Hikaru Nakamura dispatched co-leader Gregory Kaidanov to inch ahead in the U.S. Championships, while the Iri(y)nas played to a draw, as did Anna Zatonskih to keep a three-way tie atop the U.S. Women's leaderboard.
The last time GM Gata Kamsky lost with black in a U.S. Championship was in 1993 ... against GM Gregory Kaidanov. Would history repeat itself? Read on to find out more!
GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky each won their round three game to pull into a tie for first, and IMs Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih, were joined by a surprise contender atop the Women's field.
IM Anna Zatonskih asserted her dominance with her second-straight win in the U.S. Women's Championships to take a half-point lead over the rest of the field. The U.S. Championship features a six-way tie for first.
Former World Champion GM Garry Kasparov and world number-one female player GM Judit Polgar have agreed to judge the best game prizes for the 2012 U.S. Championship & U.S. Women's Championship.
All but three of the games from the first rounds of the 2012 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship were decisive as the competitors demonstrated their desire to play fighting chess to compete for the respective titles.
