Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova – Chessdom

USA and China stunned in the Women Chess Olympiad 2024

Sergio — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 18:17:14 +0000

In a dramatic round 5 of the Women Chess Olympiad 2024, two of the top favorites for the gold medals of the competition China and USA – lost their matches.

China lost 2,5-1,5 against the team of Armenia, with IM Lilit Mkrtchian winning with black on board 1. USA managed to draw on three boards, but again the key game was on board 1, where WGM Turmunkh Munkhzul defeated IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova.

Replay all top games from the Women Chess Olympiad here

That makes India absolute favorites for the title. Despite GM Harika Dronavalli losing to IM Assaubayeva, GM Vaishali and IM Vantika finished the job to keep India undefeated.

This is a flash report from the Olympiad, stay tuned for updates

Fabiano Caruana leads with two rounds to go; US Chess Championship 2022 Round 11 recap

nikita — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 07:29:57 +0000

GM Fabiano Caruana leads with two rounds to go. GM Ray Robson remains in second place, but GM Leinier Dominguez and GM Sam Sevian inched closer with victories. In the U.S. Women’s Championship, WGM Jennifer Yu won to keep her lead while GM Irina Krush and WGM Thalia Cervantes also won to remain in striking distance. Yu will face each of her closest competitors in the last two rounds, shaping up for an exciting finale.

Check out the full replay of live coverage from the day here. The time control for the event is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game; with a 30-second increment starting from move 1.

U.S. Championship – Standings after Round 11

U.S. Women’s Championship – Standings after Round 11

2022 U.S. Championship

GM Dariusz Swiercz vs. GM Samuel Sevian 0-1

After pressing with an extra pawn, Sevian gained a king attack with queen, rook, and advanced passed pawn.

With 36…Rf3! Sevian breaks into his opponent’s king’s position. After 37.Qg2, Black followed up with 37…d2 38.Rd1 Qd3 39.Rxd2 Qe3+ 40.Kh2 and won material with 40…Qf4+ 41.Kg1 Rg3. | 0-1, 42 moves

Sevian has had an incredibly solid tournament so far with an undefeated plus two score. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

GM Hans Niemann vs. GM Aleksandr Lenderman 1-0

GM Hans Niemann gained the upper hand in a dynamic endgame vs. GM Aleksandr Lenderman. Just as he announced in the Round 10 interview, Niemann scored his second consecutive victory. Analyzing his game against Lenderman, Hans said he is optimistic for his future.

With 37.c6!, Niemann created a path for his king to support his passed d-pawn: 37…bxc6 38.Kc5 f4 39.Rb2 Ne6+ 40.Kxc6 and soon won. | 1-0, 45 moves

This is Niemann’s second win in a row. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

GM Wesley So vs. GM Elshan Moradiabadi 1-0

GM Wesley So’s powerful knight pair danced into the key b6-outpost to take over GM Elshan Moradiabadi’s queenside.

With 31.Rd7, So’s knights and rook have Black’s pieces tied up in knots. The game continued: 31…Be7 32.Bd4 Kf8 33.Bf2 Nd8 34.Nd5 Nc6 35.Nxe7 Nxe7 36.Nb6 when there is no way to save the b7-pawn as 36…Ra7?? Loses to 37.Rxe7 Kxe7 38.Nc8. | 1-0, 36 moves

So is the reigning U.S. Champion. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

GM Leiner Dominguez vs. GM Christopher Yoo 1-0

Dominguez persistently pressed his extra exchange for 131 moves to score the full point vs. GM Christopher Yoo.

Nearing the 50 move rule, Dominguez played 82.Rd6+ forcing Black to move a pawn with 82…f6 and reset the move count. Dominguez pressed for five hours with his extra exchange and eliminated Yoo’s last pawn to win. | 1-0, 131 moves

Dominguez is tied for 3rd with Sevian, also with an undefeated plus two score. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Marcus Batton

The other three games ended in draws.

2022 U.S. Women’s Championship

WGM Begim Tokhirjonova vs. WGM Jennifer Yu 0-1

Yu pressed with an extra pawn for 65 moves to convert in the rook ending vs. WGM Begim Tokhirjonova.

With 53…g4!, Yu sacrificed her own pawn on b7 to focus on creating passers on the kingside. The game continued: 54.Rxb7 g3 55.Rh7+ Kg5 56.rg7+ Kf6 57.Rg8 Rxf2+ and Yu soon won with her connected passed pawns. | 1-0, 65 moves

Though there have been several lead changes, Yu has been in the lead or tied for first for most of the event. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

IM Paikidze vs. GM Irina Krush 0-1

In a double-edged game with both players fighting to create king attacks, Krush gained an extra pawn and forced simplification into a winning ending.

