The 10-player field has been set for the 2013 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, scheduled to be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) June 13-23.
The 2013 U.S. Championship went extra innings today. After splitting a pair of rapid games, GM Gata Kamsky won $30,000 and his fourth title in an Armageddon game against GM Alejandro Ramirez.
IM Irina Krush put on a dominating performance (8/9) to earn her fifth U.S. Women's Championship title. GMs Gata Kamsky and Alejandro Ramirez will play tomorrow at noon in a two-game rapid playoff to determine the U.S. Champion.
In a day in which both leaders could have at least guaranteed themselves a spot in a first-place tiebreak, only one built a safety net. Round 9 will determine either a champion or playoffs in both events.
GM Gata Kamsky could only draw GM Alejandro Ramirez in the U.S. Championship, which kept the door open for a handful of hopefuls. In the U.S. Women's Championship, three are still in contention for the first-place prize.
GM Alejandro Ramirez defeated GM Joel Benjamin to pull just a half point behind tourney leader GM Gata Kamsky. WGM Tatev Abrahamyan took advantage of an IM Irina Krush draw to inch closer.
The push and pull of the 2013 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship continued yesterday in round five, but this time the men pulled closer to the leader, while the leading lady began to push away from the field.
A pair of runaway trains kept up their furious pace in round four as both tournament leaders, GM Gata Kamsky and IM Irina Krush, won their fourth consecutive games to maintain their respective leads.
