US Junior Kicks Off on Friday

IM Daniel Naroditsky

FM Yian Liou

IM-elect Sam Sevian

For yet another year, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will generously host many of the top juniors in the country, including a trio from Northern California.  The 2013 US Junior Closed returns to its traditional format of a 10-player round-robin at the leisurely pace of one round each day.  The players compete for a $10,000 prize fund and a coveted spot in the next US Championship.

The 10 invitees comprise quite a competitive field, with average rating of 2469 USCF and 2361 FIDE.  Three hold the International Master title, plus another 2 are IM-elect after fulfilling the norm requirements without the minimum 2400 FIDE rating.  The top 9 players are separated by only 120 points, meaning that literally anyone could catch fire and finish first.  Recent history even supports that possibility, since NM Greg Young dominated in 2011 as the eighth seed.

Participants in 2013 US Junior Closed

1. IM Daniel Naroditsky (CA-N, age 17) 2558 USCF, 2494 FIDE
2. IM Kayden Troff (UT, 14) 2528, 2443
3. NM Robert Perez (FL, 17) 2521, 2359
4. IM Victor Shen (NJ, 20) 2511, 2411
5. IM-elect Jeffery Xiong (TX, 12) 2496, 2370
6. FM Yian Liou (CA-N, 15) 2469, 2385 
7. FM Atulya Shetty (MI, 17) 2465, 2320
8. IM-elect Sam Sevian (CA-N, 12) 2464, 2390
9. FM Luke Harmon-Vellotti (ID, 14) 2441, 2340
10. WFM Sarah Chiang (TX, 16) 2234, 2101

This championship features a diverse crop of young chess masters.  Two attend prestigious universities (Robert at MIT and Victor at Columbia) and a third (Luke) has been admitted to UCLA for the fall.  Two more (Daniel and Atulya) will begin their senior year of high school.  On the other hand, the two 12-year old prodigies (Jeffery and Sam) have yet to start high school.  Of course, age and education make little difference once the games begin.

Three Bay Area stars were invited for this national championship.  Top ranked Daniel Naroditsky brings vast experience to the board for every round.  Two GM norms leave him on the cusp of the highest title in professional chess.  Incredibly, 17-year old Daniel also authored two chess books, which have received positive reviews on both sides of the Atlantic.  Yian Liou begins his first US Junior in the middle of the field, both by age and rating.  He won the 2010 US Cadet and, more recently, earned his second IM norm at North American Open last December (scoring 50% against 4 GMs and 2 IMs).  The youngest California representative, Sam Sevian, has amassed experience far beyond his years.  In addition to winning World Youth U12 last November and completing all three IM norms, Sam participated in the US Championship itself just a month ago!   Will one of the local boys bring home the Bay Area's second Junior title in three years (after Greg in 2011).

The tournament kicks off with an Opening Ceremony on Thursday evening and round 1 on Friday.  All rounds begin at 11:00am Pacific time, except the last one on Sunday, June 23.  The organizers plan to offer live coverage with commentary by Grandmasters Yasser Seirawan and Ben Finegold.  Stay tuned for plenty of crazy tactics and even some subtle positional play!

US Champion Hikaru Nakamura!

2012 US Champion GM Hikaru Nakamura

Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, ranked #7 in the World, won the 2012 US Chess Championships in St. Louis.  As a three-time champion (2005, 2009, 2012), Nakamura joins an elite group of triple national champions.  Alas, he still has far to go to match Bobby Fischer and Samuel Reschevsky, who both won eight championships.

By his own admission, Nakamura struggled at times.  He scored 8.5 out of 11, drawing five games, several from favorable middlegame positions.  He actually found himself in second place with just two rounds left to play.  At least Nakamura won the only game that really mattered, black against main rival Gata Kamsky in the penultimate round.  On the final day, he placed an exclamation mark on his performance by defeating four-time champion Yasser Seirawan with surprising ease.

GM Gata Kamsky

Kamsky, the defending champion, had to settle for runner-up this year.  He matched the winner's six victories, but also lost twice to finish with 7.5 points.  Alexander Onischuk confirmed his rank as #3 in the country by placing third at 6.5.  Tied for fourth at 6.0, Yury Shulman became the only participant other than Nakamura to avoid losing.  In fact, 55% of all games proved decisive, including a dozen wins for Black.  Finally, the two youngest players, Ray Robson and Robert Hess, both gained valuable experience from their results of 5.5 and 5.0, respectively.