Krush played 34…Qg7, forcing the trade of queens (if 34…Qd8+ 35.Kh7 White is defenseless to the threats against her king, such as …Qa1+ and …Qd4+) and after 35.Qxg7+ Kxg7 36.Rc7 c3, her passed pawn was unstoppable without giving up material. | 0-1, 52 moves

The eight-time U.S. Women’s Champion is in close second with her chance to play the leader in round 12. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

WGM Thalia Cervantes vs. FM Ashritha Eswaran 1-0

Cervantes gained attacking chances and tactical play with her powerful knight on f5 and passed d5-pawn.

Cervantes played 27.Nf5! aiming at weak points around Black’s kingside, the blockading rook on d6, and tactically defending the passed d5-pawn. Eswaran responded with 27…Rxd5 (if 27…Rd7 28.Qg3 g6 29.Nxh6 wins a pawn and after 29…Kg7 30.Nf5+ Kg8 31.d6 White has a commanding position.) and after 28.Ne3, White won material. | 1-0, 43 moves

Cervantes is on an incredible four-game winning streak. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

FM Ruiyang Yan vs. WIM Megan Lee 1-0

FM Ruiyang Yan won material with a deflection tactic vs. WIM Megan Lee.

With the simple yet effective 15.Bf4, Black is left with a loose knight on f5 and its defender, the g4-bishop, under attack with no good square to escape to. White is winning a piece. | 1-0, 38 moves

WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki vs. WGM Sabina Foisor 0-1

Sabina Foisor defeated Sophie Morris-Suzuki in a wild attacking game where both kings were chased around until Black discovered a rook sacrifice leading to a five move checkmate.

With the picturesque 37…Rh3+ Foisor kickstarts the checkmating combination: 38.Kxh3 Qxf3+ 39.Kh4 Rh8+ 40.Kg5 Rg8+ 41.Kh6 Qh3# | 0-1, 41 moves

The remaining two games ended in draws. Round 12 of the 2022 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships will take place on Tuesday, October 18. Watch the action live at 1:20pm CT with commentators GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, and GM Cristian Chirila.

Fabiano Caruana remains in sole lead; US Chess Championship 2022 Round 10 recap

nikita — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 07:45:08 +0000

GM Hans Niemann entered the round determined to have a decisive result and was the only player to score a victory today. GM Fabiano Caruana maintains his lead with Ray Robson trailing by half a point, heading into the rest day.

In the U.S. Women’s Championship, WGM Jennifer Yu held a topsy-turvy game vs. IM Paikidze to maintain her lead. GM Irina Krush continues to chase her within half a point. WGM Begim Tokhirjonova and WGM Thalia Cervantes each won to join the tie for third. Refreshingly, every victory in either section was won with the black pieces.

Check out the full replay of live coverage from the day here. The time control for the event is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game; with a 30-second increment starting from move 1.

U.S. Championship – Standings after Round 10

U.S. Women’s Championship – Standings after Round 10

2022 U.S. Championship

GM Elshan Moradiabadi vs. GM Hans Niemann 0-1

Niemann came into the game today ready for a fight, sharing with the commentators: “I decided either I’m going to lose or I’m going to win. There’s no in between!” He won an attacking game vs. Moradiabadi.

Interview: Hans Niemann: I think the comeback is certainly coming and I’ve definitely been humbled a lot in this tournament

Niemann sealed the win with 38…e5!, winning the pinned knight. | 0-1, 38 moves

Niemann was eager to prove himself this round, scoring his second win of the event. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

GM Christopher Yoo vs. GM Fabiano Caruana ½-½

GM Christopher Yoo and GM Fabiano Caruana fought a close struggle for 68 moves before drawing.

After trading into an early ending and pressing with white, Yoo played 34.Rf6+, leading to many exchanges: 34…Kxg5 35.Rxe6 Rd4+ 36.Kf3 c4 37.Nxc4 Nxc4 38.bxc4 Rcxc4 39.Rxc4 Rxc4, and the players soon drew. | ½-½, 67 moves

Yoo came ready to press with the white pieces vs. Caruana | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Austin Fuller

The rest of the games ended in draws.

