US Championship Rd5: Revenge of the Old Guard...almost
4/3/2017 – Today's round featured some intriguing clash of generations match-ups. On paper the younger guys stood at 50% while the grizzled ones “boasted” a combined minus 5. Things started great for 'Team Geezer', until a reversal suggested a disaster instead was due. In the end, it was a bit of both, with Shabalov missing a chance to win and then losing, while Kamsky brought back memories of 1994 in an inspired performance. Report and analysis by Alex Yermolinsky.
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By Alex Yermolinsky
All photos by Lennart Ootes
| Round 5 on 2017/04/02 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 3 | 2667 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | ½ - ½ | GM | Caruana Fabiano | 2817 | 12 |
| 2 | 4 | 2605 | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | ½ - ½ | GM | So Wesley | 2822 | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | 2645 | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | 1 - 0 | GM | Shankland Samuel L | 2666 | 1 |
| 4 | 6 | 2668 | GM | Robson Ray | 1 - 0 | GM | Shabalov Alexander | 2556 | 11 |
| 5 | 7 | 2793 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | ½ - ½ | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | 2646 | 10 |
| 6 | 8 | 2674 | GM | Xiong Jeffery | 0 - 1 | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2659 | 9 |
Before we get to the meat part of the presentation, let's get other games out of the way.
Nakamura-Naroditsky. True to his tournament strategy Dan let it all hang out once again, right out of the opening. His 6...e4 was highly unexpected, and it turned the Closed English into a version of Leningrad Dutch. Hikaru plays it himself, but in his games the black knight usually occupies the c5-square. Perhaps, due to that subtle difference Hikaru played slower than usual. Emboldened by the opponent's indecisiveness Dan landed a tactical blow f5-f4, which forced liquidation.
"It started as a Closed English, and now it is a form of Leningrad Dutch?"
Zherebukh-So had a great promise when an unbalanced position was reached after just 13 moves. I guess Yaro was overly cautious when he turned down the promising 14.b5 in favor of the bleak 14.Rd1. Wesley's unbeaten streak continues.
In the four games I followed closely after about 3 hours of play it seemed the old guys were besting their younger opponents. A 4-0 whitewash looked possible. Then things started going south, beginning with Shabalov's game.
Ray Robson has now moved to plus one with 3.0/5
Ray Robson - Alex Shabalov
One can only sympathize with Alexander's situation. Once I had started a U.S. Championship with 1.0/6; he needs a draw in the next round to match it.
Varuzhan Akobian finally was able to put together a complete game with White. Well, almost complete.
Varuzhan Akobian - Sam Shankland
From lost to saved to lost again. Sometimes it feels like one should never have gotten out of bed that morning.
The next battle saw a dramatic turnaround in mutual time trouble.
Alexander Onischuk vs Fabiano Caruana
