Akobian and Caruana offer masterclass performances, Foisor catches Paikidze at the top
The 2017 U.S. Championships are heading into their last rounds, and the battle for top position is heating up more each day. In the open division, Wesley So is still leading, but another competitor has emerged on the horizon. Var Akobian dropped the hammer on yesterday’s hero, Yaro Zherebukh, and leap frogged him after a […]
Fabiano stunned, Nazi escapes after shaky opening
by Cristian Chirila Round 7 of the U.S. Championships was a shocker! How else can you call a round in which the number three in the world and reigning champion gets defeated by the wildcard? Yaroslav Zherebukh produces the surprise of the tournament after a majestic performance against Caruana. In the women’s section, Nazi uses […]
Replay Round 6
Replay Round 6 [Event “2017 U.S. Championship”] [Site “Saint Louis, Mo”] [Date “2017.04.04”] [Round “6.1”] [White “So, Wesley”] [Black “Akobian, Varuzhan”] [Result “1/2-1/2”] [BlackElo “2645”] [WhiteElo “2822”] [LiveChessVersion “1.4.8”] [ECO “D31”] 1. c4 {[%clk 1:30:57]} e6 {[%clk 1:29:55]} 2. Nc3 {[%clk 1:31:19]} d5 {[%clk 1:29:57]} 3. d4 {[%clk 1:31:43]} Be7 {[%clk 1:29:17]} 4. cxd5 {[%clk […]
So dodges bullet, Nazi wins the battle of the leaders
by Cristian Chirila Today was the day after the free day, the day for which players have the most time to prepare for, the day where the biggest volume of opening novelties get released. That was what everybody expected going into round 6 of the 2017 U.S. Championships, and that was the product that was […]
Replay Round 5
Replay Round 5 [Event “2017 U.S. Championship”] [Site “Saint Louis, Mo”] [Date “2017.04.02”] [Round “5.1”] [White “Zherebukh, Yaroslav”] [Black “So, Wesley”] [Result “1/2-1/2”] [BlackElo “2822”] [WhiteElo “2605”] [LiveChessVersion “1.4.8”] [ECO “C07”] 1. e4 {[%clk 1:30:57]} e6 {[%clk 1:30:46]} 2. d4 {[%clk 1:31:21]} d5 {[%clk 1:31:10]} 3. Nd2 {[%clk 1:31:47]} c5 {[%clk 1:31:18]} 4. exd5 {[%clk […]
Record of decisive results before the free day
by Cristian Chirila It is a well-known fact in the chess world, every player wants to go into the free day on a high note. This usually translates into sharp games that lead to decisive results. That was my prediction at the beginning of the round and the players did not disappoint. In the open […]
Replay Round 4
Replay Round 4 [Event “2017 U.S. Championship”] [Site “Saint Louis, Mo”] [Date “2017.04.01”] [Round “4.1”] [White “So, Wesley”] [Black “Onischuk, Alexander”] [Result “1-0”] [BlackElo “2667”] [WhiteElo “2822”] [LiveChessVersion “1.4.8”] [ECO “A06”] 1. Nf3 {[%clk 1:30:56]} d5 {[%clk 1:30:35]} 2. g3 {[%clk 1:31:16]} Nf6 {[%clk 1:30:33]} 3. Bg2 {[%clk 1:31:39]} e6 {[%clk 1:30:23]} 4. O-O {[%clk […]
So is sole leader, the womens section catches fire!
by Cristian Chirila It was a sunny day in Saint Louis as the players arrived one by one for round 4 of the 2017 U.S. Championship & U.S. Women’s Championship at the Saint Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center. Despite the beautiful day outside, the players quickly engaged in tense battles in both fields. It […]
Replay Round 3
Replay Round 3 [Event “2017 U.S. Championship”] [Site “Saint Louis, Mo”] [Date “2017.03.31”] [Round “3.1”] [White “So, Wesley”] [Black “Caruana, Fabiano”] [Result “1/2-1/2”] [BlackElo “2817”] [WhiteElo “2822”] [LiveChessVersion “1.4.8”] [ECO “C67”] 1. e4 {[%clk 1:30:57]} e5 {[%clk 1:30:35]} 2. Nf3 {[%clk 1:31:12]} Nc6 {[%clk 1:30:58]} 3. Bb5 {[%clk 1:31:35]} Nf6 {[%clk 1:31:13]} 4. O-O {[%clk […]
So survives scare, Zatonkih wins marathon game in the bloody day 3
by Cristian Chirila In the longest and bloodiest round so far at the U.S. Championships, the leaders in both section had a difficult time dealing with the pressure. In the open section, Wesley So fell behind early in the game and had to pull a Houdini escape in his game against Fabiano Caruana. In the […]