2022 U.S. Women’s Championship

FM Ashritha Eswaran vs. WGM Begim Tokhirjonova 0-1

In a double knight and double rook ending, WGM Begim Tokhirjonova’s knight pair danced through her opponent’s position, sinking into critical outposts and eventually winning material.

After winning the exchange, Tokhirjonova maintained her material advantage with the clever and picturesque 48…Nf2! The game continued 49.Rxd6 (if 49.Nxf2 Rxe3 or if 49.Kxf2 Rxe4) 49…Rxd6 50.Nxd6 Rd7, and Tokhirjonova went on to convert. | 0-1, 67 moves

Tokhirjonova has turned her tournament around with two wins in a row. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

WIM Megan Lee vs. WGM Thalia Cervantes 0-1

WGM Thalia Cervantes defeated WIM Megan Lee in bishop pair vs. bishop pair ending.

With 41…Bb7, Cervantes forced the trade of light-squared bishops and then soon won her opponent’s passed b-pawn after 42.Bxb7 Kxb7 43.Ba5 Bb6 44.Bb4 Bc7 45.Kf1 Kb6. | 0-1, 57 moves

Cervantes is on a three-game winning streak. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

WGM Jennifer Yu vs. IM Paikidze ½-½

WGM Yu vs. IM Paikidze was a topsy-turvy game with the advantage swinging between the two players several times. Yu won a pawn, but Paikidze gained a powerful attack. Yu defended actively and created a counterattack, leading to an explosive perpetual check finish.

Who’s attacking who? Yu played 44.f5!? when Paikidze countered with 44…Qa1+ 45.Kh2 Qf1 preparing to set up a checkmate threat on the first rank. Yu pressed her own attack with 46.fxe6+ Kg8 47.Nf4. When Paikidze played 47…Rc1 to threaten mate, Yu sacrificed her queen with 48.Qxc1 Qxc1 49.Nxd5. After 49…Qg5 50.e7, this wild game soon ended in a draw as the black queen perpetual checked White’s king. | ½-½, 55 moves

Yu vs. Paikidze was an incredibly hard-fought attacking draw. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

The remaining games finished with peaceful results.

Round 11 of the 2022 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships will take place on Monday, October 17, after the rest day. Watch the action live at 1:20pm CT with commentators GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, and GM Cristian Chirila.

Text by NM Vanessa West

Fabiano Caruana stays in sole lead; US Chess Championship Round 9 recap

nikita — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 07:38:32 +0000

GM Sam Shankland was the only player to gain ground in round 9, defeating GM Christopher Yoo to join the tie for third. GM Fabiano Caruana continues to lead with GM Ray Robson trailing by half a point. In the U.S. Women’s Championship, WGM Jennifer Yu leapfrogged into clear first with a victory over FM Ashritha Eswaran.

Check out the full replay of live coverage from the day here. The time control for the event is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game; with a 30-second increment starting from move 1.

U.S. Championship – Standings after Round 9

U.S. Women’s Championship – Standings after Round 9

2022 U.S. Championship

GM Fabiano Caruana vs. GM Awonder Liang ½-½

GM Awonder Liang continues to play entertaining chess, unleashing a fresh take on the “copycat trap” variation in the Petroff Defense vs. Caruana.

Liang played 3…Nxe5, falling into the “trap”. Caruana responded with 4.Qe2 and after 4…Qe7 (if 4…Nf6?? 5.Nc6+ wins Black’s queen―the main idea of the trap) 5.Qxe4 d6 6.d4 dxe5 7.dxe5 Nc6, the players fought for 77 moves before drawing. | ½-½, 77 moves

Is this for real? Caruana studies a position virtually every chess player learns as a beginner vs. fellow grandmaster Liang. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Austin Fuller

GM Sam Shankland vs. GM Christopher Yoo 1-0

In a Reverse Sicilian, 15-year-old GM Christopher Yoo made the fearless choice to sacrifice part of his king’s pawn cover to take away his opponent’s ability to castle. In the resulting wild game, Shankland’s king in the center proved to be safer than Yoo’s kingside castled one.

Yoo played the ambitious 13…f4 allowing Shankland to play 14.Bxh7+ Kh8. Though Shankland’s king was trapped in the center after 15.Bd2 Qe7+ 16.Kf1 Bg4, he gained sufficient attacking play with 17.Re1 Qf6 18.h4 | 1-0, 38 moves

2018 U.S. Champion Shankland is currently tied for third. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Austin Fuller

GM Leinier Dominquez vs. GM Sam Sevian ½-½

GM Leinier Dominquez certainly played for a win this round despite ultimately drawing. He pressed with an extra pawn and later even two, rejected multiple repetition draw offers, let his clock get as low as one second, and squeezed everything he could out of the opposite-color bishop ending for 113 moves vs. GM Sam Sevian.

