2012 U.S. Championships News
GM Ray Robson pulled out a nail-biting affair with GM Daniel Naroditsky in Wednesday's Round 6, at one point falling to just one second on his clock. // Kevin Duggin photo
By FM Kosta Kavutskiy
One could not have predicted a more dramatic finale to the seventh round of the 2015 U.S. Chess Championship. Early in the day, GM Hikaru Nakamura could only find a draw with 14-year-old GM Sam Sevian, allowing GM Ray Robson to catch up in the standings -- but only after winning a grueling, five-hour affair against GM Daniel Naroditsky. Not far behind was GM Wesley So, simply merciless in Wednesday’s victory over GM Alexander Onischuk to stay in clear third, a half-point behind the leaders.
With four rounds to go, Nakamura and Robson are tied for the lead at 5/7. Round 7 wins from GM Gata Kamsky and GM Kayden Troff keep both within striking distance, with 4/7.
2015 U.S. Championships Standings after Round 7
In another game that went the distance, WGM Katerina Nemcova (6/7) added another win to continue her surge, after breaking through in a double-rook and opposite-colored bishop endgame against NM Apurva Virkud. Just behind her was GM Irina Krush, who defeated WIM Annie Wang to maintain her second place standing with 5/7, while IM Nazí Paikidze (4.5/7) kept pace in third with a win over FM Alisa Melekhina.
2015 U.S. Women’s Championship Standings after Round 7
GM Daniel Naroditsky has seen better tournaments, losing another heartbreaker even after equalizing late against GM Ray Robson in time trouble on Wednesday. // Lennart Ootes photo
Yet again Robson found himself on the Black side of a sharp Grunfeld Defense, this time against Naroditsky, who found a small space advantage and was looking to break through on the kingside. In a surprising turn of events, however, Robson usurped the kingside initiative, transforming his pawns from targets into assets, ready to advance. Naroditsky’s 30.c4 proved to be an ill-conceived pawn sacrifice, giving Robson a strong passed pawn and dangerous queenside counter-play. Robson then gradually outplayed Naroditsky to reach a winning queen-and-bishop endgame, where he only had two worries: Perpetual check, and his dwindling time.
Once the win was within reach, Robson had run himself extremely low on time and played 53…f3, allowing Naroditsky certain drawing chances with 54.g4! But instead of forcing perpetual with 57.Qf8+, Naroditsky erred with 57.Qh8+, suddenly giving Robson a chance to escape the checks and renew his winning chances with his extra pawn.
Robson seized his second opportunity and never looked back, playing perfectly until he forced resignation on the 85th move. In the post-game interview with GM Maurice Ashley, Robson lamented the poor time management in his last two games, saying “I’m sure when I play Hikaru, he’s not going to let me off the hook so easily.”
By answering Nakamura’s Berlin Defense with 4.d3, Sevian indicated he was looking for a fight and to scalp yet another world class player. The two players ended up in a thematic Ruy Lopez structure, with Nakamura snagging the initiative after the moves 19…Nd7 and 20…Qh4, putting pressure on White’s position with his well-coordinated pieces. But the youngest GM in U.S. history stayed calm, and defended patiently with his two bishops, not giving Nakamura any chance to build his advantage. Then came the move 34…Nc3, a tacit draw offer as it allowed Sevian trade into an equal position with opposite colored bishops.
Nicely recovering from his loss to Robson yesterday was GM Wesley So, who swiftly dispatched Onischuk in the sharp Marshall Attack of the Ruy Lopez. Onischuk looked to be close to equalizing after winning back his gambited pawn and trading queens, but Wesley’s pressure against the f7-pawn and lead in piece activity posed serious problems for the 2006 U.S. champion to solve. Onischuk couldn’t find a suitable defense and was forced to resign facing heavy material losses. “I’m so happy to have won today because I’ve had so many good positions in this tournament but just no wins.” said Wesley. “Of course nothing can change the fact that this is one of my worst tournaments for a long time now, but I have to keep fighting every game.”
Despite only being a half-point behind the leaders, Wesley So referred to his situation as “desperate” and indicated he was ready to go all-out in the final leg of the tournament.
