Youth Movement for Team USA

Shankland draws with Armenia's top board Levon Aronian at World Team.

The USA National Team for chess is undergoing an extreme makeover, with youngsters replacing the old guard of the past decade.  Just look at the USA Top 10 list.  Start with two players near the pinnacle of the world rankings.  Then ask Who's on Third?  Add to the mix a talented new kid from Ukraine who officially changed federations in the past week.  Now observe that 6 of the 10 are 25 years old or younger.

Indeed, the 2015 US champion Hikaru Nakamura can suddenly himself a veteran at the tender age of 27.  Since former champion Gata Kamsky already announced his retirement from international play, and Alexander Onischuk cannot be far behind, it appears likely that the American squad at next year's Chess Olympiad will average under 25 years! 


USA Top 10 - May FIDE Rating

Naroditsky in deep thought at World Team.

1. #4 Hikaru Nakamura 2799, age 27
2. #7 Wesley So 2778, age 21
3. #64 Ray Robson 2674, age 20
4. #65 Gata Kamsky 2673, age 40
5. #71 Alexander Onischuk 2662, age 39
6. #91 Sam Shankland 2656, age 23
7. #128 Yaroslav Zherebukh 2639, age 21
8. #131 Alex Lenderman 2636, age 25
9. #141 Varuzhan Akobian 2632, age 31
10. #165 Daniel Naroditsky 2622, age 19

Meet the Players at US Championship

The 2015 US Championship kicked off this afternoon at the posh Saint Louis chess club.  Over the next fortnight, twelve Grandmasters will compete for the national title, playing each competitor once.  Rounds begin daily at 11AM Pacific time and take about 4 to 5 hours (rest day on April 6).  The winner pockets $45,000 out of the $175,000 prize fund.  Even last place nets $4,000.  The superb playing conditions and generous prizes are possible through the continued sponsorship of club founders Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield. 

The playing field includes the top eight Americans on the current FIDE rating list, including two of the world Top 10 and six of the Top 100.  The showdowns between favorites, contenders and dark horses mark an exciting time for US chess.  I have broken down the field below, including short remarks about each of the invitees.  All ratings and rankings are FIDE.

Click for live coverage with video commentary by Grandmasters Seirawan and Ashley.

Favorites -- Guys expected to battle for the Title

• Hikaru Nakamura (2798, world #3) A 3-time US Champion and highest rated American ever, Nakamura hopes to demonstrate his superiority over rivals new and old.  Although solidly in the older half of the field, his uncompromising style endears him to many chess fans
• Wesley So (2788, world #8) The new kid on the block plans to build an impressive share of second at Wijk aan Zee, showing his talent to fans in America as well as his native Philippines.  Well prepared in openings, So strives to milk points from the tiniest of advantages.

Contenders -- Ready to jump if the Favorites slip

Sam Shankland

• Gata Kamsky (2680, world #63) The champion in four of last five years, Kamsky struggled in 2014 and plays in the twilight of a storied chess career.  Indeed, he qualified as a candidate for the world championship in 1993, before four of his fellow competitors were born!
• Sam Shankland (2661, world #84) Born and raised in the East Bay, Shanky learned his moves at the Berkeley Chess School. Gold for his board at the Tromsø Olympiad became his calling card, but hardly his only success.  He is aggressive and deadly as white, yet solid as black.

Dark Horses -- Grown up Young Stars ready to fight

Daniel Naroditsky

• Ray Robson (2656, world #94) A prodigy who grew up playing chess, Robson is now a key member of the elite Webster U team. After slumping, he recently broke into the world Top 100.
• Daniel Naroditsky (2640) Already a world champion at 12 years old, Danya grew up on the 64 squares.  Not merely a player, the incoming Stanford freshman is an author and aspiring historian.  Solid yet multidimensional, he strives to measure himself against the best.

Wily Veterans -- When Experience matters, they're the best

• Alex Onischuk (2665, world #75) The US Champion in 2006, Onischuk has spent a decade as one of the Top 5 Americans.  He already transitioned to coaching and works at Texas Tech.
• Varuzhan Akobian (2622) After years playing in the US Championship and Olympiad, Akobian has become a seasoned veterans. With inspiration and luck, he can still derail anyone.

