US Champ R9: Forfeit?!

The 2015 U.S. Championship is an elite national championship event, featuring 12 of the strongest chess players in America. Over the course of eleven rounds, these competitors will battle for $175,000 in prize money, qualification into the World Championship cycle, and the coveted title of 2015 U.S. Champion.

U.S. Chess Championship - Round Nine

Table	White	Rating	Black	Rating	Result
1	GM Kamsky, Gata	2683	GM Troff, Kayden W	2532	½-½
2	GM So, Wesley	2788	GM Akobian, Varuzhan	2622	0-1
3	GM Naroditsky, Daniel	2633	GM Holt, Conrad	2530	1-0
4	GM Shankland, Samuel L	2661	GM Onischuk, Alexander	2665	½-½
5	GM Sevian, Samuel	2531	GM Robson, Ray	2656	½-½
6	GM Nakamura, Hikaru	2798	GM Gareev, Timur	2604	½-½

So, Wesley 0-1 Akobian, Varuzhan
An absolutely shocking development in the tournament. Wesley So, one of the pre-tournament favorites, has definitely had a rough going in his first U.S. Championship. However nothing prepared him or the audience for what happened.

Wesley So is a player that sometimes gives himself encouraging words or reminders by writing them down on his scoresheet. He had done this twice during this U.S. Championship and in both occasions the chief arbiter, Tony Rich, had warned him that this was against the FIDE rules of chess.

In today's round So wrote something on another piece of paper, not his scoresheet, but that arose suspicion from Akobian as this is again against FIDE rules. The arbiter decided to forfeit So, and the full point was given to Akobian. You can see our shocked reactions in the commentary room in the following video, starting at around minute 37. The arbiter, Tony Rich, explains his stance at minute 46:

The shortest decisive game in the history of this tournament

At being informed by Chief Arbiter Tony Rich, Wesley So pockets the source of controversy

Wesley So has appealed the decision of Tony Rich

Do you think the forfeiture was warranted? Send us your feedback!

Update:

Wesley So has posted the following on his Facebook fan page

It is reported that Tony Rich consulted Franc Guadalupe, Zonal President and one of the most experienced arbiters in the country, before reaching the decision of forfeiting So. With the decision appealed it will be up to the committee to determine if the ruling stands or if there will be some sort of solution reached for the game before the tournament is over. The appeals committee of this tournament is comprised of IM Rusudan Goletiani, GM Varuzhan Akobian and GM Benjamin Finegold. Since Varuzhan cannot be expected to make an unbiased decision, the decision will fall on the other two members. In case of a tie a third neutral party will be called in.

We will keep you updated with the decision of the committee as well as the reactions from grandmasters and players around the World.