“I have four games to go, and I have to play for a win every game,” So Said. “I just have to avoid self-destructing. I have to focus on my opponent, play one game at a time and hope for the best.”
Reigning U.S. Champion Gata Kamsky recovered well from a loss Tuesday with a clean win over GM Conrad Holt on Wednesday. // Lennart Ootes Photo
Not to be counted out of the running just yet is reigning U.S. Champion Kamsky, who also rebounded from a loss yesterday to deliver a positional masterpiece against the struggling GM Conrad Holt. Kamsky gained the two bishops advantage early and slowly outplayed Holt to a favorable endgame: A rook and two bishops against Holt’s rook, bishop, and knight. Kamsky traded a few pawns to leave three for each player on the queenside, but managed to cut Black’s king off on the kingside before finding the opportune moment to exchange rooks with 55.Rg7. The move forced resignation on the spot, as Kamsky’s unopposed light-squared bishop would soon collect Black’s entire queenside.
Kamsky’s efforts earned high praise from World No. 2 GM Fabiano Caruana, who tweeted afterwards: Very nice game from Kamsky. Flawless technique; textbook example of how to play with the bishop pair.
GM Gata Kamsky vs. GM Conrad Holt Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
WGM Katerina Nemcova has turned in five wins through seven rounds, leading the U.S. Women's Championship since Round 2. // Lennart Ootes photo
WGM Katerina Nemcova doesn’t show any signs of slowing down in the women’s event, on Wednesday pressing heavily against NM Apurva Virkud before finding the powerful exchange sacrifice 49.Rxc6! Nemcova’s remaining rook and bishop dominated Black’s two rooks, forcing Virkud to give back the exchange and enter a lost endgame.
Drama developed early in GM Irina Krush vs. WIM Annie Wang. In a very unusual case of “double-blindness,” Wang casually recaptured a bishop with 11…fxe6, simply overlooking 12.Qh5+ to drop the bishop on c5. But Krush returned the overlook and played 12.Nf3 instantly, giving up the chance to win the game on the spot. Unfazed, the reigning went on to win the game quickly, remaining unperturbed by her miss.
“It’s something I’ll be showing to my students,” Krush said. “I guess I wasn’t expecting such a gift so early.”
Trying to catch the leaders is IM Nazí Paikidze, who came back from a worse position to launch a decisive attack against Melekhina on Wednesday.
“Today after the opening I was trying to equalize,” Paikidze said. “But in time trouble she made a few really bad moves, and I think after move 40 she couldn’t save her position.”
As Paikidze pointed out in her post-game interview, nothing is yet decided in the Women’s Championship, as she and Nemcova will face off in the penultimate Round 10, while Krush will have White against Nemcova in the critical final round.
IM Nazi Paikidze vs. FM Alisa Melekhina Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
IM Rusudan Goletiani took a late misstep in her Round 7 tilt against WGM Anna Sharevich. // Austin Fuller photo
An even more topsy-turvy game was the encounter between IM Rusudan Goletiani vs. WGM Anna Sharevich. The game saw several wild swings in evaluation until Goletiani’s horrendous blunder 40.e4??, which allowed Sharevich to play 40…Qh4!, and checkmate was suddenly inevitable.
IM Rusudan Goletiani vs. WGM Anna Sharevich Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
Round 8 will take place April 9 at 1PM CDT. Tune in to www.uschesschamps.com/live to follow play-by-play commentary of all the action live by GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Jennifer Shahade, and GM Maurice Ashley.
GM Ray Robson moved into clear second on Tuesday, after taking down his former Webster University roommate and World Top-10 GM Wesley So. // Lennart Ootes Photo
By FM Kostya Kavutskiy
The lone rest day on Monday was put to good use, as recharged players returned Tuesday for Round 6 and produced some of the most interesting games so far in the 2015 U.S. Chess Championship. GM Hikaru Nakamura wasn’t able to outplay GM Sam Shankland in a tense battle, but his first-place standing was helped greatly by GM Ray Robson, who turned the tables in mutual time pressure to defeat former Webster teammate and roommate GM Wesley So. As a result Hikaru, holds the lead with 4.5/6, while only Robson trails by a half-point in clear second.