Dominguez is a part of the huge tie for third, chasing Robson and Caruana. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Austin Fuller

The remaining four games ended in draws.

2022 U.S. Women’s Championship

WGM Begim Tokhirjonova vs. WIM Megan Lee 1-0

WGM Begim Tokhirjonova created a powerful passed pawn to win material vs. WIM Megan Lee.

Tokhirjonova played 33.Rd7!, activating the rook with the help of the passed c-pawn. Lee replied with 33…Rxd7 (if 33…Qb6 34.Rb7 Qc5 35.Qf6 or 33…Qc8 34.Rxa5), and the game continued 34.cxd7 Rd8 35.Bxc6 Rxd7 36.Bxd7 Qxd7 37.Rxa5 when White eventually won the rook vs. knight ending. | 1-0, 56 moves

Tokhirjonova resiliently bounces back from yesterday with a win. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

FM Ashritha Eswaran vs. WGM Jennifer Yu 0-1

When the players traded into an early ending from a Caro-Kann Defense, Yu organized her pieces effectively to create pressure against FM Ashritha Eswaran’s center.

With 22…Na4 Yu disturbs White’s c3-bishop to win the pawn on d4. Eswaran tried to counter with the exchange sacrifice 23.Rxe7. And after 23…Rxe7 24.Be1 Rxd4 Yu was ahead material with a more active position. | 0-1, 56 moves

Jennifer Yu has leapfrogged into clear first. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

WGM Thalia Cervantes vs. WGM Sabina Foisor 1-0

WGM Thalia Cervantes creatively surrounded her opponent’s king and started a powerful attack.

Cervantes cracked open Black’s kingside with 25.Bxg7! The game continued with 25…Qxg7 26.Nh6+ Kf8 27.Rxe4 e5 and Cervantes won material with 28.Rg4 Qh7 29.Rg8+ Ke7 30.Rg7+ Qxg7 31.Nf5+ | 1-0, 48 moves

Cervantes has won two games in a row. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

This was a rare round where there were more draws than decisive games.

Round 10 of the 2022 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships will take place on Saturday, October 15. Watch the action live at 1:20pm CT with commentators GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, and GM Cristian Chirila.

Caruana continues to lead by a full point; US Chess Championship Round 7 recap

nikita — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 08:17:35 +0000

GM Ray Robson upset GM Wesley So to break 2700 for the first time. He’s in clear second, trailing GM Fabiano Caruana by a point, who won again to reach plus four. In the U.S. Women’s Championship, WIM Megan Lee defeated WGM Jennifer Yu to replace her in the tie for first with GM Irina Krush.

Check out the full replay of live coverage from the day here. The time control for the event is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game; with a 30-second increment starting from move 1.

U.S. Championship – Standings after Round 7

U.S. Women’s Championship – Standings after Round 7

2022 U.S. Championship

GM Ray Robson vs. GM Wesley So 1-0

GM Ray Robson was well-prepared for the risky variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense employed by GM Wesley So, gaining a powerful kingside attack.

With 25.Nxf7+! Robson further opens up the black king. The game continued 25…Qxf7 26.Bxg6 Qe7 27.Qf2 f5 28.Rg1 Rg8 29.Rg5 and Robson soon overcame his opponent’s defense. | 1-0, 35 moves

Robson is now in clear second behind Caruana. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

GM Fabiano Caruana vs. GM Aleksandr Lenderman 1-0

GM Fabiano Caruana capitalized on a tactical opportunity vs. GM Aleksandr Lenderman.

Caruana took advantage of his opponent’s loose position with 31.Rxa5! The game continued 31…Re8 (if 31…Qxa5 32.Qxe6+) 32.Ra6 Qxd4 33.Rxe6 when White has an overwhelming advantage. | 1-0, 51 moves

Caruana continues to lead by a full point. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

GM Leinier Dominguez vs. GM Elshan Moradiabadi 1-0

To the shock of all watching, GM Leinier Dominguez won his game in just 10 moves. GM Elshan Moradiabadi employed the Petroff Defense, an opening he doesn’t usually play, and overlooked a tactical trap. In the post-game interview, Leinier described the game as very unusual.

