What can one say about round four and the shock loss by Fabiano Caruana? In a sense it was a gratifying reminder that even the greatest players in the world can make the same mistakes beginners are warned against. It wasn’t a matter of overlooking a basic tactic or point by the opponent. The world no.2 seemed so caught up in his desire to win the game and take over the tournament, possibly to read a headline along the lines of “Faby wins again and is sole leader!” instead of the one that actually resides at the top.
It wasn't for lack of trying, but rather for trying too hard that Fabiano had to swallow the bitter pill of defeat at the hands of Zviad Izoria. | Photo: Austin Fuller
The Challenger came out swinging and full of gumption as he pressed forward against his much lower-rated opponent, but as Izoria explained after: he was not really intimidated, despite acknowledging Caruana’s superiority, since he did not have any real expectations. He played solidly and with resourcefulness, as demonstrated in the game. The warning signs to not overdo it were all there, but were not heeded and Fabiano’s stubbornness ended up costing him the point. Still, if that lesson needed reinforcing, then it might as well be here rather than at a crucial point in his forthcoming match.
A setback no doubt, but one that can easily be overcome. It was still satisfying seeing Caruana show so much spirit, and no one wants to see it diminished, just tempered with a bit of patience perhaps.
Still, this opened the way for others to grab a spot on the makeshift podium, and one player to seize his chance was Sam Shankland. Shankland faced Ray Robson, a player who is a constant danger to all his opponents. He is a very unconventional player with extremely resourceful and creative ideas, and as Shankland explained after, he has learned to be very careful about judging moves his own understanding would label as idiotic, since even with several such moves he has found himself lost against Robson in the past. This time, whatever the reality, the game did not go Ray’s way, and after a fairly smooth win, Shankland joined the leaders Wesley So and Varuzha Akobian, both of whom drew, with 3.0/4.
Ray Robson is renowned for his creativity and resourcefulness | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The youngest player among the men, GM Awonder Liang, was received with plenty of praise by the live commentators GM Maurice Ashley, WGM Jennifer Shahade, and GM Yasser Seirawan for his third draw. This might seem like a bit of irony either on their part or mine, but hardly. The reason is that those draws were against the top seeds in the event, the Big Three. In fact, in at least two of them, the young prodigy had not only emerged from the scuffle unscathed but with chances of his own for more. In fact, Awonder explained that having no prior experience against such players, he had been more than happy to play solid and take the draw, but now was beginning to feel a bit of regret for not trying for more. Still, his approach cannot be faulted and caution was the right course in such circumstances, He should have plenty of opportunities in the future to prove his worth, at the very least in a future US Championship.
WGM Jennifer Shahade and GM Yasser Seirawan have been a success story in helping make the live coverage so enjoyable to watch | Photo: Austin Fuller
Frankly, the round four report on the US Women’s Championship could just as easily have been dubbed “White to play and win” considering the lopsided results of the day. Not only did all six games end in a decisive result, but five of them were wins by white. The one black sheep in that 'white' wash was Irina Krush’s victory with black over Maggie Feng.
Among the many fun games to watch, the first would have to be Nazi Paikidze’s impressive win over Anna Sharevich. Sharevich had enjoyed 15 minutes of fame with a swift win over Irina Krush, including a nice conclusion to boot, but today she was on the receiving end of a similar game. Their game began as a very unorthodox continuation in the Caro-Kann Two Knights, and Paikidze showed herself to not only be in a very belligerent mood, but an inspired one as well. A well-timed battering ram in Black’s centre and king with 18.d5! Left Black’s king stuck in the centre and the rook on d7 hopelessly pinned. It was an impressive performance by the 2016 champion, seeking a repeat of that success, and who continues to lead with 3½/4.
Nazi Paikidze arriving at the venue in the photogenic surroundings | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Hers was not the only big result of the day as 15-year-old Annie Wang also overcame her fellow junior, Jennifer Yu, after a marathon 106 moves. Wang had started the game with an advantage, but eventually squandered it, almost getting into trouble herself, when Yu failed time and time again to draw the game safely, and finally went astray. As a result, Annie Wang continues to share the top spot with 3½/4.
Correction: Awonder Liang scored three draws in the first four rounds, not four.