2015 U.S. Championship Rankings After Round 6
In the 2015 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, WGM Katerina Nemcova continued stellar play with her fourth win of the event, moving to 5/6 after overcoming WFM Jennifer Yu with the Black pieces in Tuesday’s sixth round. Adding to the drama, GM Irina Krush spoiled a huge opportunity against WGM Anna Sharevich, missing several chances to win before allowing perpetual check.
2015 U.S. Women's Championship Rankings After Round 6
2014 Chess Olympiad gold medalist GM Sam Shankland showed no fear of World No. 2 GM Hikaru Nakamura in Tuesday's sixth round. // Lennart Ootes Photo
Judging by the opening, Tuesday’s highlight game looked to be Nakamura vs. Shankland, as the two players engaged in a dynamic Advance Variation of the Caro-Kann Defense. Shankland showed no fear of the World No. 2, first castling queenside and then offering a pawn with 13…Ng6.
“I played badly I think -- it’s not so much the moves I played but the way I used my time,” Nakamura vented. “I think 12. f4 was just kind of stupid to play, when I basically used 20 minutes on the last two moves. To go into something that can be very messy is rather stupid at this point of the tournament, especially against one of the stronger players that I have to play.”
After the strong moves 17…f5 and 18…Nf6, Shankland found the upper hand in the encounter, but failed to increase his advantage and instead entered an endgame where White stood better. However, it was Nakamura who missed his chance, overlooking 29.Nc5!, which would have put extra pressure on Shankland’s defenses. The players agreed to a draw a few moves later, after Nakamura’s winning chances had fizzled.
GM Ray Robson trails leader GM Hikaru Nakamura by only a half-point after six rounds at the U.S. Championship. // Kevin Duggin photo
Robson vs. So using the Berlin Defense was labelled a “snooze-fest” by the commentators (with most GM-level games in the same variation ending in draws). That all changed, however, once Robson played 16.d5 for an interesting pawn sacrifice.
“I know Wesley, I know how good of a player he is, but with White it was going to be hard for him to hurt me,” Robson said. “I was just trying to play normal moves and, if I got an advantage where I could press, then I would try [to win]. But otherwise if he plays very solidly, a draw would be OK.”
Despite Robson’s plan of playing it safe, things turned extremely messy after Wesley’s 23…Rb8, giving back the pawn in order to generate counterplay of his own. Three moves later, Robson sacrificed the exchange with 27.Rxe5!?, a huge risk considering both players were already in serious time trouble.
“Honestly, I think [27.Rxe5] was the best move in the situation,” Robson said. “I think I let the position get a little bit out of hand, but I still thought that I have these really strong pawns on the queenside, and my bishop is really strong as well.”
Though the computer gave Wesley a large advantage after the sacrifice, he followed with some highly questionable moves, especially 34…g5?, a hasty move that badly weakened his kingside. This allowed Robson to fully reverse the evaluation and cash in with his powerful a-pawn, looking at a completely winning endgame by the time control. Wesley resigned on the 42nd move.
While happy to have won, Robson expressed guilt over beating his former teammate. “Obviously, [So] is the best player I’ve ever beaten in a tournament, so it’s a great feeling. I feel bad that I kind of ruined his chances for the tournament, but overall I can’t complain with a win … I still think Hikaru is the clear favorite. He already has the lead, and he’s already played Wesley and Gata. I’m still expecting him to win a lot more games.”
Robson takes White against Nakamura in Round 10 on Saturday, April 11.
GM Ray Robson vs. GM Wesley So Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
GM Alex Onischuk fought through a long rook endgame to claim victory over defending U.S. Champion GM Gata Kamsky. // Austin Fuller photo
In one of the finer technical games of the 2015 U.S. Championship so far, GM Alexander Onischuk nursed a small advantage and converted a long rook endgame against the reigning champion GM Gata Kamsky, otherwise known as a notoriously resilient defender. After five draws, the win puts Onischuk at 3.5/6 and a point off the lead in third place.
Afterwards, he offered a half-joke about his goal for the rest of the tournament:
“Just keep my plus score! Of course, I have a tough finish: I have three Blacks against top players -- Nakamura, So and Shankland -- but this game gave me some confidence, for sure. It was an important win.”