Young Stars -- Not yet Contenders, but can beat anyone

• Sam Sevian (2548) Bay Area chess fans will recall just a few years ago, this precocious kid rubbed elbows at local tournaments.  Now the youngest Grandmaster in US history, Sevian has bigger fish to fry.  What he may lack in experience, he makes up in energy and enthusiasm.
• Kayden Troff (2544) The strongest chess player from the state of Utah continues to improve.  Already a Grandmaster, Troff dominated the 2014 US Junior to earn his invitation.

Pretenders -- Only need a kick in the rear and a little Luck

• Timur Gareev (2599) The free-wheeling and outgoing Grandmaster of blindfold exhibitions brings plenty of flair to Saint Louis.  While erratic, he is capably of brilliance in every game.    
• Conrad Holt (2525) Winner of the 2014 US Open, the UT Dallas student is the lowest rated participant this year.  Thunder Holt prefers insanely complicated positions and rarely draws.

The concurrent 2015 US Women's Championship features a defending champion aiming to win her fourth straight crown against a 12-player field that welcomes five newcomers.  Top rated GM Irina Krush (2477 FIDE) is the overwhelming favorite as she pursues her sixth national title.  In the absence of chief rival IM Anna Zatonskih, the next highest rating belongs to IM Nazi Paikidze (2333), a recent immigrant from the country of Georgia.  Other challengers include two experienced competitors: IM Rusudan Goletiani (2311) and WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (2301).  The youngest invitees are 13-year old  WFM Jennifer Yu and 12 year old WIM Annie Wang, a pair of gold medalists at international youth championships last year.  A first place award of $20,000 highlights the record $75,000 ladies prize fund.

One week until Tromsø Olympiad

Aside from the World Championship, the most important international chess tournament is the Olympiad, organized every other year.  The 2014 Chess Olympiad takes place during the first two weeks of August in Tromsø, a Norwegian city located north of the Arctic Circle.  The statistics are staggering: 310 teams (Open and Women) with more than 1500 players, including roughly 275 Grandmasters.  A half dozen squads field a top-4 average rating above 2700 FIDE.  However, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) actives promotes participation by weaker nations, and no fewer than 40 teams rated under 2000 FIDE will compete in the Open section.

Tromsø lies amid water and mountains.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

RESULTS and PAIRINGS

PREVIEW by IM John Donaldson

The two American teams have serious aspirations to bringing home a medal.  The men are seeded 6th and the women 7th. Team USA last reached the podium in Dresden, Germany in 2008, when both squads earned the bronze medal.  Fortunately, the strongest American masters will all represent the red, white and blue, including current World #5 Hikaru Nakamura plus reigning US Champions Gata Kamsky and Irina Krush.  The team brings plenty of experience to Norway, with the top four men and top three women returning from 2012. Watch the newcomer for the men--the Bay Area's own Sam Shankland!

Team USA - Open (2701 average)

• Board 1 GM Hikaru Nakamura (2787) -- World #5
• Board 2 GM Gata Kamsky (2706) -- World #44
• Board 3 GM Alex Onischuk (2659) -- World #92
• Board 4 GM Varuzhan Akobian (2653) 
• Alternate GM Sam Shankland (2624)
• Captain IM John Donaldson
• Coach GM Wesley So 

Team USA - Women (2406 average)

• Board 1 GM Irina Krush (2474) -- World #29
• Board 2 IM Anna Zatonskih (2468) -- World #36
• Board 3 WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (2366) -- World #93
• Board 4 WGM Katerina Nemcova (2315)
• Alternate WGM Sabina Foisor (2252)
• Captain GM Melik Khachiyan
• Coach GM Yuri Shulman

No doubt, the Americans will face stiff competition from around the globe, especially from the countries of the former USSR.  Indeed, USSR, Russia, Ukraine and Armenia won gold in the Open section at every Olympiad since the 1970s!  In recent years, Armenia (2012, 2008, 2006) and Ukraine (2010, 2004) have taken the top honors, while perennial top seed Mother Russia has failed every year since Garry Kasparov retired.  Four countries dominated the Women's category for the past eleven Olympiads: Russia (the last 2), China (4 golds out of 11), Georgia (also 4) and Ukraine (just gold in 2006).  China and Russia once again field the highest rated ladies squads.