[Event "ch-USA 2017"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2017.04.02"] [Round "5.3"] [White "Onischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A41"] [WhiteElo "2667"] [BlackElo "2817"] [Annotator "Alex Yermolinsky"] [PlyCount "180"] [EventDate "2017.03.29"] 1. d4 d6 {Fabiano is not known for his Kings Indian, but the tournament situation called for something extra.} 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 g6 4. Nc3 Bf5 {Caruana already played this line a bunch of times, losing to Kramnik, Morozevich, Ragger and Lenic, with only one draw against Gelfand to his credit. Some bad memories to wipe out...} 5. g3 Ne4 6. Bd2 {One of the quietest responses. The experienced Onischuk is content with safe, easy to play position.} Bg7 7. Bg2 Nxd2 8. Qxd2 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 (9... c5 10. d5 Na6 {didn't score well for Black in Le Quang Liem-Ivanchuk, 2013.}) 10. d5 Na5 $5 {That's pushing it.} (10... Ne5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 {was certainly a safer choice}) 11. b3 c5 12. e4 Bd7 13. Rae1 Qc7 14. Qe3 {White doesn't seem to be missing his DSB because of the more than adequate development.} a6 {Caruana correctly decides to speed up his counterplay, otherwise in the long run the terrible position of his Na5 may cost him the game.} (14... f6 $6 {would have stopped White's intended e-pawn push, but rather at a steep cost of weakening the king and making Bg7 miserable.} 15. h4 $1 {and I take White here.}) 15. e5 b5 16. e6 fxe6 17. dxe6 Bc6 18. Nd5 Qb7 $1 (18... Bxd5 19. cxd5 b4 (19... c4 20. b4 {is the knighttrap known from the classical Chigorin Ruy Lopez.}) 20. Rc1 c4 21. bxc4 Nb7 22. h4 Nc5 {would be a standard pawn sac to create Q-side play, but with the e6-pawn cutting the board in two (borrowed that one from G. Kasparov) White has great chances to checkmate the black king.} 23. h5 gxh5 24. Ng5 Bh6 25. f4 {etc.}) 19. Qg5 $6 {Alexander was too eager to create chances against Fabiano's king.} (19. Rb1 {would have been more prudent.}) 19... Rae8 20. Qh4 bxc4 21. bxc4 Bxd5 ({Did Fabiano miss} 21... Nxc4 $1 22. Ng5 h6 23. Qxc4 {idea? Probably not, only the follow-up move,} Rf5 {that makes the whole thing work!}) 22. cxd5 Bf6 23. Ng5 Bxg5 24. Qxg5 Qb2 25. Qh4 ({The endgame after} 25. Rc1 Qd4 26. Qe3 { would more likely than not end in a draw.}) 25... c4 26. Re4 Qg7 $6 {Feeling uncomfortable with his clock situation Caruana decides to play it safe.} ({ Snatching a pawn with} 26... Qxa2 {was possible:} 27. Rf4 Rxf4 28. Qxf4 Rf8 29. Qh4 Rf6 30. Qd4 Qb3 {and now White has to be careful not to end up in a bad position. The right move is} 31. Ra1 ({not} 31. Qa7 Qb7 32. Qxb7 Nxb7 33. Rc1 Nc5 34. Rxc4 a5 {Black will win this for sure.}) 31... c3 32. Be4 Nc4 33. Rb1 c2 34. Rc1 Na3 35. Qd2 {Black has made some strides but his knight is still not well-positioned, and White's counterplay with h4-h5 is something to worry about.}) 27. Rf4 Rxf4 28. Qxf4 Rc8 29. Rc1 Rc5 30. Be4 {[#] This is the moment I rated Onischuk's chances very highly. He was better on the board and on the clock as well. To call it a win for White may be a stretch, but I thought he should push for it. The next few moves were easy to predict. Caruana just had to play this way or lose on time.} c3 31. h4 {Not a top priority move.} (31. Bd3 $1 Qf6 32. Qxf6 exf6 33. Bxa6 Kf8 34. h4 Ke7 35. Kg2 $14) 31... Qf6 $1 32. Qxf6 exf6 33. g4 Kf8 34. Kg2 (34. f4 Ke7 35. f5 gxf5 36. Bxf5 h6 37. Kf2 Rxd5 38. Rxc3 Rc5 39. Ra3 {Black is totally stuck here. Maybe he can hold on, maybe not, but surely White's is the one to try.