Young stars GM Kayden Troff and GM Sam Sevian pulled no punches in their Round 6 match-up -- with Sevian coming out on top after Troff failed to follow up on a promising exchange sacrifice. Also interesting was GM Conrad Holt vs. GM Varuzhan Akobian, where Akobian’s sacrifice earned him solid attacking chances -- but he blundered a full piece in the second time control and resigned just a few moves later.
GM Alexander Onischuk vs. GM Gata Kamsky Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
WGM Katerina Nemcova has been all smiles since taking the lead in Round 2. Tuesday's win over Jennifer Yu was her second checkmate of the event. // Austin Fuller photo
In the women’s event, Jennifer Yu caught leader Nemcova by surprise in the English opening, afterward admitting to commentators that she “did not prepare 9.Nxe5 at all.” Despite this, Nemcova kept calm and played well through a complex endgame where she received full compensation for a sacrificed pawn. Yu also played well until the very tempting 25.e6, bait that lead to Nemcova’s nice sequence of 25…Bd7! and 26…Kc8! The combo gave up her bishop with check in order to exploit pressure along the e-file, in a surprising turn of events that gave Nemcova a decisive advantage in a double-rook endgame. The game was shockingly ended in checkmate -- her second of the tournament -- as Nemcova ensnared Yu’s king in the middle of the board.
“I feel very well, I’m really happy the way I’m playing the opening, the preparation works,” Nemcova said. “I get everything I want in the game, and then opponents give me a piece or they blunder.”
WFM Jennifer Yu vs. WGM Katerina Nemcova Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
Reigning Women's Champion GM Irina Krush couldn't find a way past WGM Anna Sharevich on Tuesday and slipped from the leader's pace. // Austin Fuller photo
Nemcova’s fortunes grew as GM Irina Krush could not find a way to finish off WGM Anna Sharevich, despite holding a significant edge for most of the game. In the Fianchetto Variation of the Benoni, Krush played the theoretical exchange sacrifice 12…Rxf4, taking the game into dynamic territory. Krush then slowly outplayed Sharevich, who could do nothing with her extra rook as Krush’s pawns, supported by her minor pieces, simply charged down the queenside.
“I was just trying to find the best moves I could.” said Sharevich. “From the opening, I think she knew the line better than I did.”
In a desperate attempt for counterplay, Sharevich advanced her e-pawn with 34.e5, hoping to drum up an attack against Krush’s king. Krush then faltered with 36…Rd8 and 37…fxe6, suddenly activating all of White’s forces and giving Sharevich the chance to start creating threats. By the 40th move time control, both sides had a pawn on the seventh rank and the position had become unclear.
Sharevich could have forced a draw with 42.Rd8 but instead played 42.Rxg6+, which also seemed to force a perpetual.
After Sharevich’s 42. Rxg6+, Krush could have blocked with the beautiful 42…Bg7!!, halting White’s attack and allowing her b-pawn to queen. Instead, Krush recaptured with 42…hxg6 in haste, a decision that allowed perpetual check and Sharevich to escape with the draw.
“After I took Rxg6, [Krush] took back right away,” Sharevich said. “She could have thought for, I don’t know, 20 minutes and calculate everything.”
The missed opportunity leaves Krush at 4/6 and now a full point behind Nemcova. Also at 4/6 is IM Rusudan Goletiani, who topped WCM Apurva Virkud on Tuesday. WGM Tatev Abrahamyan has shaken off a slow start with another win, on Tuesday against WGM Sabina Foisor, pushing her to 3.5/6. IM Nazi Paikidze also stands at 3.5/6 after her Round 6 draw with WIM Annie Wang.
WGM Anna Sharevich vs. GM Irina Krush Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
Round 7 continues Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. CDT. Tune in to www.uschesschamps.com/live to follow the live commentary presented by GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Jennifer Shahade, and GM Maurice Ashley.
Two of the world's living chess legends will compete in a Rapid and Blitz Exhibition at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, on April 25-26, 2015, rekindling the duo's meeting at the 1993 World Chess Championship.
SAINT LOUIS (April 7, 2015) – World chess legends Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short will meet later this month for the first Battle of the Legends exhibition match, to be held in Saint Louis, the Chess Capital of the United States.