US Championship 

• 8.5 Hikaru Nakamura
• 7.5 Gata Kamsky
• 6.5 Alexander Onischuk
• 6.0 Varuzhan Akobian, Aleksandr Lenderman and Yury Shulman
• 5.5 Ray Robson 
• 5.0 Robert Hess
• 4.0 Gregory Kaidanov and Alejandro Ramirez
• 3.5 Yasser Seirawan and Alexander Stripunsky 

Thank you to Rex Sinquefield and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis for sponsoring and hosting yet another spectacular event.  The $166,000 prize fund attracted 12 of the top 14 chess players in the country, including the two super-GMs.  For us spectators who could not attend, the multimedia coverage and photo albums on the website were second to none.  The photos in this post come from these albums.

Personal note: I have known Nakamura for a long time, well before he turned into one of the top players in the World.  The first time I remember was at the 1999 US Open in Reno, when the 2350 rated 11-year old rising star drew a 2700 and beat a 2600.  I played Nakamura several times on ICC, but only once face-to-face.  While waiting for the first round pairings at the 2007 North American Open in Las Vegas, he asked me if I knew whom he might play in round 1.  I was only half serious when I replied that he might face me, but my prediction rang true.  Unfortunately, our game was pathetic; I lost in 38 moves.

2012 Women's Champion IM Irina Krush

The Women's Championship also featured a showdown between the top two seeds: defending champion Anna Zatonskih and former champion Irina Krush.  They quickly drew their main tournament game and ended up tied for first, both undefeated at 7.0 out of 9.  The rules called for a playoff of two games at G/25 + 5 second increment.  With some help from the clock, Krush won both rapid contests.  Krush now has three titles to her name, still one less than rival Zatonskih.

IM Anna Zatonskih

US Women's Championship 

• 7.0 Anna Zatonskih and Irina Krush
• 5.5 Rusudan Goletiani
• 5.0 Viktorija Ni 
• 4.5 Sabina-Francesca Foisor, Tatev Abrahamyan and Iryna Zenyuk
• 3.5 Alisa Melekhina
• 2.0 Camilla Baginskaite
• 1.5 Alena Kats

Each day, I picked my favorite game(s) from the men's championship.  Enjoy!!

Round-by-Round Games

• (1) Nakamura 1-0 Hess -- Evan's Gambit -- Black simply got crushed
• (1) Lenderman 1-0 Robson -- Gruenfeld -- Crazy middlegame
• (2) Kaidanov 1-0 Stripunsky -- Semi-Slav -- Black Queen is trapped
• (3) Kamsky 1-0 Onischuk -- London System -- Kingside attack 
• (3) Nakamura 1-0 Robson -- Sicilian Dragon, Yugoslav Attack -- Endgame
• (4) Kaidanov 1-0 Kamsky -- Slav Defense 4... a6 -- Positional squeeze 
• (5) Ramirez 0-1 Robson -- QGD Tarrasch -- King safety in endgame
• (6) Kaidanov 0-1 Hess -- Semi-Slav 5... a6 -- Three Minors trap a Queen
• (7) Ramirez 1-0 Kaidanov -- Semi-Slav -- Wild tactics, back-and-forth  
• (8) Lenderman 0-1 Kamsky -- Slav Defense 4... a6 -- Another positional squeeze  
• (9) Kamsky 1-0 Lenderman -- Caro Kann Defense --  Opening prep wins
• (9) Robson 1-0 Akobian -- Caro Kann Exchange -- Rook endgame swindle 
• (10) Kamsky 0-1 Nakamura -- Sicilian Najdorf 6. a4 -- Middlegame struggle 
• (11) Nakamura 1-0 Seirawan -- French Defense -- No doubt who is the champ!

US Championship Underway in St. Louis

The tallest chess piece ever was unveiled in St. Louis! 14 feet, 6 inches

The 2012 US Chess Championships kicked off this week at the world class Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis.  After a decade that saw a different format almost every year, the organizers wisely went back to the traditional Round-Robin (all-play-all).  Instead of inviting up to 64 participants, they picked only 12 this year, mind you, 12 of the top 14 by USCF rating.

Defending champion Kamsky opens with a win as White.

Top to bottom, the field is fully  stocked by strong Grandmasters.  The two favorites must be top seed Hikaru Nakamura (2775) and defending champion Gata Kamsky (2741), both rated in the top 14 of the World.  They both take a break from battling the elite in Europe to compete against their compatriots at home.  In my opinion, only one other player holds a realistic chance at winning: third seed Alexander Onischuk.  That being said, two other participants carry the distinction of being a former US Champion: Yasser Seirawan (1981, 1986, 1989, 2000) and Yury Shulman (2008).