Top Teams - Men (New Ratings from August 1)

World Champion Magnus Carlsen

1. Russia 2773 -- Kramnik + Grischuk + Karjakin + Svidler
2. Ukraine 2723 -- Ivanchuk + Ponomariov + Eljanov
3. France 2719 -- Vachier-Lagrave + Bacrot + Fressinet
4. Armenia 2705 -- Aronian + Sargissian
5. Hungary 2703 -- Leko + Rapport
6. USA 2701 -- Nakamura + Kamsky
7. China 2699 -- Liren Ding + Wang Yue
8. Azerbaijan 2694 -- Mamedyarov + Radjabov
9. Israel 2683 -- Gelfand
10. England 2681 -- Adams 
11. Netherlands 2677 -- Giri
12. Germany 2671 -- Naiditsch
13. Cuba 2669 -- Dominguez
14. Norway 2666 -- Carlsen
15. Poland 2662 -- Wojtaszek

Most of the world's top players will participate.   Caruana (Italy) and Topalov (Bulgaria) have signed up, but their countries are not contenders.  The most glaring absence is #7 Anand, who has not represented India since 2010.  (In an interesting parallel, the top rated Indian woman, #2 Humpy Koneru, also will skip Norway.)  The next highest rated GM to sit out is Wesley So, who remains embroiled in a contentious battle to switch federations from the Philippines to USA.  Unable to play for the red, white and blue this year, So will assist the team as coach.

Top Teams - Women (New Ratings from August 1)

Women's Champion Hou Yifan

1. China 2549 -- Hou Yifan + Zhao Xue
2. Russia 2520 -- Lagno + Kosteniuk
3. Ukraine 2510 -- A.Muzychuk + M.Muzychuk
4. Georgia 2499 -- Dzagnidze
5. India 2421 -- Harika
6. Romania 2407 
7. USA 2406
8. Poland 2402
9. France 2390
10. Armenia 2383

Miscellaneous:  1. World Champion Magnus Carlsen will lead the home team.  How will he continue to handle the glare of the media?  2. Aside from the chess competition, the Olympiad allows chess delegates from around the globe to meet and set the direction for FIDE.  3. The most important pairing features Kirsan Ilyumzhinov against Garry Kasparov in the election for FIDE President.  The USA and Western Europe support the 13th World Champion, but the electoral landscape (one vote per country, no matter how small) favors the incumbent.  Will the chess community be able to resist a smiling leader who grows money on trees, socializes with aliens, and allegedly ordered the murder of a suspicious journalist?  4. Aside from chess and politics, the most exciting event at every Olympiad is the Bermuda party.  Definitely the place to go see a tipsy GM or fifty.  5. Given the northerly latitude of Tromsø, this may be the first Bermuda party held in daylight!  Hopefully the participants will be able to sleep longer than the 3-4 hours of twilight each evening. 

Sinquefield Cup Starts on Monday

Carlsen plays basketball at Webster. Photo: Truong

Aronian plays blitz with amateurs. Photo: CCSCSL

Over the next week, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis hosts an unprecedented chess event.  Never before have Grandmasters rated above 2800 FIDE squared off in a tournament on American soil.  Indeed, the four participants average an astronomical 2797 in the international rating system.  The Sinquefield Cup, named after chess club benefactor Rex Sinquefield, pits the two highest rated players in the country against the top two in the world for a prize fund of $170,000!

Final Standings

• 4.5 Magnus Carlsen (2862)
• 3.5 Hikaru Nakamura (2774)
• 2.5 Levon Aronian (2802)
• 1.5 Gata Kamsky (2741)

The spotlight will fall upon the two visitors, in particular #1 Magnus Carlsen, the challenger and heir apparent to the reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand in November's title match.  The 22 year old Norwegian has become a jack of all trades, moonlighting as a fashion model and chess coach for little children, along the way rubbing elbows with TV comedians and powerful billionaires!   At the chess board, he has exhibited few weaknesses and broke the all-time record rating achieved by his mentor, ex-champion Garry Kasparov.  He carries the mantle of favorite, although this event distracts from preparation before the Anand match.

