2015 US Champs: Nakamura and Krush

Hikaru Nakamura

Irina Krush

Grandmasters Hikatu Nakamura and Irina Krush, both top rated in the country, finished first at the 2015 US Championships in Saint Louis.  For Nakamura, it was his fourth title and the solid result left him at 2799, number 3 in the world rankings.  Undefeated and among the leaders throughout, the favorite found himself unable to separate from the competition, specifically GM Ray Robson, who took second place.  Krush captured her seventh Women's crown, tying a record dating back to the 1970s.  Her path to victory was more adventuresome and included an early defeat at the hands of second place finisher IM Nazi Paikidze.

Nakamura prowls as spectators watch. All photos from CCSCSL website.

US Championship (12 player RR)

1. Hikaru Nakamura 8.0
2. Ray Robson 7.5
3. Wesley So 6.5
4. Alexander Onischuk 6.0
5. Sam Sevian 5.5
6. Gata Kamsky 5.5
7. Varuzhan Akobian 5.5

Women's Championship (12 player RR)

1. Irina Krush 8.5
2. Nazi Paikidze 7.5
3. Katerina Nemcova 7.5
4. Viktorija Ni 7.0
5. Anna Sharevich 6.5

Outside the chess club.

The tournament did not go well for the Bay Area participants.  GM Sam Shankland ended up in eighth place, although his lone victoryn versus GM Timur Gareev earned the Best Game prize.  Unfortunately, GM Daniel Naroditsky began with a pair of losses and never recovered.

Play through the games here.  Thanks to sponsor Rex Sinquefield and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis for hosting the spectacular multimedia show.

Next up in Saint Louis: a thrilling rapid and blitz exhibition between chess legends Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short on April 25-26!

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. 

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

Lecture on Sunday at Berkeley International

Today was the sixth round of the Berkeley International. Four rounds remain to be played, one on each day through Tuesday. Good luck to the local players hunting for norms!

Standings after round 6:

• 4.5 G.Kacheishvili
• 4.0 Z.Izoria, J.Friedel, I.Krush
  
• 3.5 L.Milman, D.Sharavdorj, D.Naroditsky, D.Rensch
  
• 3.0 J.Sarkar, D.Pruess, M.Esserman
  
• 2.5 J.Kraai, V.Bhat, B.Evans, I.Zenyuk,
  
• 2.0 D.Haessel
  
• 1.5 S.Kustar

Unofficial norm watch:

• FM Daniel Rensch has +1 against 2515 average, including 2 foreigners
• IM Irina Krush has +2 against 2419 average, including 4 foreigners
• FM Marc Esserman has 50% against 2492 average, including 2 foreigners
• FM Daniel Naroditsky has +1 against 2374 average, including 2 foreigners

(Estimate the performance after six rounds by adding 65 points to the average for +1 and 120 points for +2. Need 2451 performance for IM norm and 2601 for GM norm.)

Check out the pairings for the next round daily after 11:00pm. My fellow blogger Dana Mackenzie comments on some of the more exciting games on his chess blog.

Finally, the organizer IM David Pruess kindly asked me to spread the word of a 30 minute talk by FM Daniel Rensch on Sunday before the eighth round. The lecture begins at 1:20pm at 1581 Le Roy Avenue in Berkeley. FM Rensch presently has 3.5 out of 6 after facing three GMs and three IMs. He is well above the IM norm threshold and may even earn a GM norm. He operates American Chess Events in Phoenix, Arizona, teaching chess to kids and running scholastic tournaments. He is also a great guy whom I first met nearly 10 years ago when he was an up-and-coming teenager.

US Champion Yury Shulman

With a short draw in the last round, Grandmaster Yury Shulman of Chicago won the 2008 Frank K. Berry US Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He finished with an undefeated score of 7.0 out of 9, half a point ahead of top rated GM Alexander Onischuk. In an interview with Chess Life Online, Shulman pointed out his round 7 win with black against GM Julio Becerra (Winawer French) as the most critical game of the tournament. However, it was the victory in round 5 with black against GM Gregory Kaidanov (Alapin Sicilian) that propelled the eventual champion into the lead. Congratulations to GM Yury Shulman for winning his first national championship!

Yury Shulman and I have known each other for a while, dating back to the 1st President's Cup (Intercollegiate Chess Final Four) in Dallas, Texas in April, 2001. I played board 5 for Stanford University while he manned the top board for the University of Texas at Dallas. We were seated together at the social mixer on the night before round 1 and have been cordial ever since. A few years later, Shulman won the 2006 US Open in Oak Brook, IL while I finished tied for 2nd place. Thanks to this tournament, we both qualified for the 2007 US Championship, where Shulman finished near the top while I languished at the bottom.