On April 25-26, former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and famed English Grandmaster Nigel Short will play a series of blitz and rapid games at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL), rekindling the duo’s match at the 1993 World Chess Championship.
Kasparov is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all-time, one of the youngest World Champions in history who held the world’s No. 1 spot from 1985 until his retirement in 2005.
Hailed a chess prodigy at the age of 10, Short was one of the youngest grandmasters in the world, earning the title at age 19 in 1984, and later became the first Englishman to compete for the World Chess Championship in 1993.
“Rapid and blitz chess are - as the name suggests, fast and furious. The smallest mistake can ruin a strategy quickly,” Kasparov said. “It’s not often that I get to play Nigel and relive that moment on the chess world stage in 1993, and we’re both excited to have Saint Louis as the venue for this exhibition. An international spotlight has been shown on the city thanks to the efforts of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center, advancing chess through its combination of research, scholastic programs and these high-profile events and exhibitions.”
April’s match at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will feature 10 total games spanning over two days of play, each featuring one game with a rapid time control, and four games with the faster blitz time control. The entire event will be broadcast live on www.uschesschamps.com, featuring live commentary and analysis from a world-renowned commentary team.
“We’re honored to host two of the chess greats for this exhibition match,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the CCSCSL. “Our work at the club is focused on raising awareness of chess and we can’t think of a more distinguished match-up to do just that than Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short.”
For additional information visit saintlouischessclub.org, and follow the Chess Club on Facebook and Twitter.
An Easter Sunday victory pushed GM Hikaru Nakamura to clear first of the 2015 U.S. Chess Championship entering Monday's rest day. // Kevin Duggin photo
By FM Kostya Kavutskiy
Easter Sunday at the 2015 U.S. Chess Championships saw some powerful attacks and incredible swings as GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Wesley So, GM Gata Kamsky and GM Irina Krush all won their respective games in style.
Nakamura continued his fearlessness with the Black pieces against GM Daniel Naroditsky, choosing the double-edged Sicilian Dragon. The choice nearly backfired as he got into a lot of trouble out of the opening and felt he needed to opt for a thematic, yet dubious exchange sacrifice to complicate matters.
“I decided to just be practical and sacrifice the exchange,” Nakamura said. “I think objectively it’s probably losing but over the board it’s difficult to find the right plans. Daniel lost the thread with 19.Ne2 and 20.Nd4 … and once he played 24.f5, all hell broke loose -- but the complications favored me.”
Nakamura’s risky strategy paid off, winning on the board by the 30th move and forcing resignation a few moves later.
GM Daniel Naroditsky vs. GM Hikaru Nakamura Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
Meanwhile GM Ray Robson, the co-leader entering Sunday’s fifth round, went down to a vicious attack by reigning champion GM Gata Kamsky. Overall, the game was quite complicated—Kamsky held the initiative in the middlegame, but was unable to break through Robson’s defenses.
“In the opening I thought I was slightly better,” reasoned Kamsky. “I had a space advantage, and I had some nice pieces and an attack, and then I misplayed it somewhere. Because after he played 21…b3, I lost the thread of the game, and I thought Black had completely equalized.”
Although Robson’s position was objectively fine, he had used up a lot of time and started to go very wrong with 30…N2d3 and 31…Kh6, allowing Kamsky to re-launch his attack and finish the job.
In the post-mortem with GM Maurice Ashley, Kamsky showed a surprising lack of ambition towards winning the event, saying, “I keep getting older, and that’s not a good factor if you want to win the championship.”
GM Gata Kamsky vs. GM Ray Robson Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
GM Ray Robson slipped off the U.S. Championship lead after falling to reigning champion GM Gata Kamsky on Sunday afternoon. // Kevin Duggin photo
GM Wesley So had a tough game Sunday but was able to crack GM Timur Gareev’s French Defense, first winning a pawn before slowly realizing his advantage by the first time control. The unpredictable Gareev actually resigned on Wesley’s 43rd move, during which Wesley revealed “Being a gentleman I had to shake his hand,” but he wasn’t 100% sure whether Gareev was resigning or offering a draw!
