it, and ultimately her advantage dissipated and was transferred to her opponent. A heartbreaking loss for the young Californian girl, and a breath of fresh air for Zatonskih.
Yu vs. Nemcova 0-1
A beautiful miniature by Nemcova who surely started to realize that if she continues with her missteps the fight for the top laurels will be lost. She furiously started the game with a quick vicious attack with 7…h5. Her opponent, confused by her aggressiveness, erred immediately with 9.f4?! This is a very dubious move as it weakens the king without claiming anything in return. Nemcova correctly understood that she needs to act fast and did not castle, instead she finished her piece development and aimed her forces at the White king. After only 28 moves the White king had to surrender under the painful attack lead by Nemcova.
Round five of the 2016 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship has been the bloody war we have all been waiting for. The players were looking to go into the rest day with a win in their pocket, and the fans watching all over the world were the happy recipients of an entertaining chess day. We had enticing battles in both sections, with Wesley battling his nemesis from last year, Varuzhan Akobian. Also, the two favorites for the title in the Women’s section, Krush and Zatonskih, had to once again face each other! We were in for a treat and the players made sure we were not going to leave the stands without a satisfied smile on our faces.
2016 U.S. Championship
Shabalov vs. Caruana ½ - ½
The game between the leader—Caruana—and one of the most enthralling players of the tournament was certainly an important one to follow. White opened with 1.Nf3, and the game transition into a Fianchetto Grunfeld-Slav variation. It is well-known that White only gets a slight edge but not much more than that. Caruana was first to deviate with 11…Nb8?!, and it looked as if White might have gotten something to work with. Shabalov should have played 16.Rfd1 after which Black would have had problems proving equality. The game continuation was tame and the pieces started to come off the board quickly. In the ensuing endgame, none of the players really got close to obtaining an edge and a draw was agreed soon after.
So vs. Akobian 1-0
Akobian chose to face Wesley’s 1.e4 with the French but was soon in trouble after failing, once again, to make his homework. I am amazed at the lack of opening preparation the American “veteran” is showing. Let’s see what Grandmaster Hess thinks about this wild encounter!
Nakamura vs. Shankland 1-0
Xiong vs. Kamsky 1-0
Onischuk vs. Chandra 1-0
The young Chandra has had a subpar event so far—missing a lot of chances and revealing some important holes in his game along the way. The last few rounds he proved that his participation in the U.S. Championship is no fluke and managed to hold Nakamura to a draw and pressure Shabalov almost to the breaking point. Unfortunately for him, his play today was poor and Onischuk is not a player who misses given opportunities. The youngster was surprised after 9.Qd2! and started playing some very suspicious moves afterwards. By move 18 he was already in deep trouble and Onischuk transitioned into a completely winning endgame that he converted without difficulties. Chandra now heads back to the drawing board to make some serious adjustments during the rest day if he wants to improve his results going into the second part of the championship.
Robson vs. Lenderman ½ - ½
A wild game this was! The game had a slow start with Robson opting for the popular hybrid setup starting with Nf3-g3-Bg2—delaying his decision of pushing any of the central pawns. He followed with a d4-c4 setup and the game quickly ended in a position only found in one other game in history: Vachier vs. Sokolov, which ended in a draw. Lenderman was the first one to deviate with 11…Nf6 but Robson’s familiarity with the position allowed him to obtain a massive advantage.Black was feeling the pressure on the queenside and erred when he played 19…c5?, a move that Robson immediately punished with a very precise attack. White entered a completely winning endgame with a piece up but seemed hypnotized and spent almost all his time calculating ghost variations when he could have easily stopped any sort of counterplay with 44.Nc2! after which the Lenderman would have been forced to throw the towel. White had plenty of chances to finish the game even after his miss, but as if he was under a spell, he avoided all of the potentially winning moves and allowed Black to escape with a draw. This slip leaves Caruana and So as the co-leaders of the tournament and might prove extremely important in the title contention.
2016 U.S. Women’s Championship
Krush vs. Zatonskih ½ - ½
Paikidze vs. Yu 1-0
Paikidze was tied for the lead going into this round, and she certainly came to the game with a clear plan. She had to do everything in her power to get the victory and hopefully break the tie for first place going into the free day, and that’s exactly what she did! Let’s give this game a closer look as it is one of the most influential game of the round in terms of standings.