Final Standings of 2008 US Championship

• 7.0 Yury Shulman
• 6.5 Alexander Onischuk
• 6.0 Sergey Kudrin
• 5.5 Josh Friedel, Eugene Perelshteyn and Varuzhan Akobian
• 5.0 Benjamin Finegold, Alexander Ivanov, Julio Becerra and Boris Gulko
• 4.5 John Fedorowicz, Dmitry Gurevich, Gregory Kaidanov and Alexander Shabalov
• 4.0 Daniel Ludwig, David Pruess, Jesse Kraai and Alex Yermolinsky
• 3.5 Larry Kaufman, David Vigorito, Michael Langer and Dean Ippolito
• 2.5 Sam Shankland
• 1.5 Sergey Galant

The US Women's Championship came down to the wire, as described in detail at Chess Life Online. IM Irina Krush was leading by 0.5 heading into the last round, but needed a miracle just to save a draw against WGM Katerine Rohonyan (2318). IM Anna Zatonskih had already won her final game and was waiting for a playoff to determine the title of US Champion. Both ladies finished with an impressive score of 7.5. Unfortunately, the quality of play in the tiebreak games was low considering the amount of effort both ladies expended getting to this point. After a win and a loss at G/15 and another win and a loss at G/5, Zatonskih won on time in the final Armaggedon game. Congratulations to IM Anna Zatonskih (see photo at right) for winning her second national title!

Final Standings of 2008 US Championship

• 7.5 Anna Zatonskih and Irina Krush
• 6.0 Tatev Abrahamyan and Katerine Rohonyan
• 5.5 Batchimeg Tuvshintugs
• 4.5 Tsagaan Battsetseg
• 3.5 Iryna Zenyuk
• 2.0 Esther Epstein and Chouchanik Airapetian
• 0.5 Courtney Jamison

Five players with strong ties to Northern California travelled to Oklahoma for this premiere tournament. Two put together strong results while the other three must be unhappy. Mad props to GM-elect Josh Friedel for earning his third and final Grandmaster norm! His most exciting game was in a wild round 4 victory against veteran GM Boris Gulko. Friedel now needs only 10 more FIDE rating points to complete the requirements for the GM title. In fact, his next opportunity to score points comes this weekend, at the Chicago Open. Batchimeg Tuvshintugs also put together a strong performance of "plus 2" in the Women's Championship, even winning in round 7 against the eventual champion Zatonskih.

Unfortunately, GM Alex Yermolinsky, IM David Pruess and NM Sam Shankland didn't perform so well. Both the "Yermonator" and David apparently ran out of gas in rounds 7 and 8, each losing consecutive games. Sadly, Sam's will to win was crushed by a long and tragic loss to IM Benjamin Finegold in round 5. Sam: I know that you are disappointed because you did poorly, but down the road you should look back at this trip as a learning experience that propels you to even greater successes. I speak from experience as a fellow competitor who also struggled in the very same event last year.

To close, I would like to thank organizer Frank K. Berry for putting his money where his mouth is by sponsoring the US Championship for the second straight year. Mr. Berry has now donated over $150,000 to support the top chess players in America. For this, he deserves a big round of applause! Thank you! Signed, chess player and chess fan.

Batman Captures Samford

(Vinay Bhat gave live commentary for the top boards at the 2007 CalChess Scholastics.)

According to a press release on the USCF homepage, Bay Area International Master Vinay Bhat was awarded one of two Samford Fellowships for "chess talent, work ethic, dedication and accomplishments." The nation's largest chess Fellowship, which is renewable for up to two years, provides $32,000 annually to the recipient for "top-level coaching, strong competition and access to study materials." The stated goal is to cultivate young American masters who may compete with the best players of the world. Bhat shared the honors for 2008 with IM Irina Krush of New York, the reigning US Women's Champion. Other recent Samford fellows include local IMs David Pruess and Josh Friedel.

Always a friendly and cheerful person, Vinay Bhat is quite popular among Bay Area chess players. At 10 years old in 1995, he set the record for the youngest USCF master, a mark that has been broken twice since then, most recently by NM Nicholas Nip. These days, he plays for the San Francisco Mechanics in the US Chess League, stunning top rated GM Hikaru Nakamura last October despite a 70-1 time disadvantage. Last July in Balaguer, Spain, Bhat earned the final of three norms required for the Grandmaster title. FIDE approved his application for GM, conditional on achieving an international rating of 2500. He needs less than 20 points before the title becomes official. It is merely a matter of time before we can refer to GM Vinay Bhat! Congratulations!