Kamsky, Gata ½-½ Troff, Kayden

[Event "U.S. Championship 2015"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.04.10"] [Round "9"] [White "Kamsky, Gata"] [Black "Troff, Kayden W"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A48"] [WhiteElo "2683"] [BlackElo "2532"] [Annotator "Josh Friedel"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceDate "2015.02.07"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. c3 d6 5. h3 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 c5 8. O-O b6 9. Bh2 Bb7 10. a4 a6 11. Qb3 {Kamsky has a lot of experience here, and he's played this exact move before. He delays the development of the b1 knight in case he wants to play c4-Nc3.} Qc7 12. Rd1 Rac8 13. Na3 Qc6 {A new move by Troff. This immobilizes the f3 knight and unpins the d pawn..} 14. Nc4 Qd5 15. Ra3 {This move looks really weird, but it is necessary to keep the queen defended.} (15. Ncd2 Qxb3 16. Nxb3 {and White really can't hope for much.}) 15... Qc6 {The queen no longer makes sense on d5, but the rook doesn't exactly inspire confidence on a3.} 16. Ncd2 Qc7 {Kayden backtracks with the queen, which looks strange considering he played Qc6-d5 before, but it probably isn't so bad.} (16... Ne4 {is a possible alternative, as in general simplification helps Black due to his lack of space.}) 17. c4 {Probably not a bad move, but I don't think it was necessary to rush with it.} (17. Bf1 {I like this small improving move, seeing what Black is up to next move. For example, if} Qb8 18. c4 {becomes a lot nicer.} cxd4 19. exd4 e5 {runs into} 20. c5 $1 bxc5 21. dxe5 {with serious problems for Black.}) 17... cxd4 18. exd4 e5 (18... a5 {is another approach, as the weak b5 square is hard to take advantage of.}) 19. a5 {Kamsky tries to loosen Troff's structure.} exd4 20. axb6 $6 (20. Qb4 $1 {was more accurate, applying pressure on d6.}) 20... Qc6 $2 (20... Qc5 {looks simple and strong, taking away the b4 square.}) 21. Qa4 $6 {Kamsky wants to prepare b4, but I think the more direct Qb4 was a little cleaner.} (21. Qb4 { Once again, simple and good.} Rfe8 22. Bf1 d5 {looks okay for Black, but White has} 23. c5 $1 Nxc5 24. Nxd4 {and I think White is slightly better due to the nice blockade and b6 pawn.}) 21... Qxb6 22. b4 Rfe8 23. Bf1 Nb8 $5 {An interesting idea, trying to reroute the knight to c6 in order to defend and attack.} 24. Qa5 Qxa5 25. Rxa5 Ne4 26. Nxe4 Bxe4 {Black's strong bishops help to compensate for his weak pawns.} 27. Bxd6 Red8 28. Bc5 $6 {This move is very awkward.} (28. c5 Nc6 29. Rxa6 Nxb4 30. Ra3 {looks about equal.}) 28... Bc2 $1 29. Rd2 d3 {Now Black wins an exchange.} 30. Ra3 Bb2 31. Ra2 Bc3 32. Rdxc2 dxc2 33. Rxc2 Bf6 {Black won an exchange, but if White can mobilize the queenside he'll hardly be worse.} 34. Be2 $6 {Preventing Rd1, but this move is slow.} ( 34. Be3 {was the move I prefered during the game, with the idea that on} Rd1 35. g3 Rb1 {White has} 36. Nd2 $1 (36. Bd2 Nc6 {is more dangerous.}) 36... Rxb4 37. Ne4 Be5 38. Ra2 {and Black will have a hard time converting his exchange.}) 34... Nc6 $2 {This throws away his chances.} (34... a5 $1 {and White's bishop is very poorly placed. Na6 is the threat, and for example if} 35. Bb6 (35. Ra2 Nd7 36. Rxa5 Nxc5 37. bxc5 Ra8 {and Black should be winning once c5 is won.}) 35... axb4 $1 36. Bxd8 b3 $1 37. Rd2 b2 {White has to take on b2.}) 35. Ra2 Bc3 36. Ra4 $1 {Kamsky defends accurately, and now I think it is very close to a draw.} Re8 37. Bf1 Re4 38. Bd3 Re6 39. Bf1 Nb8 40. Be3 Re4 41. Bd3 Rexc4 { Kayden sacs the exchange back, with a dead drawn position. Gata had some slight pressure, but it was defused well.} 1/2-1/2

Naroditsky, Daniel 1-0 Holt, Conrad
Holt's favourite way of handling 1.e4 is his pet Winawer variation in the French, which leads to crazy sharp positions. Today's game against Naroditsky followed two of Holt's games into a deep theoretical line. Black's exchange sacrifice was not sufficient this time to stop the initiative, and White won an exchange. Despite missing a brilliant tactical win in time trouble, Naroditsky's position was good enough to slowly torture Black in an endgame. Holt made it easy for his opponent by putting the king on the wrong side of the board, and Naroditsky took a very important moral victory.

Shankland, Daniel ½-½ Onischuk, Alexander
Following a long game between Aronian and Grischuk from 2012, Onischuk uncorked a novelty late into the game. It was more than sufficient to equalize and Shankland simplified into a draw before anything bad happened.