Nemcova vs. Abrahamyan ½ - ½
Both these players had something to prove. Nemcova was coming off a few difficult rounds, while Tatev surely knew that every single lost half point will count at the end. Nemcova, who is a student at Webster, the powerhouse in collegiate chess, came well-prepared into this game and chose the fairly out of fashion 4.Nge2. Tatev was well-prepared and chose the most critical line with 4…Nc6. This move has the best score in the database and is probably the best option when trying to prove White’s suspicious setup. Abrahamyan did not have any difficulties neutralizing White’s opening advantage and the players agreed to an uneventful draw at move 32.
Yip vs. Bykovtsev 0-1
Foisor vs. Eswaran ½ - ½
This game started awfully for the young Eswaran, and ended in terrible fashion for Foisor. The players entered the Classical variation of the Queen’s Indian, and immediately after the theory ended Eswaran blundered with 13…Nd7?. Sabina took advantage of her opponent’s clumsiness and enjoyed a massive advantage for the rest of the game. It was a heartbreaking finale when Foisor failed to convert a completely winning endgame and blundered her advantage with 61.Kh3?? instead of 61.Kf3! which would have certainly finished the game. The rest day can’t come at a better time for these women as they are looking to recuperate and come back stronger in the second half of the tournament.
Melekhina vs. Gorti 0-1
A very balanced game ended in another upsetting loss for Melekhina. Black had a good French but she did not play accurately and Melekhina managed to amass a slight middlegame advantage. Unfortunately for her, the lack of form once again creeped in and, after a series of inaccurate moves, it was her who was fighting for survival. Gorti knew that such chances don’t come often in these type of tournaments and carefully converted her advantageous endgame into a full point.
By GM Cristian Chirila
Round four of the 2016 U.S. Championship and the 2016 U.S. Women’s Championship was a luxurious treat we were all waiting to witness. The eagerly expected clash between Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura—numbers 1 and 2 in American chess—was coming right after yesterday’s game between So and Caruana. Fortunately for the viewers around the world, today’s game was very different than the dull and cautious yesterday’s encounter. The players left all their carefulness at the door and went guns blazing as soon as the bell rang. Let’s start digging into these chess minds and see what jewels we can find!
2016 U.S. Chess Championship
Caruana vs. Nakamura 1-0
Caruana dusted his main rival and is now standing 1.5p ahead of him in the standings!
This was the highly anticipated remake of an endless story: one that will entertain chess fans all over the world for decades to come. The pressure was on their shoulders to play a combative game, and they surely delivered! Caruana opened with his pet 1.e4 and our fear to see a Berlin was quickly annihilated when Nakamura responded with the Sicilian. They were going to give us a heated game, and everybody knew it. Nakamura was first to throw the unexpected jab with 7…h5 !?, a common try when the pawn is on e5, but a very rare choice in the Scheveningen construction with the pawn on e6. Let’s have a closer look and see how the game continued.
Shankland vs. So ½ - ½
In almost every round, there is a pair that decides to take a free day and make a quick draw. This was that game of round four. The players blitzed a known line of the QGD in which White does get an edge, but a very minimal one. If Black knows the proper defensive set-up, he will have absolutely no problem defending. Wesley reacted very well to the lesser played 12.Be2 and the players immediately started chopping the pieces off the board. By move 28, only the pawns were left on the board and the players were ready to enjoy their sunny rest day.
Akobian vs. Robson ½ - ½
Akobian seemed to be overly concerned with his opponent’s preparation this tournament. Unfortunately for him, the lines he is playing are not necessarily posing any difficulties and allows his opponents to equalize comfortably out of the opening. This was the case in the game against Xiong, and the script was almost identical against Robson. 10.Bb3?! is an extremely rare occurrence at any level, and to my surprise, was played almost instantly by Akobian. I don’t know if Akobian fired all his seconds before this tournament, but it surely felt that way today. This uninspired decision allowed the young title contender to obtain a significant edge as Black by playing natural moves. The game took a complex turn when Robson decided to allow an interesting tactical melee that started with 17.Rxd6!? and ended in a materially unbalanced position. Robson had the option of repeating the moves after 28.Rg1 but decided to go for the endgame after 28…Qxf3. Objectively, Robson’s decision was correct but due to an aggressive time trouble situation he ended on the worse side of the spectrum. Lucky for him, Akobian did not find the tricky 36.Nd7! and the game ended in a repetition.