Dominguez captured a knight with 10.Bxe4, and either way that Black recaptures loses material: 10…Qxe4 runs into a skewer with 11. Re1 while 10…Bxe4 meets 11.Nc3 Qf5 12.Nxe4 and again 12…Re1 wins the bishop on e7. | 1-0, 10 moves

Dominguez taking his scoresheet after his 20 minute victory vs. Moradiabadi. In the background, other players look at the game feed, bewildered. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

GM Dariusz Swiercz vs. GM Hans Niemann 1-0

GM Dariusz Swiercz defeated GM Hans Niemann in a dynamic attacking game. The game lasted only 2 hours, and Swiercz said in the post-game interview that he doesn’t feel tired but really good.

Swiercz sunk his knight into the appealing d6-outpost with 21.Nd6! Niemann eliminated the knight with 21…Bxd6, and after 22.Ng5 g6 23.exd6, all of White’s pieces create pressure in the center and around the weakened black kingside. | 1-0, 28 moves

After the rest day, Swiercz has jump started his tournament with two impressive victories in a row. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller

The other three games ended peacefully. For the first time, there were more decisive games than draws.

2022 U.S. Women’s Championship

WIM Megan Lee vs. WGM Jennifer Yu 1-0

WGM Jennifer Yu began expanding ambitiously on the queenside and center, launching the game into tactical mayhem. WIM Megan Lee countered actively, gained the upper hand, and simplified to a winning endgame.

After an explosion of dynamic play, Lee traded into a winning ending with 35.Qxb8+ Qxb8 36.Re8+ Rf8 37.Rxb8 Rxb8 38.Re8+ Rxe8 39.Bxe8 and emerged two pawns ahead in the bishop vs. knight endgame. | 1-0, 63 moves

Lee has now won two games in a row. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller

WGM Begim Tokhirjonova vs. WGM Tatev Abrahamyan 1-0

WGM Begim Tokhirjonova vs. WGM Tatev Abrahamyan was a tactical duel in the French Advanced.

With the tactical shot 25.Bg6! Tokhirjonova wins the exchange. If 25…Rf8 26.Bg5 traps Black’s queen. | 1-0, 37 moves

With this victory, Tokhirjonova is now tied for fourth. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

FM Ashritha Eswaran vs. WGM Sabina Foisor 1-0

FM Ashritha Eswaran responded with a deflection tactic when her opponent captured a poisoned pawn.

After her opponent captured a pawn with 23…Nxb3, Eswaran immediately noticed the tactical opportunity of 24.Bb2, deflecting the c3-rook from the defense of the b3-knight. | 1-0, 41 moves

After a challenging start, Eswaran’s win in round 4 has kicked off an incredible streak. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller

FM Alice Lee vs. FM Rochelle Wu 0-1

FM Rochelle Wu fought FM Alice Lee in a five hour plus game, eventually converting her extra pawn in the queen ending.

Towards the end of a long struggle with an extra pawn, Wu found the key idea of 55…Qg1. The threat of checkmate on h1 forces the white queen to move away from the critical b8-h2 diagonal. The game continued: 56.Qc6 Qf1+ 57.Kh2 Qe2+ 58.Kg1 and Wu played 58…f4!, breaking up the white pawn structure and winning a pawn: 59.gxf4 Qg4+ 60.Kf1 Qxf4+ 61.Ke2 Qxh4. | 0-1, 75 moves

Wu bounces back from a tough loss yesterday with her win today. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller

IM Paikidze vs. WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki 1-0

IM Paikidze gained her first victory of the tournament vs. WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki, gaining an extra pawn on the kingside out of the opening and later hunting down her opponent’s king.

IM Paikidze is a two-time U.S. Women’s Champion. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

For a second round in a row, five out of seven games finished decisively while the remaining two ended in draws.

Round 8 of the 2022 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships will take place on Thursday, October 13. Watch the action live at 1:20pm CT with commentators GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, and GM Cristian Chirila.

Fabiano Caruana grabs the sole lead; US Chess Championship Day 4 recap

nikita — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 07:42:10 +0000

GM Fabiano Caruana took over the sole lead of the U.S. Championship by defeating co-leader GM Hans Niemann. In the U.S. Women’s Championship, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan and WGM Jennifer Yu won to join FM Alice Lee for the lead.

Check out the full replay of live coverage from the day here. The time control for the event is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game; with a 30-second increment starting from move 1.