}) 34... Ke7 35. Kg3 $4 {Oh, horror! One thing White had to make sure off is to keep the black knight out of the game.} Nc4 $1 {This was played instantaneously. "How do you spell r-e-l-i-e-f" was a 1976 TV commercial. I'm not sure Caruana (b.1992) has ever seen it, but he knows now.} 36. Kf4 $2 {Onischuk must have been shaken up.} (36. Rxc3 Nd2 { is the trick.}) ({Objectively best was} 36. Rb1 $11) 36... Nb6 $17 37. g5 fxg5+ 38. hxg5 Nxd5+ 39. Bxd5 Rxd5 40. Rxc3 Rf5+ 41. Ke3 $1 {One has to admire Alexander's composure. Facing extreme adversity he fights on.} ({A lot of people would go} 41. Kg4 {to perish after} Rxf2 42. Ra3 Kxe6 43. Rxa6 Rf7 44. a4 Ke5 45. Ra8 d5 46. a5 Rf4+ 47. Kg3 Ra4 {etc.}) 41... Kxe6 42. Rc7 Rxg5 43. Rxh7 Re5+ (43... Ra5 44. Rg7 Kf5 45. Rf7+ Ke5 46. Re7+ Kd5 47. Rg7 Ra3+ 48. Kf4 Rxa2 49. Ke3 a5 {looked a better try.}) 44. Kf3 a5 {Black retains some practical winning chances here, but White should hold with correct play, which is exactly what Onischuk demonstrated.} 45. Rg7 Kf6 46. Rd7 Rf5+ 47. Ke3 Ke6 48. Ra7 Rc5 49. Rg7 g5 50. Rg6+ Kd7 51. Rf6 Rc2 52. Rf5 Rc5 53. Rf6 Kc6 54. Kd3 Rd5+ 55. Kc3 Re5 56. Kd3 Kc5 57. f4 gxf4 58. Rxf4 Rh5 59. Rc4+ Kb5 60. a4+ Kb6 61. Rg4 Kc5 62. Rc4+ Kd5 63. Rd4+ Kc6 {It should be pointed out that White's a-pawn is utterly unimportant here, and this exact position would still be a draw even if White had no pawn.} 64. Rc4+ Rc5 65. Rh4 Rc1 66. Rh5 Rc5 67. Rh8 Rg5 68. Rc8+ Kb7 69. Rd8 Kc7 70. Ra8 Rh5 71. Ra6 Rd5+ 72. Kc4 Rc5+ 73. Kd4 Rh5 74. Kc4 Kd7 75. Ra8 Kc7 76. Ra6 Rh4+ 77. Kb5 Rb4+ 78. Kxa5 Rb8 79. Ra7+ Kc6 80. Rh7 d5 81. Rh1 d4 82. Rc1+ Kd5 83. Ka6 d3 84. Rd1 Kc4 85. a5 Rb2 86. Ka7 d2 87. a6 Kc3 88. Ka8 Kc2 89. Rxd2+ Kxd2 90. a7 Rb1 1/2-1/2
Onischuk played a fascinating game against Caruana that never quite got to the finish line
They say the wounded lion is the most dangerous. The young Jeffery Xiong learned it first-hand today.
A gutsy game by Xiong faced a rejuvenated Gata Kamsky who looked more like his 1994 self
Jeffery Xiong vs Gata Kamsky
The veterans won their mini-match by the count of 2.5-1.5. Could have better, but it's a start. I'm sure the players are ready for a free day Monday to recharge batteries and come back strong next week.
The leaderboard is crowded, and even Wesley So's score of plus two is not terribly impressive. Most experts predicted a race between the top three seeds only, but so far it looks like anyone's tournament.
Men's standings after five rounds
| Round 5 on 2017/04/02 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 3 | 2272 | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca |
1 - 0 |
WGM | Nemcova Katerina | 2359 | 12 |
| 2 | 4 | 2364 | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev |
1 - 0 |
WCM | Feng Maggie | 2162 | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | 2196 | WIM | Yu Jennifer R |
0 - 1 |
WGM | Sharevich Anna | 2257 | 1 |
| 4 | 6 | 2173 | WIM | Nguyen Emily |
0 - 1 |
GM | Krush Irina | 2444 | 11 |
| 5 | 7 | 2369 | IM | Paikidze Nazi |
1 - 0 |
WFM | Yip Carissa | 2234 | 10 |
| 6 | 8 | 2451 | IM | Zatonskih Anna |
1 - 0 |
WFM | Virkud Apurva | 2262 | 9 |
On the ladies side the leaders converted the advantage of having the white pieces in their games. Irina Krush had black, but she also won, so the status quo remained. If I had to guess, the top places will be decided in further head-to-head-battles between Irina, Anna, Tatev and Nazi.