Kamsky vs. Onischuk ½ - ½
This picture pretty much sums the whole game. Kamsky has not looked like his usual self this tournament, and today was no different. The opening was unambitious to say the least, and his middlegame play did not emulate the poise it once hold. Onischuk played a very active game and did not allow his opponent to get any hint of initiative. In fact it can easily be stated that it was only Black who played for an edge throughout the game. Despite Black’s slight edge, the game’s balance was never shaken and the players agreed to a draw after an uneventful struggle.
Lenderman vs. Xiong ½ - ½
Lenderman surely looked closely at Akobian vs. Xiong in preparation for his bout against the young American talent as he opted to test him in the same 4.Bf4 Grunfeld. Just like Akobian, he chose a very rare continuation, 9.b3 !? which essentially forces the transition into an endgame with a minimal edge for White. Jeffery was aware of this line and quickly neutralized White’s advantage with the interesting maneuver 12…Bd5 followed by Bxf3. This gave away the bishop pair but obtained a better structure while getting rid of his awkwardly placed White-square bishop. Xiong placed all the pieces on the right squares and struck at the right moment with 20…Nd5! to shatter any hope for an advantage for White. Draw was agreed soon after.
Chandra vs. Shabalov ½ - ½
The last game to finish for the. U.S. Championship field in round four was an extremely interesting battle between the national junior champion and the U.S. open winner. Both these guys have an interesting style and I was quite sure before the round that we will get an exciting battle on the board. My prediction for this game was that Chandra will score his first victory of the tournament, and boy was he close. Chandra came very well-prepared to the game showing an incredible understanding of this specific Caro Cann line. Let’s have a closer look as I believe this game did bring some very interesting middlegame ideas that cannot be overlooked.
2016 U.S. Women’s Championship
Abrahamyan vs. Paikidze ½- ½
Abrahamyan had an incredible miss in round three and I believe that played a part in round four’s game as she did not manage to press enough with the White pieces. Paikidze chose the Pirc Defense, a wise decision, as Abrahamyan was not ready and entered a dull and uninspiring variation. Black quickly equalized but failed to spot the tricky 17.Nd5! which would have given her opponent a strong initiative. Fortunately for her, the game continuation was not as dangerous and the two ladies quickly started the trading process. By move 30, there were only the rooks left on the board, and the two agreed to a draw. A solid and cautious performance for both as neither of them wanted to take any unnecessary risk to try and win this game.
Yu vs. Yip 1-0
Carissa Yip, the youngest player in the competition, was surely making waves with her performance. Unfortunately for her, she faced a motivated Yu in round four who knew what type of position to strive for. A very interesting Anti Grunfeld that transitioned into an English type of structure ensued with both players fighting to get the strategic edge over their opponent. Yip should have went for 19…c4! which would have allowed her to get an unpleasant upper hand. Instead, she went for the quiet 19…Nb6?! White managed to untangle her pieces and make use of her better structure. Yip conceded her White square bishop and it was all downhill from there. 1-0 and the youngest participant tastes defeat for the first time in the U.S. Women’s Championship.
Bykovtsev vs. Krush 0-1
After her incredible escape last round, it was clear that the chess gods were on Irina’s side. Her opponent played a brave Sozin attack but failed to prove her kingside pawn expansion had any venom attached. Irina skillfully outplayed her opponent and soon found herself in a much favorable endgame which she converted with ease. A step back for the young contender from California and a clear statement from the champion that she is very much in the tournament and ready to defend her title at all costs.
Zatonskih vs. Melekhina 1-0
Despite the heartbreak in the previous round, Melekhina chose the aggressive Benko in her game against the top seed. It seemed like a wise decision as she packed a huge time advantage out of the opening. Zatonskih was extremely slow with her decisions, and by the 20th move, I would have fancied Melekhina’s chances. Sadly, she failed to accurately time her break on the queenside. 19…c4 would have been the right moment to strike, after which the position would most probably peter into a draw. Instead she chose a static plan that allowed Zatonskih to place her pieces on the right squares and start a dangerous expansion in the center. Melekhina erred with 26…c4? allowing the knight to redirect towards the c6 square—a fatal misstep in those structures. White accurately punished her opponent’s errors and cruised to victory.