In one of the wildest games of the tournament, GM Conrad Holt exchanged tactical blows with GM Kayden Troff in a Grunfeld where both sides’ kings stayed exposed for the entire game. Holt gained the upper hand in the complications and held a decisive advantage through most of the game -- until he played 43.Kh3? overlooking the powerful response 43…g5! Troff launched a devastating counterattack.
“I had no idea what was going on for half of that game, and I was just trying to make good moves,” Troff said. “The problem with chess players is that we like to be brilliant, and that sometimes costs us.”
After this victory, Troff is tied for third with 3/5 and grateful for his resilience. “Playing-wise, I don’t think I should be tied for third, but what I promised myself in all my games is that I go in there and fight. That’s really been the difference for me.”
GM Conrad Holt vs. GM Kayden Troff Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
GM Conrad Holt lost a round 5 heartbreaker after slipping up late in his game against GM Kayden Troff. // Lennart Ootes photo
In the 2015 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, WGM Katerina Nemcova was able fight to a draw against WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, holding on to the tournament lead with 4/5. The draw, however, also allowed reigning Women’s Champion GM Irina Krush to regain some ground thanks to a topsy-turvy victory over IM Rusudan Goletiani.
In a pseudo-Dutch Defense, Goletiani started throwing the gauntlet at Irina’s king with the highly committal 12…Nfg4 and 13…Qh4!? -- indicating she had no plans for a strategic affair. Goletiani’s aggression continued with kingside advances of 14…g5 and 15…f4, as well as her sacrifice of 19…Bxh3!, throwing the game into complete mayhem. The complications left Krush with a bishop and knight against Goletiani’s rook, with both kings quite vulnerable. Unfortunately, Goletiani could not hold the balance, and Krush was able to fully coordinate her pieces and launch a decisive attack.
“I definitely feel lucky, because I had a critical position that I was definitely losing at some point,” Krush said. “I thought I should be better positionally, but I was not able to prove that, and I certainly got under very heavy fire.”
The win pulls Krush to 3.5/5, just a half-point behind Nemcova.
“I assess that my opponents are playing well, because obviously I’m not really getting any free gifts,” Krush said about her overall tournament, entering the rest day. “From the way they’re playing, you can tell they’re being very enterprising.”
GM Irina Krush vs. IM Rusudan Goletiani Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
GM Irina Krush knocked down IM Rusudan Goletiania on Sunday afternoon, heading into the rest day a half-point behind the lead. // Lennart Ootes Photo
Monday, April 6 will be a rest day for both championships. Round 6 will begin on April 7 at 1:00 p.m. CDT, with live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Jennifer Shahade and GM Maurice Ashley.
Grandmasters Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura // Lennart Ootes Photo
By FM Kostya Kavutskiy
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Saint Louis, all eyes were on the key matchup of the 2015 U.S. Championship, as GM Hikaru Nakamura pressed for an edge against GM Wesley So in a strategic Queen’s Gambit Declined. Fighting against two bishops and a small space advantage, So lashed out with 28…g5!?, aiming to open up the kingside and in his own words: “complicate things.” Though after seeing Nakamura’s reply of 29.f4!, Wesley “immediately regretted” the move. The gamble, however, paid off as Nakamura blundered two moves later with 31.Bxf4?, overlooking the simple 31…Nf3+! This trick allowed Wesley to trade into a rook-and-bishop endgame with an extra pawn – though he was ultimately unable to convert.
“I thought I had good winning chances in the endgame,” So said. “But it wasn’t easy, and he defended very well.”
Nakamura expressed candid thoughts on the game, offering “I think I was a little bit worse in the middlegame. I thought Wesley was imprecise with 27…Qf6, and I thought 28…g5 was just a blunder, frankly. If I go 31. Qxf4 instead of Bxf4, I suspect that I’m much better -- if not winning. So to miss Nf3+ is very upsetting. If I lost today, I probably would not be sleeping tonight, but fortunately I was able to defend.”
GM Hikaru Nakamura vs. GM Wesley So Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
The other leader, GM Ray Robson, was slightly better against GM Varuzhan Akobian’s solid Petroff Defense and tried an interesting pawn sacrifice to secure his strong dark-squared bishop on f4. This provided Ray with good compensation, but without a clear plan to continue, the two players repeated moves before the first time-control. The draw pushes Robson to 3/4, sharing first place with Nakamura.