Defending champion Nazi Paikidze won again and has now rejoined the leaders
What, says the reader, no upsets possible? What about Jennifer Yu, who already downed Krush and Zatonskih? Well, her fighting spirit being noted, IMHO Jennifer is not quite there yet to compete for a tournament victory, and her loss to Anna Sharevich today didn't help her chances.
Anna Sharevich played an excellent game, missing a chance to win early with a 17...Rxb2+!!, but pulled it off in the end
Women's standings after five rounds
US Championship pairings/results
| Round 1 on 2017/03/29 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 1 | 2666 | GM | Shankland Samuel L | ½ - ½ | GM | Caruana Fabiano | 2817 | 12 |
| 2 | 2 | 2822 | GM | So Wesley | 1 - 0 | GM | Shabalov Alexander | 2556 | 11 |
| 3 | 3 | 2667 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | ½ - ½ | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | 2646 | 10 |
| 4 | 4 | 2605 | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | ½ - ½ | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2659 | 9 |
| 5 | 5 | 2645 | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | ½ - ½ | GM | Xiong Jeffery | 2674 | 8 |
| 6 | 6 | 2668 | GM | Robson Ray | 0 - 1 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | 2793 | 7 |
| Round 2 on 2017/03/30 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2817 | GM | Caruana Fabiano | ½ - ½ | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | 2793 | 7 |
| 2 | 8 | 2674 | GM | Xiong Jeffery | ½ - ½ | GM | Robson Ray | 2668 | 6 |
| 3 | 9 | 2659 | GM | Kamsky Gata | 0 - 1 | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | 2645 | 5 |
| 4 | 10 | 2646 | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | ½ - ½ | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | 2605 | 4 |
| 5 | 11 | 2556 | GM | Shabalov Alexander | 0 - 1 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | 2667 | 3 |
| 6 | 1 | 2666 | GM | Shankland Samuel L | ½ - ½ | GM | So Wesley | 2822 | 2 |
| Round 3 on 2017/03/31 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 2 | 2822 | GM | So Wesley | ½ - ½ | GM | Caruana Fabiano | 2817 | 12 |
| 2 | 3 | 2667 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | ½ - ½ | GM | Shankland Samuel L | 2666 | 1 |
| 3 | 4 | 2605 | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | 1 - 0 | GM | Shabalov Alexander | 2556 | 11 |
| 4 | 5 | 2645 | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | 0 - 1 | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | 2646 | 10 |
| 5 | 6 | 2668 | GM | Robson Ray | 1 - 0 | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2659 | 9 |
| 6 | 7 | 2793 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | ½ - ½ | GM | Xiong Jeffery | 2674 | 8 |
| Round 4 on 2017/04/01 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2817 | GM | Caruana Fabiano | ½ - ½ | GM | Xiong Jeffery | 2674 | 8 |
| 2 | 9 | 2659 | GM | Kamsky Gata | ½ - ½ | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | 2793 | 7 |
| 3 | 10 | 2646 | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | ½ - ½ | GM | Robson Ray | 2668 | 6 |
| 4 | 11 | 2556 | GM | Shabalov Alexander | ½ - ½ | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | 2645 | 5 |
| 5 | 1 | 2666 | GM | Shankland Samuel L | ½ - ½ | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | 2605 | 4 |
| 6 | 2 | 2822 | GM | So Wesley | 1 - 0 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | 2667 | 3 |
| Round 5 on 2017/04/02 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 3 | 2667 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | ½ - ½ | GM | Caruana Fabiano | 2817 | 12 |