Gorti vs. Foisor 0-1
These two ladies surely came very motivated into this game—ready to revive their tournament and get back into the title contention. Foisor equalized fairly easy from the opening but failed to understand a small detail in the position and wrongly took with 16…exd5?! Luckily the young Gorti did not manage to find the right plan as she started shuffling her pieces without much substance. The correct plan to try for an edge should would have involved the opening of the “c” file after 19.0-0, Rc1,c4. Her plan quickly backfired when she missed the intermediary 24…Kf8! After that, it was all Black due to his majority on the queenside, and Foisor patiently converted her advantage. A crucial win for Sabina and hopefully an important confidence boost heading into the next rounds.
Eswaran vs. Nemcova ½ - ½
Nemcova is really struggling with her form. Last year’s third place has been unrecognizable in the first three rounds of this year’s championship, and today was no different. As in the previous round, Nemcova skillfully outplayed her younger opponent in the middlegame but failed to deliver the final blow. Surprisingly, it wasn’t in time trouble when Nemcova erred but immediately after first time control. 41...Rd8! would have given her a winning advantage! Instead she allowed her opponent enough time to create counterplay, and her advantage slowly dissolved in just a few moves.
by GM Cristian Chririla
Round three of the 2016 U.S. Championship and 2016 U.S. Women’s Championship was an entertaining promise for the viewers all over the world. The leaders in both sections were paired against each other, and there was a thick scent of anticipation in the air going into today’s bouts. While talking with Fabiano’s manager, Lawrence Trent, he confessed to me that Fabiano was definitely in a fighting mood and that he was expecting a heated battle. In the Women’s section the games were a complete mess, with the balance of power shifting at unexpected times in almost every single game. Let’s see how the games fared!
2016 U.S. Championships
So vs. Caruana ½ - ½
This was expected to be the game of the day—no doubt about it. Unfortunately, both players knew how important was not to lose and they did not take any unwanted risks. Wesley chose a fairly unambitious line of the English opening and after the opening it was quite easy to guess the final result. The only tense moment of the game was when Fabiano decided to put his safari hat on and go pawn hunting with 13…a5?! This was a surprising decision that could have backfired decisively. Luckily for him, Wesley did not find the strong 20. Bd3! which would have injected some serious poison into the position. After that the game was balanced all the way through the end. Fabiano asked a few questions towards the end, but Wesley had all the good answers and did not allow his opponent to pose any serious problems.
Xiong vs. Robson ½- ½
The London System seems to be the opening of the tournament. In this much-anticipated encounter between Xiong and Robson—who was one of the tournament leaders going into this round—Jeffery chose the solid aforementioned opening to try and get a balanced middlegame in which he can use his notorious middlegame grind. The young player’s strategy seemed to be working well, and Robson started thinking for long periods of time. He chose the very rare 4…g6?!, and it was becoming quite obvious he will be facing an uphill battle for the rest of the game. Jeffery showed his greedy side and solidified his extra pawn with the maneuver Nbd2-b3. Robson chose to go for 8…Ne4 which forced the game into a worse endgame for him. Jeffery slowly built his advantage but failed to convert due to his impatient 37.g4?! This allowed Robson to sacrifice his knight for three pawns and secured the draw.
Nakamura vs. Chandra ½- ½
Nakamura went into this round as the clear favorite at the table. He was White against the youngest and least experienced player in the tournament, not to mention the lowest seed. Chandra came very motivated and ready to produce the surprise of the round. The young talent chose the rare 6…Bd6, a new move (first game played in 2011) that has been recently used by Inarkiev. The point of this move is to restrict the f3 knight and not allow him to jump to e5 at any point. I find this idea quite strong as it limits White’s options and gives Black a straightforward expansion plan on the queenside. The problem for Nakamura was that he was unable to create any sort of complications that could cause some difficulties for his opponent. The players quickly exchanged all the major pieces and soon agreed to a draw. Quite an uneventful draw, the exact type of game Chandra surely envisioned during his preparation.
Shankland vs. Akobian 1-0
The French defense is certainly one of Sam Shankland’s favorite openings. In the first three rounds he has played it all three times. What is more interesting is that White won all of those games. Akobian came into the game with a great desire to revive his tournament after a feeble start, unfortunately for him he was facing a wounded lion that was looking for revenge as well. Shankland seemed to be unfamiliar with the line chosen by Akobian, and by move ten we had our game’s novelty. Akobian played a very sound game all the way to the endgame but fatally erred when he missed the fatal 34.a4! Shankland never let go of the advantage and Akobian’s position collapsed rapidly. A disappointing game for Akobian who seems to struggle with his form momentarily.