“In the end, I didn’t really think that I had more than enough compensation,” Robson said. “But I didn’t really see a way to improve my position, so I basically just tried to force a repetition.”
GM Timur Gareev continued his extravagant opening play, impressing commentators and spectators worldwide with the Wing Gambit against the Sicilian Defense of GM Gata Kamsky. The reigning U.S. Champion did not play the most theoretically challenging response, allowing Gareev to build up a powerful attack. Gareev continued to spice things up with the enterprising exchange sacrifice 26.Rxa5!, gaining two connected passed-pawns that looked to win the game. Unfortunately he missed his best chance in time trouble and allowed Kamsky to equalize, drawing an exciting game.
GM Timur Gareev vs. GM Gata Kamsky Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
2014 U.S. Chess Champion GM Gata Kamsky // Kevin Duggin Photo
In the 2015 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, WGM Katerina Nemcova emerged as the clear leader after a tense victory over FM Alisa Melekhina. After finding the nice shot 9…Nxc3!, Nemcova was able to damage White’s pawn structure on the queenside, forcing Melekhina to search for attacking chances on the kingside. Nemcova proceeded to grow her advantage considerably, but things weren’t easy as she needed to keep her king safe in the center. In a controversial decision influenced by time pressure, Nemcova gave up a powerful bishop for Alisa’s passive knight with 37…Bxf3, making victory difficult. Fortunately her advantage stayed decisive, and Nemcova was able to collect the full point in a rook endgame, taking clear lead of the event with 3.5/4.
“I felt that my advantage was slipping, so I thought ‘Let’s be focused, let’s not repeat the same mistake from the first round,’” Nemcova said, referring to her only draw in the event, where she was unable to convert a winning endgame against IM Rusudan Goletiani in the first round. “Besides some strong inaccuracies, I think overall I’ve played quite well, so I’m happy about that.”
FM Alisa Melekhina vs. WGM Katerina Nemcova Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
WGM Katerina Nemcova // Austin Fuller Photo
In another game important to the women’s standings, Goletiani outplayed IM Nazí Paikidze in the early middlegame to apply strong pressure against Paikidze’s hanging pawns in the center. This pressure allowed Rusudan to win a pawn, but offered Nazí certain drawing chances as only the queens and rooks were left on the board. Nazí defended actively, and Rusudan was never able to create any serious winning chances, ending in a draw.
IM Rusudan Goletiani vs. IM Nazi Paikidze Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
IM Rusudan Goletiani // Kevin Duggin Photo
Once again the overall action in the women’s event was quite decisive, as GM Irina Krush, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, and WGM Sabina Foisor defeated the rising stars WCM Apurva Virkud, WFM Jennifer Yu, and WIM Annie Wang. This means that Krush and Foisor are in striking distance of Nemcova with 2.5/4, while Abrahamyan is back to an even score.
Round 5 continues on Sunday at 1:00 p.m CDT, as serious contenders begin to emerge for the U.S. Chess Championships. Tune in to www.uschesschamps.com/live, for live coverage by GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Jennifer Shahade and GM Maurice Ashley.
GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So and Irina Krush combined for just a half-point across three games in Friday's third round of the 2015 U.S. Chess Championships. // Lennart Ootes Photo
By FM Kostya Kavutskiy
Round 3 of the 2015 U.S. Chess Championship will go down as one of the most volatile rounds in U.S. Championship history. Two of the world’s top-10 players, Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So, as well as six-time reigning U.S. Women’s Champion Irina Krush, combined for just a half-point across three games. Despite slightly out-preparing 14-year-old GM Sam Sevian in a sharp variation of the Semi-Slav defense, GM Wesley So slipped in a fascinatingly complex middlegame, completely reversing the evaluation of the position. Sevian, the youngest GM in American history, grabbed his chance and never looked back, forcing the World No. 5 to resign on the 41st move.
On his loss So lamented his choice of opening, claiming, “It was a mistake, going for such a dangerous line without knowing all of the subtleties.”