If Carlsen has bigger fish to fry, then the other three Grandmasters will no doubt take advantage.  World #2 Levon Aronian hails from the chess mecca of Armenia, where as a child he studied with Melik Khachiyan, the gregarious Grandmaster now residing in Los Angeles.  The strongest Americans, Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky, won a combined seven US Championships, including the last five.  Nakamura currently holds the higher rating (by 31 points), but the veteran Kamsky narrowly missed playing for the world championship four times, twice in the mid 1990s and twice within the past five years.

The Sinquefield Cup kicks off on Monday with the pairings Carlsen vs Kamsky and Nakamura vs Aronian.  The double-quad format runs six rounds, daily except for the rest day on Thursday.  The CCSCSL promises a spectacular multimedia presentation for the Sinquefield Cup, with Grandmasters Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley conducting live analysis of every round.

• Information 
• Biographies 
• Pairings and Results
• On-site LIVE coverage (starts at 11am PDT) 
• ICC ChessFM commentary
• FOX2 St. Louis report (2:21 long)

FIDE World Cup from Norway

Aronian

Kramnik

Nakamura

Kamsky

Tromsoe in northern Norway.

The mesmerizing first round of the always exciting FIDE World Cup kicks off with 64 royal contests on Sunday morning at 6:00am Pacific time.  An array of 128 elite chess masters, including 38 members of the 2700 club, have made the trek to the remote town of Tromsoe, Norway, located north of the Arctic circle.  Most will not stay for long thanks to the cold-blooded nature of a knockout tournament.  Indeed, only 32 will play for more than 5 or 6 days.  A lucky two will contest the final round on Labor Day weekend.  Both finalists also qualify for the 2014 Candidates Tournament.

The knockout format has not varied much over the past decade.  Much like the annual college basketball championship tournament, the top seeds face the lowest rated participants in the first round.  Conversely, players ranked in the 50s get opponents in the 70s, most rated within merely 30 FIDE.

2013 World Cup Statistics

• 128 total players
• 38 rated 2700+
• 52 rated 2600-2699
• 27 rated 2500-2599
• 11 rated U2500
• highest rating = 2813
• median rating = 2647
• lowest rating = 2304

In each pairing, the participants play two games at a classical time control of 40/90 + G/30 with inc/30 starting on move 1.  The winner of this two day head-to-head encounter advances to the next round while the loser goes home.  Many matches invariably end in a tie, to be broken on the third day.  The tiebreaks start with a pair of G/25 + inc/10.  If still tied, they play a pair of G/10 + inc/10.  If still tied, they play a pair of G/5 + inc/3.  If the match remains deadlocked after two slow games and six rapid or blitz contests, then comes one Armageddon game (white 5 minutes versus black 4 minutes and draw odds).  No doubt these playoffs are stressful; those who advance from the first two slow games earn a valuable rest day.

A generous prize fund of $1.6 million will be divided among the 128 participants (although FIDE deducts a 20% tax).  Post tax, the 64 first round losers go home with $4,800.  The World Cup winner earns a cool $96,000.  All players pay their own travel expenses out of the prizes.

Top 10 Seeds

1. Levon Aronian (ARM) 2813
2. Fabiano Caruana (ITA) 2796 
3. Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) 2784 
4. Alexander Grischuk (RUS) 2785
5. Sergey Karjakin (RUS) 2772
6. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 2772
7. Boris Gelfand (ISR) 2764
8. Gata Kamsky (USA) 2741
9. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE) 2775 
10. Leinier Domínguez Pérez (CUB) 2757 

Most top players in the world signed up for the richest tournament on the 2013 calendar.  Only three stars will sit out.  World Champion Viswanathan Anand and official challenger Magnus Carlsen are busy preparing for November's title match in Chennai, India.  The 2012-13 Grand Prix winner Veselin Topalov also chose to stay home.  Not coincidentally, these three already punched tickets to the 2014 Candidates Tournament.

The American delegation consists of nine Grandmasters, headlined by Top 10 seeds Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky.  The other seven will be tested from the start.  Indeed, six of those seven are paired up in the first round!  Historically, the Americans have fared poorly in the World Cup, except for Kamsky, who actually won the 2007 edition!  Unfortunately, it appears unlikely for anyone except the top pair to survive beyond round 2.