| 2 | 4 | 2605 | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | ½ - ½ | GM | So Wesley | 2822 | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | 2645 | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | 1 - 0 | GM | Shankland Samuel L | 2666 | 1 |
| 4 | 6 | 2668 | GM | Robson Ray | 1 - 0 | GM | Shabalov Alexander | 2556 | 11 |
| 5 | 7 | 2793 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | ½ - ½ | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | 2646 | 10 |
| 6 | 8 | 2674 | GM | Xiong Jeffery | 0 - 1 | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2659 | 9 |
| Round 6 on 2017/04/04 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2817 | GM | Caruana Fabiano | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2659 | 9 | |
| 2 | 10 | 2646 | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | GM | Xiong Jeffery | 2674 | 8 | |
| 3 | 11 | 2556 | GM | Shabalov Alexander | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | 2793 | 7 | |
| 4 | 1 | 2666 | GM | Shankland Samuel L | GM | Robson Ray | 2668 | 6 | |
| 5 | 2 | 2822 | GM | So Wesley | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | 2645 | 5 | |
| 6 | 3 | 2667 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | 2605 | 4 | |
| Round 7 on 2017/04/05 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 4 | 2605 | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | GM | Caruana Fabiano | 2817 | 12 | |
| 2 | 5 | 2645 | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | GM | Onischuk Alexander | 2667 | 3 | |
| 3 | 6 | 2668 | GM | Robson Ray | GM | So Wesley | 2822 | 2 | |
| 4 | 7 | 2793 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | GM | Shankland Samuel L | 2666 | 1 | |
| 5 | 8 | 2674 | GM | Xiong Jeffery | GM | Shabalov Alexander | 2556 | 11 | |
| 6 | 9 | 2659 | GM | Kamsky Gata | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | 2646 | 10 | |
| Round 8 on 2017/04/06 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2817 | GM | Caruana Fabiano | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | 2646 | 10 | |
| 2 | 11 | 2556 | GM | Shabalov Alexander | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2659 | 9 | |
| 3 | 1 | 2666 | GM | Shankland Samuel L | GM | Xiong Jeffery | 2674 | 8 | |
| 4 | 2 | 2822 | GM | So Wesley | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | 2793 | 7 | |
| 5 | 3 | 2667 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | GM | Robson Ray | 2668 | 6 | |
| 6 | 4 | 2605 | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | 2645 | 5 | |
| Round 9 on 2017/04/07 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 5 | 2645 | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | GM | Caruana Fabiano | 2817 | 12 | |
| 2 | 6 | 2668 | GM | Robson Ray | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | 2605 | 4 | |
| 3 | 7 | 2793 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | GM | Onischuk Alexander | 2667 | 3 | |
| 4 | 8 | 2674 | GM | Xiong Jeffery | GM | So Wesley | 2822 | 2 | |
| 5 | 9 | 2659 | GM | Kamsky Gata | GM | Shankland Samuel L | 2666 | 1 | |
| 6 | 10 | 2646 | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | GM | Shabalov Alexander | 2556 | 11 | |
| Round 10 on 2017/04/08 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2817 | GM | Caruana Fabiano | GM | Shabalov Alexander | 2556 | 11 | |
| 2 | 1 | 2666 | GM | Shankland Samuel L | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | 2646 | 10 | |
| 3 | 2 | 2822 | GM | So Wesley | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2659 | 9 | |
| 4 | 3 | 2667 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | GM | Xiong Jeffery | 2674 | 8 | |
| 5 | 4 | 2605 | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | 2793 | 7 | |
| 6 | 5 | 2645 | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | GM | Robson Ray | 2668 | 6 | |