Shankland was unable to breach Onischuk's defenses

Sevian, Sam ½-½ Robson, Ray

[Event "U.S. Championship 2015"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.04.10"] [Round "9"] [White "Sevian, Samuel"] [Black "Robson, Ray"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B81"] [WhiteElo "2531"] [BlackElo "2656"] [Annotator "Josh Friedel"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceDate "2015.02.07"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. g4 {You don't see many Keres Attacks these days.} h6 7. h3 Nc6 8. f4 $6 {Very unusual and risky looking.} (8. Be3 {is the main move.}) 8... Qc7 $6 {Robson decides to let Sam off with a warning.} (8... d5 9. e5 Nd7 10. Be3 Bc5 {looks like an amazing french for Black.}) 9. Be3 a6 {Now it looks like a normal position for an h3 Najdorf.} 10. Bg2 Be7 11. Qf3 {Less natural than Qe2, but in some positions Qg3 is a nice option to have.} Nxd4 12. Bxd4 e5 13. Be3 exf4 14. Bxf4 Be6 {A typical transformation of the position. The pawn on d6 is a major weakness for Black, but there is compensation based on queenside play and the silly-looking bishop on g2.} 15. O-O-O Rc8 16. Qg3 O-O 17. Kb1 (17. Bxd6 Bxd6 18. Qxd6 Qa5 19. a3 {looks playable for White, but Black will have compensation after} Rxc3 $1 20. bxc3 Rc8 {with scary play against the king.}) 17... Rfd8 18. Rhe1 b5 19. Rd2 Bf8 $6 {Ray allows a strong idea for White.} (19... Bc4 $1 {was best, as pointed out by Hikaru at a glance. The idea is that now after Nd5 you can easily take with the knight and there is no bad bishop on e6.}) 20. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 21. exd5 {Black should be suffering a little here, and a lot more if White every gets things started on the kingside.} Re8 22. Rf1 $6 {I don't like giving up the file so easily.} (22. Qf2 {looks more pleasant for White.}) 22... Ne4 23. Bxe4 Rxe4 {Black has good counterplay now, as despite the sad-looking f8 bishop White's pieces are awkward.} 24. Rdf2 Rce8 25. Bd2 f6 $6 {The bishop on f8 weeps. This move might be okay, but it looks unnecessary.} (25... R8e7 { looks playable to me, followed by going after d5.}) 26. Qd3 $6 (26. h4 { Attack! I'm sure Sam was scared off by something, but this looks very promising.}) 26... Qc5 (26... Qc4 $1 27. Qxc4 Rxc4 {and the d5 pawn won't be so easy to hold onto.}) 27. Rf4 Re2 28. a3 R8e5 29. Rd4 {This looks awkward, but it isn't so easy for Black to crack.} Rg2 30. Bb4 Qc7 31. Re4 Rg3 $1 {It is key Black doesn't give up the e-rook, or else the weak light squares will be telling.} 32. Qxg3 Rxe4 33. Re1 Qc4 34. Rd1 Re5 (34... Re2 35. Qd3 Qxd3 36. Rxd3 Rf2 {followed by f5 should give Black sufficient counterplay.}) 35. Qf3 Be7 (35... Re2 $1) 36. b3 Qe4 37. Qxe4 Rxe4 {This ending is also about equal. The bishop on e7 is ugly, but it is hard to take advantage of it.} 38. Rd3 (38. Re1 {I'd trade the rooks, but after} Rxe1+ 39. Bxe1 g6 {and f5 a draw is still a likely result.}) 38... Kf7 39. Rc3 Rd4 40. Rc6 Rxd5 41. Rxa6 {Adventurous.} h5 42. a4 bxa4 43. bxa4 hxg4 44. hxg4 {This look double-edged, but Black's kingside should cancel out the a-pawn.} g5 45. Rc6 f5 46. gxf5 Rxf5 47. Rc4 { Sam correctly guards against the g-pawn advance. Both sides keep playing, but it is clear the position will be simplified soon enough.} Ke6 48. Re4+ Kd7 49. c4 Bf6 50. Kc2 Rf2+ 51. Bd2 Be5 52. Kd3 Bf4 {and the players decide to call it a day. A very solid game from both players, with Sam missing only one or two chances for an edge.} 1/2-1/2

Nakamura, Hikaru ½-½ Gareev, Timur
A dubious pawn sacrifice from Nakamura, who obtained some compensation for it but no real hope for an advantage. The position was not easy for Black to make progress in, but he was definitely not worse. Gareev decided to take a second pawn, allowing Nakamura a repetition. The draw seemed like a fair result, but Nakamura admitted it would simply have been unpleasant had Gareev decided to play on.

Gareev was a fraction late to the game, not an immediate forfeiture by U.S. Championship rules

Tomorrow there will be a huge match-up in the Open section as the two leaders, Nakamura and Robson, will face each other in the potentially deciding game of the tournament.