Robson

Onischuk

Americans at World Cup

• #6 - Hikaru Nakamura 2772
• #8 - Gata Kamsky 2741
• #55 - Alexander Onischuk 2667
• #83 - Ray Robson 2623
• #95 - Larry Christiansen 2584
• #97 - Alejandro Ramirez 2588 
• #99 - Gregory Kaidanov 2574
• #106 - Alexander Shabalov 2546
• #112 - Conrad Holt 2539 

Round 1 Results: Nakamura, Onischuk and Robson are through to round 2.  Kamsky and Ramirez face tiebreakers on Tuesday. The other four were eliminated.  Kamsky moved on after four rapid games.  Unfortunately, Ramirez lost the Armageddon game against Tomashevsky, rated 2706 FIDE.

For live coverage beginning at 6:00am PDT daily, check out the official website and the Internet Chess Club.  Do not try to watch all of the games during the early rounds; just follow your favorite players and some top seeds.

Predictions?  I actually filled out a bracket just like for March Madness.  Quarterfinals: Aronian vs Kamsky, Wang Hao vs  Bruzon, Giri vs Polgar and Kramnik vs Nakamura.  Semifinals: Aronian vs Wang Hao and Giri vs Nakamura.  Final: Nakamura over Aronian!

US Junior Middle Rounds

IM-elect Sam Sevian

IM Daniel Naroditsky

FM Yian Liou

Current Standings

• 5.0 Daniel Naroditsky
• 4.5 Luke Harmon-Vellotti, Sam Sevian
• 4.0 Victor Shen, Kayden Troff, Robert Perez
• 3.0 Yian Liou, Jeffery Xiong
• 2.5 Atulya Shetty
• 0.5 Sarah Chiang

(All photos have been borrowed from CCSCSL.)

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Round 7:  Friday turned out to be a California day!  Yian, who struggled all week, crushed the leader Luke in 27 moves, snaring the black queen in a gambit line of the French Tarrasch.  Top rated Daniel took care of business against bottom rated Sarah, thereby occupying the lead with only two rounds left.  Can he overcome the curse on first place?  The wizard Luke remains in second place just 0.5 behind, joined by 12 year old whiz kid Sam.  In a battle of World Youth gold medalists, Sam sacrificed both knights on consecutive moves to rip open Kayden's defenses in a topical Najdorf.  Victor outplayed Atulya from the white side of a semi-Slav while Robert and Jeffery played a peaceful middlegame from the Chigorin variation.  Any of six players could win or tie for first place depending on how the chips fall in the final two rounds.  Stay tuned!

Round 6:  After a day of relaxation and basketball, Luke the Magician struck to seize the lead again.  He overcame a dangerous passed pawn and three pawns down to play a decisive combination.  While objectively losing, the wizard from Utah cherishes complicated positions and never gives up.  The other joint leaders after round 5 were unable to keep pace.  Daniel seemed content to force a draw after some adventures against the Taimanov essayed by fellow IM Victor.  Robert lost his queen and eventually the game out of a Benoni-like opening, allowing his young opponent Kayden to move into a share of second with Daniel.  Sam won the exchange versus Atulya's English opening, and played energetically to bring home the point.  The last board saw a short but tense Ruy Lopez draw between Jeffery and Yian.

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Round 5:  For the first time in three days, the leader(s) did not lose.  Daniel defended the black side of the Ruy Lopez against fellow Northern California native Sam.  Although white won a pawn, black's activity and bishop pair provided compensation. The draw allowed two competitors to catch up to the lead, although both can thank their lucky stars.  Luke got outplayed in a Queen's Indian, but kept fighting for counterplay until Victor blundered.  Robert lost a pawn in the middlegame, but managed to activate his king when Yian went astray.  Jeffery converted two connected passers into a win against fellow Texas native Sarah.  In the last game, Kayden had an advantage as black in the English, but Atulya found enough weaknesses to save half a point.

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Round 4:  The musical chairs continue in the US Junior Closed.  Yesterday's hero Luke fell victim to 12 year old Sam's superior piece activity against the Worrall Attack, facing checkmate after just 30 moves.  A few feet away, Daniel took care of business with white in a French Tarrasch, first picking off the IQP and then winning the exchange.  At 3.0 out of 4, the top rated International Master now occupies the pole position.  Three would join Luke in second place with 2.5 points.  Kayden nursed an advantage against Yian, and eventually cashed in the rook endgame.  Sarah showed her attacking skills by nearly upsetting Robert from the black side of a Nimzo, but the tables turned and the MIT student escaped with a full point.  Jeffery and Victor danced for nearly 80 moves in a queen endgame with 7 pawns each before shaking hands peacefully.