| Round 11 on 2017/04/09 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 6 | 2668 | GM | Robson Ray | GM | Caruana Fabiano | 2817 | 12 | |
| 2 | 7 | 2793 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | 2645 | 5 | |
| 3 | 8 | 2674 | GM | Xiong Jeffery | GM | Zherebukh Yaroslav | 2605 | 4 | |
| 4 | 9 | 2659 | GM | Kamsky Gata | GM | Onischuk Alexander | 2667 | 3 | |
| 5 | 10 | 2646 | GM | Naroditsky Daniel | GM | So Wesley | 2822 | 2 | |
| 6 | 11 | 2556 | GM | Shabalov Alexander | GM | Shankland Samuel L | 2666 | 1 | |
US Women's Championship pairings/results
| Round 1 on 2017/03/29 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 1 | 2257 | WGM | Sharevich Anna | ½ - ½ | WGM | Nemcova Katerina | 2359 | 12 |
| 2 | 2 | 2162 | WCM | Feng Maggie | ½ - ½ | GM | Krush Irina | 2444 | 11 |
| 3 | 3 | 2272 | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca | 1 - 0 | WFM | Yip Carissa | 2234 | 10 |
| 4 | 4 | 2364 | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev | 1 - 0 | WFM | Virkud Apurva | 2262 | 9 |
| 5 | 5 | 2196 | WIM | Yu Jennifer R | 1 - 0 | IM | Zatonskih Anna | 2451 | 8 |
| 6 | 6 | 2173 | WIM | Nguyen Emily | ½ - ½ | IM | Paikidze Nazi | 2369 | 7 |
| Round 2 on 2017/03/30 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2359 | WGM | Nemcova Katerina | 0 - 1 | IM | Paikidze Nazi | 2369 | 7 |
| 2 | 8 | 2451 | IM | Zatonskih Anna | 1 - 0 | WIM | Nguyen Emily | 2173 | 6 |
| 3 | 9 | 2262 | WFM | Virkud Apurva | 1 - 0 | WIM | Yu Jennifer R | 2196 | 5 |
| 4 | 10 | 2234 | WFM | Yip Carissa | ½ - ½ | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev | 2364 | 4 |
| 5 | 11 | 2444 | GM | Krush Irina | 1 - 0 | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca | 2272 | 3 |
| 6 | 1 | 2257 | WGM | Sharevich Anna | ½ - ½ | WCM | Feng Maggie | 2162 | 2 |
| Round 3 on 2017/03/31 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 2 | 2162 | WCM | Feng Maggie |
½ - ½ |
WGM | Nemcova Katerina | 2359 | 12 |
| 2 | 3 | 2272 | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca |
1 - 0 |
WGM | Sharevich Anna | 2257 | 1 |
| 3 | 4 | 2364 | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev |
0 - 1 |
GM | Krush Irina | 2444 | 11 |
| 4 | 5 | 2196 | WIM | Yu Jennifer R |
½ - ½ |
WFM | Yip Carissa | 2234 | 10 |
| 5 | 6 | 2173 | WIM | Nguyen Emily |
0 - 1 |
WFM | Virkud Apurva | 2262 | 9 |
| 6 | 7 | 2369 | IM | Paikidze Nazi |
0 - 1 |
IM | Zatonskih Anna | 2451 | 8 |
| Round 4 on 2017/04/01 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2359 | WGM | Nemcova Katerina |
½ - ½ |
IM | Zatonskih Anna | 2451 | 8 |
| 2 | 9 | 2262 | WFM | Virkud Apurva |
0 - 1 |
IM | Paikidze Nazi | 2369 | 7 |
| 3 | 10 | 2234 | WFM | Yip Carissa |
1 - 0 |
WIM | Nguyen Emily | 2173 | 6 |
| 4 | 11 | 2444 | GM | Krush Irina |
0 - 1 |
WIM | Yu Jennifer R | 2196 | 5 |
| 5 | 1 | 2257 | WGM | Sharevich Anna |
½ - ½ |
WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev | 2364 | 4 |
| 6 | 2 | 2162 | WCM | Feng Maggie |
1 - 0 |
WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca | 2272 | 3 |
| Round 5 on 2017/04/02 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 3 | 2272 | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca |
1 - 0 |
WGM | Nemcova Katerina | 2359 | 12 |
| 2 | 4 | 2364 | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev |
1 - 0 |
WCM | Feng Maggie | 2162 | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | 2196 | WIM | Yu Jennifer R |
0 - 1 |
WGM | Sharevich Anna | 2257 | 1 |
| 4 | 6 | 2173 | WIM | Nguyen Emily |
0 - 1 |
GM | Krush Irina | 2444 | 11 |
| 5 | 7 | 2369 | IM | Paikidze Nazi |
1 - 0 |
WFM | Yip Carissa | 2234 | 10 |
| 6 | 8 | 2451 | IM | Zatonskih Anna |
1 - 0 |
WFM | Virkud Apurva | 2262 | 9 |