The former Uzbek player notices something wrong... in the back Tony Rich starts talking to Wesley So

Daniel King analyses the game Nakamura vs Gareev

Pairings for Round Ten

Table	White	Rating	Black	Rating
1	GM Troff, Kayden W	2532	GM Gareev, Timur	2604
2	GM Robson, Ray	2656	GM Nakamura, Hikaru	2798
3	GM Onischuk, Alexander	2665	GM Sevian, Samuel	2531
4	GM Holt, Conrad	2530	GM Shankland, Samuel L	2661
5	GM Akobian, Varuzhan	2622	GM Naroditsky, Daniel	2633
6	GM Kamsky, Gata	2683	GM So, Wesley	2788

Standings

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U.S. Women's Championship - Round Nine

Table	White	Score	Rating	Black	Score	Rating	Result
1	WGM Foisor, Sabina	4.0	2235	WCM Virkud, Apurva	3.0	2132	1-0
2	WIM Ni, Viktorija	4.5	2188	WGM Nemcova, Katerina	6.5	2279	½-½
3	IM Paikidze, Nazi	5.0	2333	WFM Yu, Jennifer R	2.0	2180	1-0
4	GM Krush, Irina	6.0	2477	WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev	4.5	2322	1-0
5	IM Goletiani, Rusudan	5.0	2311	FM Melekhina, Alisa	2.0	2235	½-½
6	WGM Sharevich, Anna	4.0	2267	WIM Wang, Annie	1.5	1901	½-½

Foisor, Sabina 1-0 Virkud, Apurva
Foisor simply squashed Virkud. Black had no counterplay at any point of the game and her king position was way too weak to think she had a playable position.

Ni, Viktorija ½-½ Nemcova, Katerina
A typical English position in which White went on the queenside and Black went on the kingside. Neither side was able to prove any real superiority and the draw seemed like a fair result.