Shabalov vs. Kamsky ½ - ½
Shabalov didn’t want to risk too much going into this game. Despite his usually aggressive play, he chose to start the game with a double fianchetto—avoiding the main lines and preparing himself for a long, and potentially slow game. White seemed to understand the position better and had the chance to get a big advantage after the sequence 20.Bd3 Qa6 21.g4! Black would have been almost forced to give up his bishop pair,after which the defense on the kingside would have been quite difficult. Shabalov did not seize this opportunity and his minimal advantage soon evaporated.
Onischuk vs. Lenderman 1-0
2016 U.S. Women’s Championship
Yip vs. Abrahamyan ½ - ½
What a miss by Abrahamyan! The game between the two leaders in the women’s section was a one-sided affair in which Black could have finished her opponent on different occasions. Abrahamyan surprised her young opponent by choosing 3…h6. White developed her pieces well, up to a point, but failed to understand the requirements of the position and tried to save a pawn when he should have went for the dynamic compensation. White should have tried to destabilize the center with 13.c4 instead of 13.Ba4?! which was a poor decision. Abrahamyan played a perfect game, improving her pieces and occupying more space with every single move. 29…c4! with the threat of c3 would have almost certainly finished the game in due time but her big mistake was 33…Bb3? Allowing Rc3! A disappointing round for Abrahamyan who is surely going to have a night full of regrets ahead of her.
Melekhina vs. Krush ½ - ½
If Abrahamyan is going to have a difficult time forgetting this round, the same can be said about Melekhina. The young lawyer from New York completely outplayed the reigning champion and could have ended the game on multiple occasions.
Paikidze vs. Eswaran 1-0
After having an incredible event last year, Eswaran seems to be struggling with her form this year. Paikidze surely was aware of that and chose her strategy wisely: she was going to play a lazy opening, avoid theory, and outplay her opponent in the middlegame. That is exactly what happened! Eswaran comfortably equalized after the opening but became just a bit too ambitious immediately after and played the weakening 14…f5?! Paikidze exchanged the knight and slowly but surely started creating weaknesses in her opponent’s camp. Only ten moves after the fatidic f5?! and White was already collecting pawns left and right. Paikidze confidently converted her advantage without giving her opponent any trace of counterplay.
Foisor vs. Zatonskih ½ - ½
This game was a very interesting strategic battle. Zatonskih wrongly released the tension in the center with 13…cxd4—allowing White to obtain a comfortable edge due to Black’s isolated pawn. White played a great game exchanging all the right pieces and increasing her advantage with every move. Unfortunately for White, her impatience got the best of her and instead of playing the strong 25.h3! she chose to immediately gain a pawn, and allowed Black’s pieces to untangle. Zatonskih accurately defended a pawn down endgame allowing her to save a very important half point that might prove decisive in the end.
Nemcova vs. Gorti 0-1
This was definitely the surprise of the round in the women’s section! Nemcova was the clear favorite, especially given the fact that Gorti was having a terrible tournament before today. Nemcova had plenty of chances to get a solid advantage. One chance was when she could have taken her exchange back with 27.Nc6! instead she chose to exchange on f7 first, allowing her opponent to connect her rooks and have the extra option of 29…Qb5! None of the players seemed to have a clear grasp of what was happening on the board, and were exchanging blunders throughout the endgame. Unfortunately for Nemcova, she was the last one to blunder with 37.b3?? After that the game was simply done and Gorti converted her large advantage with ease.
Yu vs. Bykovtsev 1-0
I simply don’t know what to say about this game. Yu played an inspiring opening and got a huge advantage out of it. She then accurately transferred into an endgame with a full piece up before making some completely irrational decisions afterwards. The blunder festival started with 31.Bxe8? exchanging her perfectly active bishop for her opponent’s restricted knight while activating the Black rook in the process. White kept on playing uninspired moves, waiting for her opponent to resign. Curiously enough, she didn’t. White could have ended the game with 51.Kf2 which would have easily won the game. Instead she played 51.Ra1? and soon shook hands for a draw. A very disappointing result for Yu, who had a completely winning position almost the whole game.