| Round 6 on 2017/04/04 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2359 | WGM | Nemcova Katerina | WFM | Virkud Apurva | 2262 | 9 | |
| 2 | 10 | 2234 | WFM | Yip Carissa | IM | Zatonskih Anna | 2451 | 8 | |
| 3 | 11 | 2444 | GM | Krush Irina | IM | Paikidze Nazi | 2369 | 7 | |
| 4 | 1 | 2257 | WGM | Sharevich Anna | WIM | Nguyen Emily | 2173 | 6 | |
| 5 | 2 | 2162 | WCM | Feng Maggie | WIM | Yu Jennifer R | 2196 | 5 | |
| 6 | 3 | 2272 | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev | 2364 | 4 | |
| Round 7 on 2017/04/05 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 4 | 2364 | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev | WGM | Nemcova Katerina | 2359 | 12 | |
| 2 | 5 | 2196 | WIM | Yu Jennifer R | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca | 2272 | 3 | |
| 3 | 6 | 2173 | WIM | Nguyen Emily | WCM | Feng Maggie | 2162 | 2 | |
| 4 | 7 | 2369 | IM | Paikidze Nazi | WGM | Sharevich Anna | 2257 | 1 | |
| 5 | 8 | 2451 | IM | Zatonskih Anna | GM | Krush Irina | 2444 | 11 | |
| 6 | 9 | 2262 | WFM | Virkud Apurva | WFM | Yip Carissa | 2234 | 10 | |
| Round 8 on 2017/04/06 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2359 | WGM | Nemcova Katerina | WFM | Yip Carissa | 2234 | 10 | |
| 2 | 11 | 2444 | GM | Krush Irina | WFM | Virkud Apurva | 2262 | 9 | |
| 3 | 1 | 2257 | WGM | Sharevich Anna | IM | Zatonskih Anna | 2451 | 8 | |
| 4 | 2 | 2162 | WCM | Feng Maggie | IM | Paikidze Nazi | 2369 | 7 | |
| 5 | 3 | 2272 | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca | WIM | Nguyen Emily | 2173 | 6 | |
| 6 | 4 | 2364 | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev | WIM | Yu Jennifer R | 2196 | 5 | |
| Round 9 on 2017/04/07 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 5 | 2196 | WIM | Yu Jennifer R | WGM | Nemcova Katerina | 2359 | 12 | |
| 2 | 6 | 2173 | WIM | Nguyen Emily | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev | 2364 | 4 | |
| 3 | 7 | 2369 | IM | Paikidze Nazi | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca | 2272 | 3 | |
| 4 | 8 | 2451 | IM | Zatonskih Anna | WCM | Feng Maggie | 2162 | 2 | |
| 5 | 9 | 2262 | WFM | Virkud Apurva | WGM | Sharevich Anna | 2257 | 1 | |
| 6 | 10 | 2234 | WFM | Yip Carissa | GM | Krush Irina | 2444 | 11 | |
| Round 10 on 2017/04/08 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 12 | 2359 | WGM | Nemcova Katerina | GM | Krush Irina | 2444 | 11 | |
| 2 | 1 | 2257 | WGM | Sharevich Anna | WFM | Yip Carissa | 2234 | 10 | |
| 3 | 2 | 2162 | WCM | Feng Maggie | WFM | Virkud Apurva | 2262 | 9 | |
| 4 | 3 | 2272 | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca | IM | Zatonskih Anna | 2451 | 8 | |
| 5 | 4 | 2364 | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev | IM | Paikidze Nazi | 2369 | 7 | |
| 6 | 5 | 2196 | WIM | Yu Jennifer R | WIM | Nguyen Emily | 2173 | 6 | |
| Round 11 on 2017/04/09 at 2 PM (EST) | |||||||||
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 6 | 2173 | WIM | Nguyen Emily | WGM | Nemcova Katerina | 2359 | 12 | |
| 2 | 7 | 2369 | IM | Paikidze Nazi | WIM | Yu Jennifer R | 2196 | 5 | |
| 3 | 8 | 2451 | IM | Zatonskih Anna | WGM | Abrahamyan Tatev | 2364 | 4 | |
| 4 | 9 | 2262 | WFM | Virkud Apurva | WGM | Foisor Sabina-Francesca | 2272 | 3 | |
| 5 | 10 | 2234 | WFM | Yip Carissa | WCM | Feng Maggie | 2162 | 2 | |
| 6 | 11 | 2444 | GM | Krush Irina | WGM | Sharevich Anna | 2257 | 1 | |
LinksThe games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 14 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs. |
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Discussion and Feedback
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@WildKid You are illiterate and unfunny. Virtue signal with pitiful wit somewhere else.