Nemcova finishes with two strong pairings in the last rounds: Paikidze and Krush

[Event "U.S. Womens Championship 2015"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.04.10"] [Round "9"] [White "Ni, Viktorija"] [Black "Nemcova, Katerina"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2188"] [BlackElo "2279"] [Annotator "Josh Friedel"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceDate "2015.02.07"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. a3 {A tricky sideline, discouraging the natural Bb4.} g6 {Black finds another way to develop her bishop.} 5. d3 Bg7 6. Bg5 {Slightly unusual. If I had to guess, Viktoria wanted to discourage d5. I wouldn't trust my guesses, however.} (6. g3 {is more typical.}) 6... h6 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 8. g3 O-O 9. Bg2 Bg7 10. O-O d6 {We've reached a typical English position now.} 11. Rb1 a5 $6 {This move looks like the wrong approach. While it is common to play this to discourage b4, White is prepared to play it anyway, and so it effectively loses a tempo. Also, while the open a-file seems to be Black's, given White's extra space on that wing it is nearly impossible to keep in the long term.} 12. b4 {Amusingly, we've now directly transposed into a variation of the English.} axb4 13. axb4 Be6 14. Nd5 $6 {I'm not positive the knight wants to be there.} (14. b5 Ne7 15. Qc2 {followed by Nd2 looks like a logical course of action, taking a firm control of the light squares.}) 14... Qd7 $6 (14... Ne7 {takes better advantage of White's move order.} 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Nd2 c6 {and now after} 17. b5 d5 {Black is maybe even a little better. }) 15. Nd2 Ra2 $6 {Once again, not the right approach. Black can almost never hold this file.} (15... f5 {looks typical, getting some counterplay going on the kingside.}) 16. b5 Nd8 17. Nb3 $6 {The knight looks very strange here to me.} (17. Nc3 $1 {is what I like, since the knight no longer belongs on d5.} Ra3 18. Qc1 {and the rook gets shooed away.}) 17... c6 18. Nb4 {Another funny square, but I understand Viktoria wanting to hit the c6 square.} (18. Nc3) 18... Ra8 19. bxc6 bxc6 20. Qd2 (20. Qc2 {I prefer the queen here, controlling the queenside better and allowing for Nd2 if required}) 20... Bh3 $6 {It is almost paradoxical, but I don't think the bishop exchange favors Black here.} ( 20... h5 $5 {threatening h4 is an interesting try.}) (20... f5 {would be a standard move.}) 21. Rfd1 $2 {This move is hard to understand, and gives Black a much needed tempo.} (21. Bxh3 Qxh3 {The queen is out of play on h3, and now after} 22. c5 d5 23. Ra1 {White will be able to create play against the c6 pawn. I'm not certain Vika is better here, but I like her position more than I did before.}) 21... Bxg2 22. Kxg2 f5 $6 {Logical, but not the most useful move. } (22... Ne6 $1 {fixing her knight and discouraging c5 looks great for Black.}) 23. c5 {The correct approach. Note how with a bishop on g2 this move makes far less sense.} d5 24. d4 e4 25. f4 $1 {Without this move, White is actually much worse. It is key to prevent Black from playing Ne6-f4.} exf3+ {I was surprised by this move during the game, but after glancing at it more closely it makes sense. The d4 pawn is a much more attackable weakness now.} 26. exf3 f4 {I'm not sure putting the pawns on dark squares is the way to go.} (26... Ne6 {I like a little better.}) 27. g4 Ne6 28. Re1 Ra3 $6 {Another mistimed rook infiltration by Nemcova. This forces Vika to do what she wants to do anyway.} ( 28... Rfb8 29. Nc2 h5 {looks dangerous for White, as h3 allows Qe7-h4.}) 29. Nc2 Raa8 $6 (29... Ra4 {keeping an eye on d4 looks slightly better.}) 30. Qd3 Qf7 31. Re2 {The position looks balanced again.} h5 32. h3 $6 (32. gxh5 gxh5 33. Kh1 {followed by Rg1 looks very reasonable for White.}) 32... hxg4 33. hxg4 Rae8 34. Rbe1 Bf6 $6 (34... Qf6 {threatening Qh4 looks a lot more accurate.}) 35. Nb4 Nd8 {Now I slightly prefer White.} 36. Rxe8 $6 {I don't see any reason to liquidate.} (36. Na5 {piling on the pressure forces Black to play more accurately.} Bh4 $1 {is the key move, and now after} 37. Rxe8 Rxe8 38. Re2 { maybe White can play a bit, but realistically this should be drawn as well, for instance after} Re3 $1 39. Rxe3 fxe3 40. Qxe3 Qc7 {with Qg3 coming.}) 36... Rxe8 37. Rxe8+ Qxe8 38. Qd2 {Now it is a dead draw.} Ne6 39. Na5 Nxd4 40. Naxc6 {This looks exciting, but White's king is too exposed to do anything.} Nxc6 41. Qxd5+ Kg7 42. Nxc6 Qe2+ {A perp is forced now.} 43. Kg1 Qe1+ 44. Kg2 Qe2+ 45. Kg1 Qe1+ {A game with no blunders but quite a few small inaccuracies. Nemcova probably wishes she did a little more with her position.} 1/2-1/2

Paikidze, Nazi 1-0 Yu, Jennifer
Another incredibly one sided game. Yu decided to take a pawn on g3, which was a very risky decision. Her follow-up was nearly senseless as with every move Paikidze built a huge initiative while Black did nothing. It is not surprising that soon afterwards all of Yu's pieces were hanging and that was basically the end of the game.

Another easy game for Nazi Paikidze, who is now third

Krush, Irina 1-0 Abrahamyan, Tatev
An incredibly important result as now Krush is able to catch the leader, Nemcova, with two decisive games left in the tournament.