U.S. Championship – Standings after Round 4

U.S. Women’s Championship – Standings after Round 4

2022 U.S. Championship

GM Hans Niemann vs. GM Fabiano Caruana 0-1

GM Fabiano Caruana won a second game in a row against fellow tournament leader, GM Hans Niemann. Caruana carefully converted an extra pawn in a dramatic rook ending. Niemann had several chances to equalize the position in spite of material disadvantage, but luckily for Fabiano, he didn’t find a way to escape. “I feel exhausted… It was a very difficult game“, said Caruana in the post-game interview.

Continuing to press with his extra pawn, Caruana played 60…Rb3+ 61.Kh2 gxf4 62.Rxf4 Ke5, eliminated the e4-pawn, and eventually reached a Lucena position to win the ending. | 0-1, 48 moves

With this win, Caruana is the sole leader of the U.S. Championship after four rounds. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

GM Wesley So vs. GM Sam Shankland 1-0

GM Wesley So vs. GM Sam Shankland was a face off between the reigning U.S. Champion and the 2018 U.S. Champion. So sacrificed the exchange to wreck Shankland’s kingside structure, established a knight on the f5-outpost, and create a mating attack.

So played the exchange sacrifice 36.Rxf6!, ripping apart Black’s kingside structure. After 36…gxf6 37.Ng4 Kg7 38.Qd2 Rh8 39.exd5, the white knight soon found its way to the potent f5-outpost, creating a checkmating attack with the aid of the queen. | 1-0, 46 moves

This was the reigning champion’s first win of the tournament. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

GM Aleksandr Lenderman vs. GM Christopher Yoo 1-0

GM Aleksandr Lenderman also scored his first victory in round four, defeating GM Christopher Yoo in 70 moves. Yoo created pressure on the kingside while Lenderman focused on mopping up pawns on the queenside and then trading into a winning ending.

Lenderman captured his opponent’s last queenside pawn with 44.Qxa5. In response, Yoo focused on the kingside with 44…Bf3 45.Kg1 g4, and Lenderman counterattacked with 46.Rd5 Re8 (if 46…Qh6 to threaten checkmate, White plays 47.Rd8+ when it’s Black’s king that gets in trouble first. | 1-0, 70 moves

With this victory, Lenderman joins the 9-player tie for third. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

The remaining four games finished in draws.

2022 U.S. Women’s Championship

GM Irina Krush vs. FM Ashritha Eswaran 1-0

Eight-time U.S. Women’s Champion, GM Irina Krush, scored her first victory of the tournament against FM Ashritha Eswaran. With insightful maneuvering, Krush blockaded and then hunted down her opponent’s central passed pawns.

After 30.Rc1, Krush’s pieces are ideally placed. The c4-pawn will pawn and with it d4. | 1-0, 50 moves

With this win, Krush trails the leaders by half a point. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

WGM Jennifer Yu vs. WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki 1-0

WGM Jennifer Yu built up a powerful kingside attack against WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki, ending with a stunning checkmating combination.

Yu finished the game with an explosive five-move checkmate: 32.Nxg6+! fxg6 33.Rxh7+! Kxg8 34.Rxg7+ Kxg7 35.Qxg6+ Kh8 36.Qh7# | 1-0, 36 moves

Yu has had all decisive games so far, bouncing back from her loss yesterday to score her third victory today. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

WGM Tatev Abrahamyan vs. WGM Sabina Foisor

WGM Tatev Abrahamyan defeated WGM Sabina Foisor, gradually grinding down the former U.S. Women’s champion with an extra pawn in a rook and bishop ending.

With 44.Rb6+ Kf7 45.g5 Bxc3 g6+, Abrahamyan’s advanced passed g-pawn soon decided the game. | 1-0, 59 moves

Abrahamyan has scored two victories in a row to join the tie for first. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

IM Anna Zatonskih vs. WIM Megan Lee 1-0

Four-time U.S. Women’s Champion IM Anna Zatonskih gained her first victory this round against one of the tournament leaders, IM Megan Lee, in a positional duel.

With 39.Qf5 Zatonskih has gained a grip over the key outposts on c5 and f5, crippling Black’s position on both sides of the board. | 1-0, 66 moves

Zatonskih won the U.S. Women’s Championship in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

The rest of the games ended in draws.

Round 5 of the 2022 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships will take place tomorrow, October 9. Watch the action live at 1:20pm CT with commentators GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, and GM Cristian Chirila here.