Magnus I am your father: You are right, there are no Native American or Inuit players in this tournament. Perhaps more should be done to encourage chess on Native reservations?
Great photos! I especially like the one of Onischuk.
@TommyCB Fascinating how the a-pawn forces white into a losing position after all.
@Magnus... Who cares about the 'founding stock' of the country? Those people never played the best chess. Chess was dominated for the previous 100+ years by Jews, now Asians
The most talented achievers in America per capita, were always immigrants and first generation Americans from different shores. Even now most of our IT work is done by Indians and Chinese. If we still relied on the 'founding stock' for any intellectual achievement, the US would be in even worse shape than it is
The most talented achievers in America per capita, were always immigrants and first generation Americans from different shores. Even now most of our IT work is done by Indians and Chinese. If we still relied on the 'founding stock' for any intellectual achievement, the US would be in even worse shape than it is
America... or Diversity Inc. Of the founding stock of the country, there is exactly 0/24 representation and the majority were not even born on US soil. Should we have affirmative action in chess?
Surprising how often we see weak endgame play from top GMs, as in Akobian-Shankland.
@TommyCB: Impressive comment on many levels...
In the notes to Alexander Onischuk vs Fabiano Caruana the 6 piece endgame tablebases disagree with Alex Yermolinsky's comment after move 64:
"It should be pointed out that White's a-pawn is utterly unimportant here, and this exact position would still be a draw even if White had no pawn."
It is a win for Black. One of the most surprising and stubborn variations is the following:
64. Kc4 a4 65. Kb4 a3 66. Kxa3 Rb5 67. Rc4+ Kd7!! Only winning move! 68. Rh4 Rb1 69. Ka2 Rb8 70. Rh6 Kc6 71. Rh1 Kc5 72. Rc1+ Kd4 73. Rd1+ Ke5 74. Re1+ Kf4 75. Rd1 Rb6! 76. Ka3 Ke4 77. Re1+ Kd3 78. Rd1+ Kc2 79. Rd5 Kc3! 80. Ka2 Kc4 81. Rd2 d5-+
"It should be pointed out that White's a-pawn is utterly unimportant here, and this exact position would still be a draw even if White had no pawn."
It is a win for Black. One of the most surprising and stubborn variations is the following:
64. Kc4 a4 65. Kb4 a3 66. Kxa3 Rb5 67. Rc4+ Kd7!! Only winning move! 68. Rh4 Rb1 69. Ka2 Rb8 70. Rh6 Kc6 71. Rh1 Kc5 72. Rc1+ Kd4 73. Rd1+ Ke5 74. Re1+ Kf4 75. Rd1 Rb6! 76. Ka3 Ke4 77. Re1+ Kd3 78. Rd1+ Kc2 79. Rd5 Kc3! 80. Ka2 Kc4 81. Rd2 d5-+
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