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Commentary by GMs Ben Finegold and Yasser Seirawan.

The biggest chess news today did not involve the US Junior.  The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis announced a four player super Grandmaster event this September.  The participants will be World #1 Magnus Carlsen and World #2 Levon Aronian against USA #1 Hikaru Nakamura and USA #2 Gata Kamsky.  All four are currently ranked in the Top 10 overall.  W-O-W!!!

Important links for the 2013 US Junior:

• Pairings and Results
• Live Games with GM Commentary (GM Seirawan + GM Finegold)
• Live Relay on ICC (below the Tal Memorial on events list)
• Replay or Download Games (Java viewer)
• Daily Reports
• Photo Gallery

2013 US Championship Begins

The most prestigious annual event in America kicks off on Friday.  The US Championship brings 24 of the best chess players in the country to the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis for a 9-round swiss.  The winner earns $30,000 and five players punch their ticket to the FIDE World Cup in August.  Does that sound exciting?  You betcha!  Make sure to watch live video coverage starting at 11am PDT daily through May 12th (except the rest day on Wednesday).

• Click Here for Pairings and Standings
• Live Coverage from St. Louis
• Broadcast on Internet Chess Club

Gata Kamsky

The heavy favorites are the top three seeds: Grandmasters Gata Kamsky, Timur Gareev and Alexander Onischuk.  Each spent a different way preparing for this important event.  Kamsky (age 38) participated in the elite FIDE Grand Prix in Switzerland until Tuesday.  He somehow beat Sergey Karjakin (2786) from the black side of a sharp a6 Slav in the penultimate round to finish at 50%. On the other hand, the energetic Timur Gareev (age 25) took on a superhuman challenge: taking on St. Louis club members in a 33 board BLINDFOLD simul!! 

Timur Gareev

Over 10 hours, he beat 29 opponents, drew with 4 and lost none, all the while seated and wearing a heavy black blindfold!!  By comparison, the third seed Onischuk (age 37) took it easy, studying in his office at Texas Tech University and giving this interview. Regretfully, the country's higher rated player and defending champion GM Hikaru Nakamura chose to skip this year's event to challenge Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand and many other Top 10 Grandmasters at the spectacular Norway Chess event beginning on Monday.

Northern California chess fans will want to cheer for two local players.  GM Sam Shankland (age 21) grew up in Orinda and learned the moves at the Berkeley Chess School.  The other, IM-elect Sam Sevian, is the tournament's youngest (age 12) and lowest rated (2467 USCF) invitee, although he made quite a name for himself by winning the World Youth U12 last fall.  Good luck to Sam and Sam!

Participants in 2013 US Championship

Ranked by May FIDE Rating

1. GM Gata Kamsky 2741 Seeded (by USCF Rating)
2. GM Timur Gareev 2674 Seeded



Alex Onischuk

3. GM Alex Onischuk 2666 Seeded
4. GM Ray Robson 2620 Seeded
5. GM Varuzhan Akobian 2616 Seeded -- CA/S
6. GM Sam Shankland 2612 Seeded -- CA/N
7. GM Robert Hess 2595 Seeded
8. GM Gregory Kaidanov 2593 Seeded
9. GM Larry Christiansen 2579 Seeded
10. GM Yury Shulman 2570 Seeded
11. GM Alexander Stripunsky 2570 Seeded
12. GM Alejandro Ramirez 2551 Seeded
13. GM Alexander Shabalov 2544 Seeded
14. GM Marc Arnold 2538 Junior Champ
15. GM Joel Benjamin 2534 Seeded
16. GM Aleksandr Ivanov 2529 Senior Champ
17. GM Melikset Khachiyan 2518 Wildcard -- CA/S
18. GM Conrad Holt 2513 Wildcard
19. GM Ben Finegold 2505 Wildcard
20. FM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun 2463 Seeded
21. IM-e Yaacov Norowitz 2451 Seeded
22. FM John Bryant 2442 US Open Winner -- CA/S
23. IM Kayden Troff  2421 Wildcard
24. IM-e Sam Sevian 2371 Wildcard -- CA/N

Ten of the country's top female players compete in the concurrent US Women's Championship, vying for a first place prize of $18,000 in a Round-Robin format.  The two overwhelming favorites are IM Irina Krush (2470 FIDE) and IM Anna Zatonskih (2466 FIDE).  Between them, they have captured the past seven titles (4-3 edge to Zatonskih, but Krush won last year).