Text by NM Vanessa West

US Chess Championship 2022 – Day 2 live

nikita — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 10:40:08 +0000

The 2022 U.S. Chess Championship and the US Women’s Chess Championship 2022 commenced yesterday in Saint Louis and are concurrently held from 5-20 October in Saint Louis Chess Club. Fourteen of the country’s strongest chess players battle for the national title and $60,000 in a classical round-robin event with Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian and Wesley So headlining the field which includes Hans Niemann as the 8th seed. The U.S. Women’s title is decided in an identical format with a $40,000 first prize, with GM Irina Krush, IM Anna Zatonskih and FM Ashritha Eswaran being the top seeds.

Hans Niemann and Samuel Sevian took early lead in the Men’s event, and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonov, Alice Lee, Megan Lee and Jennifer Yu co-lead the Women’s tournament. See the Round 1 report here

Pairings & Schdeule of all rounds / US Chess Championship 2022 LIVE games / US Women’s Chess Championship LIVE games

Day 2 live video coverage with commentaries by GMs Yasser Seirawan, Cristian Chirila, & WGM Anastasiya Karlovych:

Hans Niemann and Samuel Sevian take early lead in the US Chess Championship

nikita — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 07:03:04 +0000

2022 U.S. CHESS & WOMEN’S CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP – OPENING CEREMONY AND DAY 1 RECAP by NM Vanessa West

America’s strongest chess players enter to find fish swimming through a giant mechanical clock. Sharks loom above grandmasters. Chess celebrities are photographed before colossal projections of octopuses and jellyfish. Where are we? The opening ceremony for the 2022 U.S. Chess Championships held at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, a space of wonder and imagination, fitting to celebrate the ultimate game of the mind.

A swarm of chess strength at the St. Louis Aquarium. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller

In round 1, young grandmasters Sam Sevian and Hans Niemann took the lead as the only winners in the U.S. Championship. In the U.S. Women’s Championship, many of the players were out for glory, kicking off the tournament with four decisive games.

Check out the full replay of live coverage from the day here. The time control for the event is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game; with a 30-second increment starting from move 1.

U.S. Championship – Standings after Round 1

U.S. Women’s Championship – Standings after Round 1

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony began with a speech from Rex Sinquefield, co-founder of the Saint Louis Chess Club, welcoming US Chess to the city for their new headquarters. Rex went on to announce an ongoing expansion of the chess club, which parallels the current state of growth of American chess overall with GM Levon Aronian making his first appearance at the U.S. Championships, four players who’ve ranked within the world’s top ten competing, and a host of talented up-and-comers fighting for the crown.

Three notable chess figures were inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame: Daniel Willard Fiske, GM James Tarjan, and GM John Watson. Additionally, grandmasters Miguel Najdorf and Eugene Torre were inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. Tarjan and Torre gave sincere speeches offering insight into the history of chess. Lastly, to commence the U.S. Championships, the players drew lots by choosing from rows of stuffed otters and sharks.

Aronian drawing lots via choosing a stuffed shark at the opening ceremony. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller

2022 U.S. Championship

Sam Sevian vs Elshan Moradiabadi 1-0

Samuel Sevian reached the middlegame having a clear advantage. However, the game developed into a drawish endgame though Sam refused a repetition draw offer vs. GM Elshan Moradiabadi. Sevian pressed on for a win, provoking black’s crucial mistake 47…Rf2? and scored afterwards.

Although Moradiabadi came close to holding the balance, Sevian’s 50.Ra7 was a turning point. After 50…gxf5 51.g6, Black has to give up material to prevent Rh7#. | 1-0, 61 moves

Sevian begins the tournament tied for the lead with Niemann | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller

Hans Niemann vs Christopher Yoo 1-0

Niemann got the better of GM Christopher Yoo in a highly dynamic and chaotic middlegame. Going through time trouble, Niemann managed to keep his advantage throughout when 15-year-old made a decisive mistake with 36.e6?? Hans grabbed his chance and scored a victory that secured him an early co-lead in the tournament.

A 19-year-old grandmaster who is in limelight for the last couple of weeks joined the live studio for the post-game interview, sending a short but strong message: “Chess speaks for itself”.

With 40…Re8, Niemann consolidates his material advantage, and his active rooks take over. | 0-1, 55 moves

In his interview after the round, Niemann’s only comment on the game was, “It was such a beautiful game I don’t need to describe it.” | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

All of the other games ended peacefully.

2022 U.S. Women’s Championship

FM Alice Lee vs FM Ashritha Eawaran 1-0

Newcomer and youngest competitor, FM Alice Lee, gained the very first victory of the event in a thrilling game vs. FM Ashritha Eswaran.

