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Kamsky and Krush win US championships

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American grandmasters Gata Kamsky and Irina Krush ultimately prevailed in a fierce US championship competition which was played in St Louis, from May 7 to 21. The 2014 champions never led the unpredictable tournaments (the men and women) until the playoffs, the Armageddon games. The decisive Armageddon games are played when there are ties for first place. Akobian beat Lenderman while Abrahamyan drew Zatonskih with the black pieces and thereby progressed to the final. There Kamsky beat Akobian 11/2-1/2 and Krush did likewise to Abrahamyan. Kamsky is the US champion for the fifth time and Krush won her sixth title. The highest ranked player in the US, Hikaru Nakamura, a previous US champion, did not participate in the tournament.

In other chess news closer to home, Filipino grandmaster Wesley So, 20, the eighth youngest grandmaster in history, which he attained at 14, won the 49th edition of the rigorous Capablanca Memorial chess tournament in Havana from May 8 to 18. Jose Raul Capablanca was the chess-suave Cuban world champion who ruled chess in the 1920s.

The elite group at the tournament boasted six players with an average FIDE rating of 2721. So and Cuban grandmaster Lazaro Bruzon, the second place finisher, were both undefeated in the tournament. But So scored three wins to Bruzon’s one. Cuba’s Leinier Domínguez Pérez placed third ahead of Francisco Vallejo Pons, Zoltan Almasi and Vassily Ivanchuk, all successful world class players.

20131229chessChess games
The following games were played in the US Championships at St Louis, from May 7 to 21, 2014

White: Gata Kamsky
Black: Aleksandr Lenderman
Result: 1-0

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d3 O-O 6. Nbd2 c5
7. e4 Nc6 8. Re1 b5 9. e5 Nd7 10. Nf1 b4 11. h4 a5 12. h5 a4
13. h6 g6 14. N1h2 Ba6 15. Ng4 Nd4 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. b3 a3
18. Nh2 Rc8 19. Nf3 Qb6 20. Bg5 Bxg5 21. Nxg5 Rc6 22. Qd2 Qc5
23. Nf3 Qxc2 24. Qxb4 Qc5 25. Qd2 Rfc8 26. Rad1 Qb6 27. Qg5
Qb4 28. Rd2 Rc1 29. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 30. Kh2 Qf8 31. Bh3 Rc3
32. Nxd4 Kh8 33. Ne2 Rc8 34. d4 Bxe2 35. Rxe2 Kg8 36. Qd2 Nb8
37. b4 Rc4 38. b5 Nd7 39. Qe3 Qb4 40. Rd2 Rc8 41. Rd3 Qxb5
42. Rxa3 Qb6 43. Bf1 Qd8 44. Ra7 Nb8 45. Qf4 Qf8 46. Bb5 Nc6
47. Bxc6 Rxc6 48. Kg2 1-0

The 2014 US chess champions Gata Kamsky and Irina Krush. Beginning as a challenge match in 1845, the US championship boasts a rich tradition of preeminent champions. Since 1936 to the present, the championship has been held under the auspices of the US Chess Federation. Champions of the past included the incomparable Bobby Fischer, who won the championship eight times in eight attempts, and has been the only player ever to score an unbelievable 11-0 victory, sweeping all before him. Before Fischer, there was the great Samuel Reshevsky who himself won the championship a number of times.
The 2014 US chess champions Gata Kamsky and Irina Krush. Beginning as a challenge match in 1845, the US championship boasts a rich tradition of preeminent champions. Since 1936 to the present, the championship has been held under the auspices of the US Chess Federation. Champions of the past included the incomparable Bobby Fischer, who won the championship eight times in eight attempts, and has been the only player ever to score an unbelievable 11-0 victory, sweeping all before him. Before Fischer, there was the great Samuel Reshevsky who himself won the championship a number of times.

White: Timur Gareev
Black: Varuzhan Akobian
Result: 0-1

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. Qc2 Be7
7. e3 Nbd7 8. h3 Ne4 9. Bf4 Bd6 10. Bxd6 Nxd6 11. Bd3 Qg5
12. Nf3 Qf6 13. O-O Nb6 14. e4 dxe4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 g6
17. Qc5 Qe7 18. Rfe1 Be6 19. Ng5 Qxc5 20. dxc5 Nd7 21. b4
O-O-O 22. Bf3 Rhe8 23. Nxh7 f6 24. Bg4 f5 25. Bf3 Bc4 26. Rxe8
Rxe8 27. a3 a5 28. Kh2 Ne5 29. bxa5 Nd3 30. Ng5 Nxf2 31. Rc1
Ba6 32. Rc3 Nd3 33. h4 Kd7 34. Nh3 Re5 35. Kg3 Nxc5 36. Kf4
Kd6 37. Ng5 Re7 38. h5 gxh5 39. Kxf5 Bd3+ 40. Kf4 Bg6 41. Kg3
Ne4+ 42. Nxe4+ Bxe4 43. Kh4 Bxf3 44. Rxf3 Rh7 45. a4 Ke5
46. g3 c5 47. Kg5 c4 48. Kg6 Rc7 49. Kxh5 c3 50. Rf1 c2
51. Rc1 Kd4 52. g4 Kc3 0-1

White Tatev Abrahamyan
Black: Sabina-Francesca Foisor
Result: 1-0

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4
Bb4+ 7. Nbd2 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. O-O O-O 10. a3 Be7 11. Ba2 Bf5
12. Nc4 Bf6 13. Nce5 Nce7 14. Qb3 Qc8 15. Re1 c6 16. Bg5 Bxg5
17. Nxg5 f6 18. Nef3 Ng6 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Rxe4 Kh8 21. Rae1
Qd7 22. Bb1 Rad8 23. h3 Ndf4 24. Qe3 Qd6 25. g3 Nd5 26. Qd3
Kg8 27. Re6 Qd7 28. Nh4 f5 29. Nxf5 Qf7 30. Qe2 Nc7 31. Ne7+
Nxe7 32. Rxe7 Qxe7 33. Qxe7 Rde8 34. Qb4 Nd5 35. Rxe8 Rxe8
36. Ba2 Kh8 37. Bxd5 cxd5 38. Qxb7 1-0.
20140525chess

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