Chess Events Around the World

Alexander Alekhine

Mikhail Tal

One of the best ways to improve in chess is to play through master games.  I strongly encourage any student rated 1800+ to regularly review the games of recent elite Grandmaster tournaments.  Watch the world's top rated players or pick your own favorites.  Bay Area fans often follow American stars Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky or local prodigies Sam Shankland, Daniel Naroditsky and Sam Sevian.  Chinese families, for example, may cheer for Wang Hao, Ding Liren or rising star Wei Yi, who currently leads the national championship at just 13 years old.

What should you pick up from these games?  If you're an A player, you will want to learn from the positional strategies and tactical creativity of the super Grandmasters.  As you improve, you should imitate the style of your superiors.  Chess experts and masters will concentrate on their favorite openings, picking up new moves based on the latest trends.

In some sense, growth of the internet has diminished the importance of studying collections of games by the champions of yesteryear.  Nonetheless, any disciple of Caissa should read a few classics, e.g. Alekhine's Best Games of Chess (2 volumes), Life and Games of Mikhail Tal and My Sixty Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer.  The internet offers an expanding wealth of information to supplement the foundation presented in these books.  The modern chess student benefits from the resources at his fingertips, but must stay dedicated to keep up with an evolving body of theory.

My favorite website to watch tournaments is, of course, the Internet Chess Club.  You can also find quality chess reports, analysis, photos and videos elsewhere on the net, including Chessbase, Chessvibes, Chessdom, and The Week in Chess.  The MonRoi game database covers the top boards at major American tournaments.  (Hint: add these to your bookmarks.)

The international chess calendar is filled with exciting events over the next two months.

Magnus plays on "The Pulpit Rock" 2000 ft above a fjord to promote Norway tournament.

• 3rd FIDE Grand Prix in Zug, Switzerland (thru April 30) - 12 players including 11 of Top 20; favorites = Karjakin, Topalov, Nakamura; dark horse = Giri
• Alekhine Memorial in Paris (the Louvre) and St. Petersburg (thru May 1) - 10 players all 2700+; favorites = Aronion, Kramnik, Anand; dark horses = Adams, Ding Liren
• US Championships in St. Louis (May 2-13) - 24 players including 19 GMs; favorites = Kamsky, Gareev, Onischuk, Robson, Shankland; dark horses = Shabalov, Ramirez 
• Norway Chess in Stavanger (May 7-18) - 10 players including 7 of Top 10; favorite = World #1 Carlsen; dark horses = anyone except Hammer could win!
• 4th FIDE Grand Prix in Madrid (May 22 - June 4) - 12 players including at least 9 of Top 20; favorites = Caruana, Topalov, Nakamura; dark horse = TBA
• Tal Memorial in Moscow (June 12-24) - 10 players including 6 of Top 10; favorite = World #1 Carlsen; dark horses = two Russians: Kramnik and Morovezich

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!

Nakamura Leads US Champ at Halftime

Hikaru Nakamura

Halfway through the 2012 US Championship in St. Louis, the top seed stands alone in the lead.  Hikaru Nakamura (2775) leads defending champion Gata Kamsky (2741) by half a point, with the rest of the field another 0.5 down.  Both the top Grandmasters have already faced veteran Gregory Kaidanov (2594), alas with opposite results: Nakamura won while Kamsky lost.  However, Kamsky mitigated his misfortune by beating third seeded Alexander Onischuk (2660).  The highly anticipated showdown between America's two 2700+ stars is scheduled for the penultimate round on Friday, and Kamsky gets the White pieces.  

Update: Both Nakamura and Kamsky won with black in round 8 to remain tied as their showdown draws nearer.  Defending champion Kamsky took the lead in round 9!  Nakamura outplayed Kamsky with black in round 10 to leapfrog him in the standings.  Congratulations to Hikaru Nakamura for winning his third US Championship (2005, 2009, 2012)!

Gata Kamsky

US Championship 
Final Standings

• 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 

Please enjoy my list of favorite games at the bottom of this article!