[Event "U.S. Womens Championship 2015"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.04.10"] [Round "9"] [White "Krush, Irina"] [Black "Abrahamyan, Tatev"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E32"] [WhiteElo "2477"] [BlackElo "2322"] [Annotator "Josh Friedel"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceDate "2015.02.07"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. Nf3 {Irina usually plays the main line with a3, but Nf3 is a very common sideline.} c5 6. dxc5 Na6 7. g3 Nxc5 8. Bg2 b6 {Black finishes her development in the most natural way.} (8... Nce4 { is the main alternative.}) 9. O-O Bb7 10. Nb5 {This is considered White's only hope to play for advantage.} Be4 11. Qd1 a6 $5 {It looks strange to provoke the knight on d6, but the idea is very concrete.} 12. Nd6 Bc6 13. Bg5 $5 {A rare move, played just once by GM Fridman. The idea is to give up ideas of controling d6 in order to harass Black with the pin.} Nce4 {The most human move.} (13... h6 $2 {was played by Fridman's opponent, but this loses to} 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. a3 {and the bishop on b4 is embarassed.}) (13... Na4 {is what the computer likes, and now it wants} 14. Nxf7 $5 Rxf7 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Nxf7 Kxf7 17. Kxg2 b5 {wiith a strange position.}) 14. Nxe4 Bxe4 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Ra7 {The only way to guard d7.} 17. Bxf6 gxf6 {Forced.} 18. Nd3 Be7 { White's advantage is nothing serious, but I slightly prefer her position due to Black's drafty king.} 19. e4 Rc7 20. Qb3 {I can't quite call this mistake, but this looks like a strange square for the queen.} (20. b3 b5 21. cxb5 axb5 22. Nf4 {looks normal to me, with the idea of Qf3-Nh5.}) 20... Qb8 21. a4 { Irina stops b5, but Tatev simply improves her pieces. Note how the queen on b3 looks strange.} Rfc8 22. Rac1 Rc6 $1 {Tatev slowly builds on the queenside. Now Qc7 is a move White has to contend with.} 23. Rfd1 Qc7 {Tatev plays simply. } (23... Qb7 {looks more clever, making White think about f5 moves, and trying to provoke f3 from White.}) 24. Nf4 Rxc4 (24... d6 {The computer likes this move, but after} 25. Nh5 Rxc4 26. Qe3 {I'd be very uncomfortable.}) 25. Rxd7 { Clearly best.} (25. Rxc4 Qxc4 26. Qxc4 Rxc4 27. Rxd7 Kf8 {and only Black can be better.}) 25... Qxd7 {Also the correct decision.} (25... Rxc1 $2 26. Rxc7 R1xc7 27. Qxb6 {looks awful for Black, as there are dangers on both the kingside and queenside.}) 26. Rxc4 Rxc4 27. Qxc4 {The position is roughly equal, but with Black's king still open White has the easier position to play.} b5 28. axb5 axb5 (28... Qxb5 $6 29. Qxb5 axb5 30. Kf3 {would be unwise for Black, due to White's better king and pawn structure.}) 29. Qd3 Qc6 {Both sides are playing accurate chess.} 30. f3 {This move opens the king a little, but otherwise f5 was a threat.} (30. Qf3 {looks reasonable, but after} Qc5 31. Nh5 Qe5 {Black should be safe.}) 30... b4 31. Kh3 Qc1 {Tatev goes after the b-pawn, allowing Irina to go after her king. This should be fine objectively, but she has to be precise.} (31... Qc5 32. Qd7 Kg7 {and keeping everything secure draws more simply.}) 32. Qd7 Bf8 33. Qd8 Qxb2 34. Nh5 {Both sides have played a high quality game thus far, but Tatev's next move throws away half a point.} b3 $2 (34... Qc1 $1 {Holds the draw, since after} 35. f4 (35. Nxf6+ Kg7 36. Nd7 {Black has} Qh6+ 37. Kg2 Qd2+ {with a perpetual.}) 35... Qc5 36. Nxf6+ Kg7 37. e5 {looks scary, but after} b3 38. Ne8+ Kg8 39. Qg5+ Kh8 40. Nf6 Bg7 { White can't make any threats.}) (34... h6 {also holds the draw by covering the g5 square.}) 35. Nxf6+ Kg7 36. Nd7 {Now Black has no way to defend against White's threats.} Qa3 (36... Bd6 37. Qg5+ Kh8 38. Nf6 {wins.}) 37. Qg5+ Kh8 38. Qe5+ $1 {The key move.} Kg8 (38... Bg7 39. Qb8+ Bf8 40. Nxf8 Kg7 41. Nd7 { easily wins, with Qe5 coming next and similar mating threats.}) 39. Nf6+ Kh8 40. Qh5 {A very well played game by both players until the blunder with 34... b3. Playing with an open king requires extreme caution until the end, and one slip was enough to cost Tatev her half point.} 1-0

Goletiani, Rusudan ½-½ Melekhina, Alisa
Goletiani was definitely outplayed by Melekhina. Black obtained a powerful passed pawn on c3 that gave her a strong initiative as White was never able to do anything active without letting that pawn queen. In the final position Melekhina bizarrely allowed a three fold repetition, though she had a winning blow.

A big missed opportunity for Alisa Melekhina

Sharevich, Anna ½-½ Wang, Annie
An up and down game. Wang had the better of the opening and it seemed as if she was handily outplaying Sharevich, but she was unable to finish off her opponent and may even have been lucky to draw at the end.