Sevian turned the tables after playing the critical 29…Qxg5, trading into an endgame where his minor pieces were dominant. He confidently declined a draw offer a few moves later, and soon after wrapped up the victory.
GM Wesley So vs. GM Sam Sevian Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
GM Wesley So // Austin Fuller Photo
The other leader entering the day, GM Hikaru Nakamura, also faltered. After gaining an advantage from the opening and growing it to decisive proportions against GM Gata Kamsky, an uncharacteristic last-minute blunder from Nakamura allowed Kamsky to equalize with the beautiful shot 55.Nf7! and save the game. This was a huge opportunity blown by Nakamura, as he could have been the only player in the field with a perfect 3-0 score and theoretical chances to win the 11-0 $64,000 Fischer Bonus -- but will now have to settle for 2.5/3.
After the game, Kamsky remained candid about his own performance, saying “I was just outplayed, [Nakamura] had a completely winning position, in the last 20 moves I was just shuffling my pieces around, waiting like ‘When is he going to finish me off?’”
GM Gata Kamsky vs. GM Hikaru Nakamura Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
Joining Nakamura in the lead with 2.5/3 is Webster University’s GM Ray Robson, who was able to better navigate the complications in the sharp Russian Variation (5.Qb3) of the Grunfeld Defense against GM Conrad Holt. Ray has never started off a U.S. Championship so well and looks to be a serious contender for the title as the event goes on.
GM Timur Gareev threw spectators and commentators for a loop as he trotted out 1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 h6?! against GM Varuzhan Akobian, following up with 3…g5. Yet despite his eccentric opening, Gareev did not land in too much trouble and was able to generate enough counterplay to hold the balance and draw the game. Afterwards, Gareev defended his choice of opening, suggesting that as long as an offbeat variation hasn’t been outright refuted, it can be playable under certain circumstances.
The final two U.S. Championship games of the day saw two more complex Grunfelds. GM Alexander Onischuk found a nice trick against GM Kayden Troff to secure a large advantage in the early middlegame, much thanks to his far advanced d7-pawn. But Kayden defended with tenacity, and although Onischuk had several winning opportunities he was never able to fully put Troff away. GM Daniel Naroditsky and GM Sam Shankland drew relatively quickly, but not due to a lack of fighting spirit: An intense middlegame simply led to a forced perpetual, and the two players had to call it an early day.
Round 3 of the 2015 U.S. Women’s Championship no less hectic, with the biggest result being IM Nazí Paikidze’s upset over GM Irina Krush -- the first game the three-peating reigning champion has lost in the U.S. Women’s Championship since 2011.
Paikidze seized the initiative after finding the powerful sacrifice 20.Nxe5! and never looked back, winning a nicely played game against Krush. Paikidze’s victory effectively throws a wrench into the tournament standings, as Krush is now only at 1.5/3 and is no longer a runaway favorite to win the tournament.
IM Nazi Paikidze vs. GM Irina Krush Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
IM Nazi Paikidze // Kevin Duggin Photo
With Krush stalled, WGM Katerina Nemcova and IM Rusudan Goletiani jumped into the lead, both winning Friday to reach 2.5/3. Goletiani took advantage of WIM Viktoria Ni in the opening, winning a pawn with Black and landing a positionally dominant knight onto the d3-square. Nemcova had a more difficult route to victory, her game staying balanced until WIM Annie Wang misplayed in the endgame and allowed Nemcova’s rooks to double on the 7th rank.
WGM Katerina Nemcova vs. WIM Annie Wang Annotations by GM Josh Friedel
WGM Katerina Nemcova // Kevin Duggin Photo
Bouncing back from a nightmare 0-2 start was WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, who reached a double-edged Open Sicilian against WCM Apurva Virkud, and won in nice attacking style. In another decisive game, WGM Sabina Foisor emerged from the opening with a structural advantage against WGM Anna Sharevich, building on her advantage in the middlegame and converting the win, to rebound back to an even score.
Round 4 continues tomorrow at 1PM with the marquee match-up Nakamura vs. So, a game that will be critical for the tournament standings and surely fuel the rivalry between America’s two best players. Make sure to tune into www.uschesschamps.com/live to follow all of the action.