Like in the men's tournament, the defending champion in the 2012 Women's Championship occupies second place, half a point down.  International Masters Irina Krush (2457) and Anna Zatonskih (2510) square off on Wednesday, with Krush currently holding the lead, but Zatonskih playing the White pieces.   

Update: The critical game between the two leaders was drawn without any excitement.  Zatonskih and Krush will determine the champion in a rapid playoff on May 20 starting at 11:00am PDT. 

US Women's Championship 
Final Standings

• 7.0 Anna Zatonskih and Irina Krush
• 5.5 Rusudan Goletiani
• 5.0 Viktorija Ni

Daily rounds begin at 11:00am PDT through May 19.  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
• (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

Levon Aronian Wins Tata 2012

(Giri vs Aronian, the beginning of a brilliancy. Photo from tournament website.)

This weekend, #2 ranked Levon Aronian further established himself among the World elite by taking clear 1st at the 2012 Tata Chess Tournament at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands. The Armenian scored 9.0 out of 13, losing twice, but winning an impressive seven games to finish a point ahead of the field. Showing his ability to fight on either side of the board, three of his victories came with the black pieces. Aronian gained 15 FIDE rating points to push his live rating up to 2824, surpassed only by two men ever--Garry Kasparov and the current #1, Magnus Carlsen.

Special congratulations both to Aronian and his former coach, Melik Khachiyan (now living in Southern California). In fact, both Grandmasters have a taste for positional exchange sacrifices, such as move 13 in Giri vs Aronian (round 10).

Three challengers stayed hot on the winner's heels, but could not catch up. As the top seed, Carlsen can be disappointed with plus-3, especially his one defeat. In post game interviews, he criticized his own play, at one point even uttering a profanity. He did manage to hold on to his 2835 rating. Teimour Radjabov was the only player to escape defeat in Tata 2012, bringing his new rating up to 2784. And the young Italian star, Fabiano Caruana, cracked the top 10 of the World with four wins and just one setback, gaining 26 rating points.

Final Standings

• 9.0 Aronian
• 8.0 Carlsen, Radjabov and Caruana
  
• 7.5 Ivanchuk and Nakamura
• 7.0 Kamsky
• 6.5 Karjakin
• 5.5 Van Wely
• 5.0 Topalov, Gashimov and Gelfand
  
• 4.5 Giri and Navara
  

The bottom of the standings included a few surprises. Not so long ago, Veselin Topalov was at the top of his game. However, the Bulgarian lost four times in Wijk aan Zee, winning once. The oldest rated over 2700, Boris Gelfand still expected to score better than minus-3 as he prepares for a title match this May against World Champion Viswanathan Anand. Lastly, the Dutch youngster Anish Giri started out well at 4.0/7, but then lost five in a row to drop into the cellar. I am sure he will be back soon.

The two Americans moved up in the rankings with scores above 50%. Both won three rounds, but Gata Kamsky lost twice while Hikaru Nakamura just once. Nakamura now stands as #6 in the World, behind Carlsen, Aronian, Kramnik, Anand and Radjabov.

Let me complete my round-by-round list of favorite games from Group A.

1. Karjakin 0-1 Aronian -- Ruy Lopez closed
2. Aronian 1-0 Nakamura -- Dutch Leningrad
3. Carlsen 1-0 Aronian -- Queen's Gambit Declined + BN vs R endgame
   
4. Navara 0-1 Karjakin -- Ruy Lopez Berlin + pawn endgame
   
5. Nakamura 1-0 Navara -- English Opening, reversed Dragon
6. Gelfand 0-1 Nakamura -- Dutch Leningrad
7. Kamsky 1-0 Navara -- Ruy Lopez Berlin + R and B endgame
8. Giri 0-1 Gashimov -- Sicilian Najdorf, 6.Bg5
9. Ivanchuk 1-0 Giri -- Queen's Gambit Declined + R and N endgame
   
10. Giri 0-1 Aronian -- Queen's Gambit Declined + exchange sacrifice
    
11. Carlsen 1-0 Topalov -- Bb5 Sicilian (Canal-Sokolsky)
    
12. Gelfand 0-1 Aronian -- Queen's Gambit Declined, Petrosian
    
13. Kamsky 1-0 Topalov -- Queen Pawn Game, Indian