The St. Louis chess club is second to none in luxury.

In recent years, one big story at each US Championship has been the development of young players, most notably Josh Friedel (4th in 2008), Robert Hess (2nd in 2009) and Sam Shankland (3rd in 2011).  Only Hess, now rated fourth best in the country, earned an invitation, while Shankland tragically ended up as the first person below the final cut.  Bay Area readers may recall that 16-year old Gregory Young actually qualified by winning last year's US Junior, but his academic obligations got in the way.  Consequently, the youngest player (no pun intended) in the tournament is 17-year old Ray Robson, who claimed his spot with a lofty USCF rating approaching 2700.

US Championship 
Standings Rd 6 of 11

• 4.5 Hikaru Nakamura 
• 4.0 Gata Kamsky
• 3.5 Alexander Onischuk, Aleksandr Lenderman and Yury Shulman
• 3.0 Gregory Kaidanov and Alexander Stripunsky
• 2.5 Robert Hess, Varuzhan Akobian and Ray Robson 
• 2.0 Yasser Seirawan
• 1.5 Alejandro Ramirez

The 2012 Women's Chess Championship runs concurrently as a 10-player Round-Robin.  Analogous to the men's event, two women are heavy favorites: defending champion IM Anna Zatonskih (2510) and IM Irina Krush (2457).  They split the last six years, but Zatonskih has won four times.

US Women's Championship 
Leaders Rd 5 of 9

• 4.0 Irina Krush
• 3.5 Anna Zatonskih
• 3.0 Sabina-Francesca Foisor, Rusudan Goletiani and Iryna Zenyuk

Daily rounds begin at 11:00am PDT through May 19, except for May 14.  The time control is 40/90, G/30 with a 30 second increment from move 1.  If necessary, a playoff for 1st place will take place on May 20.  For exciting live video coverage and daily reports, make sure to check out the official website or the Internet Chess Club.

Round-by-Round Games to Enjoy!

• (1) Nakamura 1-0 Hess -- Evan's Gambit -- Black simply gets crushed
• (1) Lenderman 1-0 Robson -- Gruenfeld -- Crazy middlegame
• (2) Kaidanov 1-0 Stripunsky -- Semi-Slav -- Black Queen is trapped
• (3) Kamsky 1-0 Onischuk -- London System -- Kingside attack 
• (3) Nakamura 1-0 Robson -- Sicilian Dragon, Yugoslav Attack -- Endgame
• (4) Kaidanov 1-0 Kamsky -- Slav Defense 4... a6 -- Positional squeeze 
• (5) Ramirez 0-1 Robson -- QGD Tarrasch -- King safety in endgame
• (6) Kaidanov 0-1 Hess -- Semi-Slav 5... a6 -- Three Minors trap a Queen

Naroditsky a Finalist for ChessCafe Book of the Year

Thanks to my former student Alan Naroditsky for sharing this article on Facebook.


(15 year old FM Daniel Naroditsky at left is the sole author of the book at right.)





As some of you may know, my brother Daniel is the U12 World Youth Chess Champion (2007) and just recently attained the highly-coveted International Chess Master title. Very few people in the world have achieved as much as my brother has, and he's only 15! In March of 2010, his first book, "Mastering Positional Chess" was published by New In Chess, one of the world's largest chess publishers. It has been extremely popular among chess enthusiasts, receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews, and after a first round of voting, has been selected as one of three finalists for the ChessCafe Book of the Year.

Out of three finalists, the book that receives the most e-mail nominations by January 31st will be named Book of the Year. If you would like to support my brother, please send an e-mail to bookoftheyear@chesscafe.com with the following text:

"I would like to vote for Daniel Naroditsky's book, "Mastering Positional Chess" for ChessCafe's Book of the Year."

This award is extremely prestigious, and your help is greatly appreciated!!

Here are links to my brother's personal website and his book on Amazon. As a side note, if you would like to purchase the book, I would be happy to have my brother sign it for you!

Addendum from fpawn: I had the pleasure of teaching both Alan and Daniel. Of course, Daniel is far too good for me now with a USCF rating hovering just below 2500. His book is brilliant! If you haven't bought a copy, I highly recommend it. Please also send an email to ChessCafe. Somehow, Daniel reached the final three and squares off against two big names in the chess world: GM Yasser Seirawan and GM Alexandra Kosteniuk. We definitely must support our Daniel as much as we can!