In the opening, Eswaran delayed development to push her kingside pawns up the board toward Lee’s castled king. Lee responded by running her king back towards the center, allowing Eswaran to break into her kingside and gain a rook on the seventh. With both kings in the center, the game spun into chaos with both sides attacking each other when Lee discovered a beautiful tactical sequence.

With 25…d4! Black indirectly defends the b7-bishop (if 26.Rxb7? Qh1+) while opening its diagonal to enhance the king attack. After 26.exd4 Qh1+ 27.Ke2 Bf3+ 28.Kd3 Be4+ Lee won decisive material. | 0-1, 37 moves

A powerful first game for twelve-year-old Lee at her U.S. Women’s Championship debut | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

WGM Begim Tokhirjonov vs WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki 1-0

WGM Begim Tokhirjonov trapped WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki’s bishop in the middlegame and then capped off her victory with a picturesque mating combination.

Tokhirjonova checkmated with 36.Qxg7+! Qxg7 37. Re8# | 1-0, 37 moves

Tokhirjonova starts her second appearance at the U.S. Women’s with a victory | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

WGM Jennifer Yu vs IM Anna Zatonskih 1-0

The last game to finish was well worth the wait. Jennifer Yu displayed stunning endgame technique with just seconds left on her clock to defeat second seed IM Anna Zatonskih after over five hours of battle.

Just as it looked like Zatonskih might be escaping with a draw, Yu played the subtle yet decisive 78…Rg5! (if 78…Rxg6 79.hxg6 h5 80.Kf7 h4 81. Kxg7 both sides promote). And after 79.Rxg5 hxg5 80.Kf5 g4 Yu’s passed g-pawn quickly promoted. | 0-1, 84 moves

Yu fought for hours to convert her extra pawn into the full point | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes

WIM Megan Lee vs FM Rochelle Wu 1-0

WIM Megan Lee scored an upset victory against FM Rochelle Wu while the rest of the games ended in draws.

Round 2 of the 2022 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships will take place today, October 6. Watch the action live at 1:20pm CT with commentators GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, and GM Cristian Chirila here.

The US Women’s Team for 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 announced

nikita — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 10:09:08 +0000

The US Chess Federation confirmed the composition of the National Open team a day after Wesley So revealed the squad in the interview at the Norway Chess 2022 and announced who will compose the Women’s Team in the upcoming 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai.

The US Women’s Team:

The American women’s team has an average FIDE rating of 2372, which would put them within the top dozen teams in India. The team will be captained by Armenian-American GM Melikset Khachiyan and the coach of the team will be GM Alejandro Ramirez.

We present to you the 2022 U.S. Olympiad teams! ?@FIDE_chess @Kasparov_Chess @STLChessClub https://t.co/LNFm3uLxz0
— US Chess (@USChess) June 2, 2022

A number of countries already revealed the composition of their teams for Chennai, such as: Norway, England, Germany, Spain, Serbia, USA, Netherlands, Montenegro, Monaco, Kenya, India, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Malawi, South Sudan, Mongolia, Argentina, Rwanda …
The 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai will be the record-breaking Chess Olympiad as already 187 teams enrolled for the event. In the previous Chess Olympiad held in Baku in 2018, the participation record of team numbers was set with 176 countries, 184 teams in Open section, and 150 teams in the Women’s section. With more time left before the registrations are closed for Chennai, it is almost ensured that the new participants record will be broken. Read more about the new record here

Saint Louis Norm Congress 2022 LIVE

nikita — Fri, 20 May 2022 13:46:22 +0000

The 2022 Saint Louis Norm Congress takes place from 18-25 May in the Saint Louis Chess Club, Saint Louis, Missouri.

The invitational norm IM and GM tournaments bring together 20 players to compete for cash prizes and the chance to earn Grandmaster and International Master norms. Both IM and GM events are played as 10-player round robin tournaments, with the total prize fund of 15.000$.

The field of the GM event is completed with: GM Christopher Repka, GM Vladimir Belous, IM Viktor Matviishen, IM David Brodsky, IM Ivan Schitco, IM Balaji Daggupati, GM Joshua Dani Ruiz Castillo, FM Evan Park, IM Konstantin Kavutskiy and IM Josiah Stearman.

The participants of the IM event are: FM Joshua Posthuma, IM Aaron Grabinsky, IM Matyas Marek, WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, FM Alice Lee, FM Gabriela Antova, FM Jennifer Yu, FM Ezra Paul Chambers, Julian Proleiko and IM Pedro Rodriguez Rivera.

All the games can be followed live through Chessdom.com: