Welcome to HikaruNakamura.com ! - 2009 US Chess Champion

I Want Some Action!
<img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/frontpage_200x200/ifa_upload/Ben-da-player-1-Humand-Chess--US-CHAMPS-2010-4_0.jpg" alt="" title="" width="200" height="200" />I Want Some Action!Friday Night Action Quads that is! I decided to play some Action Chess last Friday, August 27, at the CCSCSL. There were 18 players overall, and the top quad saw Joe Garnier, Alex Marler, Stephen Landrum and me fight for the top spot. It was a great chance for me to try out 1.e4! again, and, luckily, I was white in two of the three games.Round 1 action saw the Advance French against fellow CCSCSL employee Alex Marler. Alex played an early Nh6, instead of the usual Qb6, and I was on my own early. I was fortunate Alex did not play f4! after my "rover" Rh3, and the game was about equal, when, in time trouble (the time control is G/25 with a 5 second delay), Alex started playing second best moves, and his game quickly went downhill.<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/faq-1" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>I won round 2 quite easily, as my opponent allowed an early Qh4+! winning the house. Sometimes in quick chess, the game ends with quick and sudden tactics!<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/faq-2" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>Round 3 was also quite easy. Joe Garnier played very quickly (as usual) and fell for a typical Bxh7+ sacrifice that was immediately decisive.<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/faq-3" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>Mike Kummer has told me that since I worked at the CCSCSL, I am 48-0 in Quick rated events held at the Chess Club (we hold FAQ tournaments and 5-minute blitz events Thursday that are also quick rated). Here is the USCF rated report for the event: <a href="http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201008274491" title="http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201008274491">http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201008274491</a>Who will be the first to nick me for a draw or win? Maybe we will find out next week!<div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-09-02%2Fi-want-some-action"></iframe>

Arch Bishops look to cool Blaze
<a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/Ben-and-Spencer-Championship-Blitz-US-CHAMPS-2010-2_0.jpg" class="ifa_lightbox" rel="6745" title="GM Ben Finegold and Spencer Finegold will be absolutely key to the Arch Bishops' success."><img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/Ben-and-Spencer-Championship-Blitz-US-CHAMPS-2010-2_0.jpg" alt="" title="GM Ben Finegold and Spencer Finegold will be absolutely key to the Arch Bishops' success." width="375" height="238" /></a>GM Ben Finegold and Spencer Finegold will be absolutely key to the Arch Bishops' success.The Saint Louis Arch Bishops will field the strongest team in league history tonight as they take on the Chicago Blaze at 7 p.m. CDT. The team will feature GM Hikaru Nakamura on board one, GM Yury Shulman on board two, GM Ben Finegold on board three and Spencer Finegold on board four, which gives them a record-breaking average team rating of 2521.The previous league record for the highest team rating average was 2484, set in 2008 by New Jersey.<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saint-Louis-Arch-Bishops/143195622383676?ref=ts">Become a fan of the Arch Bishops on Facebook by clicking this link and then clicking like at the top of the page.</a>The Arch Bishops are coming off a disappointing week one loss against the Los Angeles Vibe, while the Chicago Blaze look to keep their momentum rolling after their win over Seattle.Shulman, a Chicago resident, played for the Blaze last year but joined the Arch Bishops this year to create an instant powerhouse. Shulman's victory over GM Melikset Khachiyan last week earned him $150 and the <a href="http://usclnews.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-1-game-of-week.html">Game of the Week</a> prize.The Arch Bishops have the top two highest-rated players in the league in Shulman and Nakamura, both former U.S. Champions. Add Finegold to the mix, and the Arch Bishops have three of the top 16 highest-rated players in the league. The match-ups for tonight are as follows:<table border="0"><tbody><tr><td>Blaze (probables)</td><td>Arch Bishops (probables)</td></tr><tr><td>GM Dmitry Gurevich: 2481</td><td>GM Hikaru Nakamura: 2806</td></tr><tr><td>IM Florin Felecan: 2415</td><td>GM Yury Shulman: 2715</td></tr><tr><td>IM Angelo Young: 2415</td><td>GM Ben Finegold: 2589</td></tr><tr><td>WIM Cindy Tsai: 2171</td><td>Spencer Finegold: 1974</td></tr><tr><td>Avg Rating: 2371</td><td>Avg Rating: 2521</td></tr></tbody></table>The full roster for the team is as follows:<ul><li>GM Hikaru Nakamura</li><li>GM Yury Shulman</li><li>GM Ben Finegold</li><li>IM Michael Brooks</li><li>NM Charles Lawton</li><li>FM Doug Eckert</li><li>NM Jim Voelker</li><li>Tony Rich</li><li>Spencer Finegold</li><li>Margaret Hua</li></ul>This marks the sixth season of the U.S. Chess League, and with the addition of three new teams, the league appears to only be gaining strength. For more information about all of the teams, read the USChess.org story or visit the U.S. Chess League's website.Games can be followed live on the Internet Chess Club.<div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-09-01%2Farch-bishops-look-cool-blaze"></iframe>

2010 Chess Olympiad Preview
 <a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/34_Nakamura-interview-post-Yury-Round-9-US-CHAMPS-2010-10_0.jpg" class="ifa_lightbox" rel="6737" title="GM Hikaru Nakamura hopes to lead the U.S. to victory in Khanty-Mansyisk."><img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/34_Nakamura-interview-post-Yury-Round-9-US-CHAMPS-2010-10_0.jpg" alt="" title="GM Hikaru Nakamura hopes to lead the U.S. to victory in Khanty-Mansyisk." width="254" height="375" /></a>GM Hikaru Nakamura hopes to lead the U.S. to victory in Khanty-Mansyisk.By IM John DonaldsonThe FIDE Presidential race between incumbent Kirsan Ilumzhinov and challenger Antaoly Karpov has been attracting most of the media attention to date, but that will likely change as soon as the Chess Olympiad begins on September 21.The 39th in a series of competitions dating back to London 1927, the 2010 Chess Olympiad will be held in Khanty-Mansiysk in Western Siberia not far from the confluence of the mighty Irtysh and Ob rivers. A rapidly growing oil town and home to a population of 62,000, Khanty Mansiysk may be almost 1,800 miles from Moscow but is well known to the chess world for hosting the 2005, 2007 and 2009 World Cups.This latest undertaking will be considerably more challenging as the number of contestants will not be 128 but closer to 2,500 with most of FIDE's approximately 200 member nations scheduled to compete. The organizers have arranged charter flights from Dubai, Milan, Prague, Munich and Moscow to deal with the influx of people. They have just completed a giant hotel and arranged the food service contracts - no small deal in a town that is not on a rail line and can get as cold as -50 Fahrenheit. Fortunately during the Olympiad temperatures should be in the 40s and 50s!Temperatures may be moderate outside the playing venue but inside the competition will be heated with arguably the strongest congregation of chess talent ever assembled. Partly this will be due to the fact that Russia, as the host country is allowed a second team and a third if the number of nations competing is an odd number (which seems to be the case). To put things in perspective the second Russian team will average well over 2700 FIDE and the third team will have several present and former 2700s.<a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/3_Hess-2-Round-5-US-CHAMPS-2010-52.jpg" class="ifa_lightbox" rel="6738" title="GM Robert Hess brings youth and depth to the U.S. team."><img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/3_Hess-2-Round-5-US-CHAMPS-2010-52.jpg" alt="" title="GM Robert Hess brings youth and depth to the U.S. team." width="375" height="237" /></a>GM Robert Hess brings youth and depth to the U.S. team.The U.S. Team and U.S. Women, both defending bronze medalists and likely seeded somewhere between number 8 and 10 in Khanty Mansisyk, will feature mixtures of veteran and young players. 18-year-old Robert Hess of New York City and 20-year-old Sabina Foisor of Baltimore will each be making their Olympiad debuts for the United States but both have previous team tournament experience – Hess in the 2010 World Team Championship (where the U.S. finished second) and Foisor for her native Romania.The teams are:USA - Hikaru Nakamura, Gata Kamsky, Alex Onischuk, Yury Shulman and Robert Hess. Captain John Donaldson and Coach Varuzhan Akobian.USA Women- Irina Krush, Anna Zatonskih, Tatev Abrahamian, Camilla Baginskaite and Sabina Foisor. Captain Michael Khodarkovsky and Coach Melik Khachian.Among the top seeded teams will be: <a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/Krush-Round-2-US-CHAMPS-2010-44.jpg" class="ifa_lightbox" rel="6739" title="The 2010 U.S. Women's Champ, IM Irina Krush, looks to lead the U.S. Women's team to victory in Siberia."><img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/Krush-Round-2-US-CHAMPS-2010-44.jpg" alt="" title="The 2010 U.S. Women's Champ, IM Irina Krush, looks to lead the U.S. Women's team to victory in Siberia." width="375" height="256" /></a>The 2010 U.S. Women's Champ, IM Irina Krush, looks to lead the U.S. Women's team to victory in Siberia.Armenia (Two-time defending gold medalists) - GM Levon Aronian, GM Vladimir Akopian, GM Gabriel Sargissian, GM Arman Pashikian, GM Avetik GrigoryanRussia 1 - Vladimir Kramnik, Alexander Grischuk, Sergey Karjakin, Peter Svidler and Vladimir Malakhov.Russia 2 - Alexander Morozevich, Evgeny Tomashevsky, Nikita Vitiugov, Evgeny Alekseev and Ian Nepomniatch Israel (Defending Silver Medalists) - Boris Gelfand, Michael Roiz, Emil Sutovsky, Evgeny Postny and Maxim RodshteinAzerbaijan - GM Teimour Radjabov, GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, GM Vugar Gashimov, GM Gadir Guseynov, GM Rauf MammadovUkraine - Vassily Ivanchuk, Ruslan Ponomariov, Pavel Eljanov, Zahar Efimenko and Andrei VolokitinThe U.S. team's participation is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Kasparov Chess Foundation and the U.S. Chess Federation.<div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-08-30%2F2010-chess-olympiad-preview"></iframe>

Victory in Indy
<a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/Finegold-Round-One-US-CHAMPS-2010-9.jpg" class="ifa_lightbox" rel="6734" title=""><img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/frontpage_200x200/ifa_upload/Finegold-Round-One-US-CHAMPS-2010-9.jpg" alt="" title="" width="200" height="200" /></a>Spencer and I went to Indianapolis last weekend for the aptly named Indianapolis Open. This was a CCA event, and CCA has not held an event in Indy in 35 years! Prizes were based on 220 players, and it looked like they would be lucky to get 150, as advance entries were slim. However, there were enough on-site entries to pay the prizes in full! This tournament had several sections (Open, U2100, U1900, U1700, U1500, and U1300) and there were some MO players in each section.The most successful was Jialin Ding, who scored 4-1 in the U2100 section, and tied for first place! Spencer played in the Open, and beat his first FM, Andrew Karklins, in round 1. Thirteen year old Kevin Cao had an excellent tournament, scoring 3-2, to attain his highest rating ever, about 2200 USCF.I played well, and was able to tie for first was fellow GMs Gregory Kaidanov, Dmitry Gurevich, and Nikola Mitkov, as we all scored 4-1. One GM, Sergey Kudrin, was not so lucky, and had three draws, scoring 3.5-1.5, just missing the money. None of the five GMs in the field lost a game, but each drew at least twice!My tournament was somewhat interesting, as I decided to play 1.e4, AGAIN! I played 1.e4 in round 1, got a quite tricky opening and middle-game, and, fortunately, my opponent got way behind in the clock and played some inaccurate moves, finally blundering at the end. Usually I reserve 2.h4!?!? for bullet games.<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-indy1" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>Round 2 saw another interesting game, as I was black in a c3 Sicilian, and played a line where black sacrifices his queen! I had good compensation, and, after inaccurate play by my opponent in the middle-game, soon found myself with a lot of passed pawns and an easy victory. <iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-indy2" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe> That game was quite exhausting, so, in round 3, I played a perfunctory draw with GM Mitkov. Mitkov and I have played about 10 times, all games ending in draws, some in more than five hours!<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-indy3" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>I had a VERY difficult pairing in round 4, black against GM Kaidanov. I suspected Saturday night I would play him, so, I prepared for 2-3 hours from 11PM-2AM! I got a King's Indian position I had looked at, but Gregory played an early d5, which I had not looked at at all (previously he had tried Be3). We both spent a lot of time, and, little did we know, the whole game (22 moves) had been played before! I offered a draw, and afterward, when analyzing the game with Rybka, the engine confirmed the evaluation, as 0.00!<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-indy4" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>I was now trailing Kaidanov, Gurevich, and Mitkov by half a point, but the last round pairings saw Mitkov-Kaidanov and Gurevich-Kudrin. As both boards drew quickly, I had an opportunity to tie for first if I could beat FM Dennis Monokroussos. I have known Dennis for over 20 years, but we have never played a rated game. I decided, once again, to trot out 1.e4! I got nothing out of the opening, but Dennis misplayed the ending, and I was able to win, as he made mistakes in time trouble.<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-indy5" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>The U.S. Chess League started the next day, and our team (Yury Shulman, Ben Finegold, Michael Brooks, and Spencer Finegold) lost to the L.A. Vibe by the slimmest of margins, 2.5-1.5. Next week, we will have Hikaru Nakamura back from his travels in Europe, and with three GMs on boards 1-3, we should have excellent chances to beat the Chicago Blaze. Hopefully, I will have good news about that match in my next blog.<div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-08-26%2Fvictory-indy"></iframe>

First-ever Saint Louis Arch Bishops game Monday
<img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/frontpage_200x200/4_Schulman-Round-4-US-CHAMPS-2010-31.jpg" alt="" title="" width="200" height="200" />The Saint Louis Arch Bishops begin their first foray into the U.S. Chess League on Monday, and they're bringing with them some heavy hitters.GM Yury Shulman will be on board one for the Arch Bishops with GM Ben Finegold and IM Michael Brooks on board's two and three respectively. New Saint Louis resident, GM Hikaru Nakamura will also play for Saint Louis this year, but will not be in town for the first match. The Arch Bishops have the top two highest-rated players in the league in Shulman and Nakamura, both former U.S. Champions. Add Finegold to the mix, and the Arch Bishops have three of the top 16 highest-rated players in the league, making them an instant powerhouse.The Arch Bishops' inaugural game will be played against the Los Angeles Vibe, another brand new team.The full roster for the team is as follows:<ul><li>GM Hikaru Nakamura</li><li>GM Yury Shulman</li><li>GM Ben Finegold</li><li>IM Michael Brooks</li><li>NM Charles Lawton</li><li>FM Doug Eckert</li><li>NM Jim Voelker</li><li>Tony Rich</li><li>Spencer Finegold</li><li>Margaret Hua</li></ul>Our Lineup for Monday: 1) Yury Shulman 2) Ben Finegold 3) Michael Brooks 4) Spencer FinegoldThis marks the sixth season of the U.S. Chess League, and with the addition of three new teams, the league appears to only be gaining strength. For more information about all of the teams, read the <a href="http://main.uschess.org/content/view/10617/598/">USChess.org story</a> or visit the <a href="http://www.uschessleague.com/">U.S. Chess League's website</a>.Games can be followed live on the Internet Chess Club. Although the Chess Club is normally closed on Mondays, the club will be open to the public during the match, which begins at 8 p.m. CDT. <div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-08-20%2Ffirst-ever-saint-louis-arch-bishops-game-monday"></iframe>

GM Finegold: Missouri Invitational Champion
<a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/IMG_5549.JPG" class="ifa_lightbox" rel="6720" title=""><img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/frontpage_200x200/ifa_upload/IMG_5549.JPG" alt="" title="" width="200" height="200" /></a>The CCSCSL was host last weekend to the Missouri Invitational Championship and the Missouri Amateur Championship. The Invitational had 15 participants, and the Amateur had 55, much more than expected.I played well (for once) and won the Invitational with 4.5-0.5. A mild surprise was clear-second finisher Kevin Cao, who once again broke 2200, and beat IM Michael Brooks along the way, scoring an impressive 4-1. IM Brooks took clear third with 3.5-1.5. <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/hO50gfiHIgA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="650" height="395" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> The Amateur was full of surprises, as several class A players (Alex Marler, Spencer Finegold, and Al Howlett) fought for first place! Spencer lost in the last round to Expert Mark Ferber, whilst Marler won a long game from Howlett. Ferber and Marler tied for first with 4.5-0.5, with Alex winning the State Title on tiebreak! Congrats to CCSCSL employee Alex Marler for not only winning, but getting a ton of rating points to boot.Final standings of both events can be found at: <a href="http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?201008150941">http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?201008150941</a>I was able to beat KDJ (Kevin Dale Johnson in round 1) by employing the rare (for me) 1.e4! The game was a weird Alapin (c3) Sicilian, where my opponent missed a cute tactic, and his king paid a dear price!<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-mo-1" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>I played Kevin Cao in round 2, and tried the Caro-Kann, which I play occasionally nowadays. The game was about equal for a long time, then Kevin made some positional concessions and eventually lost a weak pawn and his position collapsed.<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-mo-2" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>Round 3 was a perfunctory draw with IM Brooks. In fact, I spent a lot of the day going home to help Alisa Melekhina prepare for her next game in the 2010 World Junior Championship! Alisa finished up with 8.5-4.5, drawing her only game in the last round, after a 50+ move battle. I was her "coach" even though she was in Poland and I was at the CCSCSL (thank you Internet). Info on her event at: <a href="http://www.wjcc2010.pl/en/listauczestnikow">http://www.wjcc2010.pl/en/listauczestnikow</a> <iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-mo-3" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>Round 4 started bright and early at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, and I once again trotted out 1.e4! I always wanted to broaden my repertoire, and preparing Alisa for her games gave me the confidence to play 1.e4 this event. Nick Karlow played a sharp variation of the Sicilian whereupon he wins 2-3 pawns at the expense of his king safety and development. The complications were too difficult for Nick, as he lost a miniature. IM Brooks lost a wild game to Kevin Cao, so first place was in my hands, if I could win the last round.<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-mo-4" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>I had black versus Jialin Ding and decided to play the Sicilian. Jialin played an early king-side fianchetto (g3) against my Classical Variation, and a positional battle ensued. Jialin made too many weaknesses on the dark squares (a4, c4, e4, g4 were all played by white by move 15!)...and I was able to break through on the king side and win a nice game.<iframe src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/content/ben-mo-5" width="660" height="400" style="border: none;"></iframe>My next tournament will be next weekend, in Indianapolis, <a href="http://www.chesstour.com/io10.htm">http://www.chesstour.com/io10.htm</a>. The last time (and only time!) I played there was the 2009 U.S. Open. Enjoy the games!<div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-08-17%2Fgm-finegold-missouri-invitational-champion"></iframe>

Magnus Carlsen to take on Hikaru and the World
<a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/Hikaru-comes-to-STL-4906.jpg" class="ifa_lightbox" rel="6713" title=""><img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/frontpage_200x200/ifa_upload/Hikaru-comes-to-STL-4906.jpg" alt="" title="" width="200" height="200" /></a>Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura will be one of three super-GMs tabbed to represent the world against the world No. 1, GM Magnus Carlsen, on September 10.Nakamura will join GM Judit Polgar of Hungary and GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France as the world representatives who will challenge Carlsen. The event will be held in New York City and will begin at Noon EDT (11 a.m. CDT). Following Carlsen's first move, each of the three GMs will submit his or her reply, and the public can access a central website to vote for the move they like best. Sign up for the event by <a href="http://rwcc.g-star.com/en/rawchess/">clicking the link here</a>.This unique format will allow the entire world to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime event. Former world champion Garry Kasparov is serving as the ambassador for the event."I am acting as the ambassador of this Challenge, because I am attracted by the unique character of the RAW World Chess Challenge," Kasparov said in a press release. "There isn't any sport I know of that gives the entire the world the opportunity to play the world's best simultaneously. Magnus is one of the greatest talents ever. This game will be a true challenge for him. Let's see who wins: he or the World."<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/obcCApvvtpI?fs=1&hl=en_US" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/obcCApvvtpI?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object>In 1999 Kasparov participated in a similar event where the public could log on and vote for the best response to each of the former World Champion's moves. That event took almost four months to complete. The event planned for September 10, however, will feature a more rapid format and will take only a matter of hours to determine the champion.The U.S. scene is familiar with Nakamura, the current No.1 by rating. In his young career, he has developed a resume that is unparalleled by any other U.S player. Now meet the other competitors:<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uULwg0Zg7E0?fs=1&hl=en_US" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uULwg0Zg7E0?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><a href="http://rwcc.g-star.com/en/">Sign up now</a> to show the world that the United States is serious about chess. Let's make our voice heard this month as Magnus takes on the World in NYC.<div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-08-12%2Fmagnus-carlsen-take-hikaru-and-world"></iframe>

Missouri Amateur Championship
<a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/Winter_open2.jpg" class="ifa_lightbox" rel="6710" title=""><img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/frontpage_200x200/ifa_upload/Winter_open2.jpg" alt="" title="" width="200" height="200" /></a>The Missouri Amateur and Invitational Championship will take place next weekend, August 14 and 15. The TLA for the tournament is as follows:August 14 & 15 – Missouri Amateur Championship – Saint Louis**A State Championship Event**5SS, G/120. Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis,4657 Maryland Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63108. Reg: 8:30-9:30. Rds: Sat-10/2:30/7, Sun-9:30/2. One Section. $$b/40: $250-1st Overall, Class prizes: $120-1st in each X, A, B, C, D, E, U1000/Unr. EF: $30 if rec’d by 8/7. $40 on site. Site entries cash only. Max one ½-pt bye. MCA req’d for MO residents, available on site from $5, OSA. HR: Chase Park Plaza Hotel, 1-877-587-2427, $159/night. Parkway Hotel, 314-256-7777, $97/night. Water Tower Inn, 314-977-7500, $70/night. Ask for chess rate. Entries/Info: Thomas Rehmeier, 5217 Denice St., Jefferson City, MO 65109. 573-291-0852.<div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-08-06%2Fmissouri-amateur-championship"></iframe>

Happy Campers
<a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/ifa_upload/IMG_5588_1.JPG" class="ifa_lightbox" rel="6708" title=""><img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/frontpage_200x200/ifa_upload/IMG_5588_1.JPG" alt="" title="" width="200" height="200" /></a>Hi everyone! I have not blogged in a while. The U.S. Junior Championship and U.S. Women's Championship tournaments were quite exciting, and Jennifer and I had a lot of fun commentating on the games. Congrats to Shankland and Krush, who both qualify for the 2011 U.S. Championship.Currently, I am teaching at an advanced chess camp for Missouri's best junior players. We have six strong players this week: Kevin Cao, Nick Karlow, Isaiah Gadson, Spencer Finegold, William Tong and Jialin Ding. The camp has been fun and informative. Hopefully, we can run a similar camp next Summer and get 8-10 top juniors.Don't miss our last summer camp, August 9-13. <a href="http://saintlouischessclub.org/camps">Click here to sign up or for more information.</a>The CCSCSL is hosting the MO Invitational Championship August 14-15, with an Amateur event running concurrrently. I will play in the Invitational, as well as many of Missouri's Masters and Experts.I have been going to the gym everyday lately, and thus far have lost 40 pounds in 2010. I am trying to lose 25 more by my birthday, September 6! A daunting task. I will keep the readers updated as to my progress.Resident GM<div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-08-05%2Fhappy-campers"></iframe>

Chess Boy Scouts Merit Badge announced in Saint Louis
<img src="http://saintlouischessclub.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/frontpage_200x200/ifa_upload/Jeanne_Sinquefield_rings_the_bell_to_start_the_round_Round_1_Womens_2009-18.jpg" alt="" title="" width="200" height="200" />Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield, who founded the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis with her husband Rex Sinquefield made a special announcement at the closing ceremony of the 2010 U.S. Women’s Championship, held at the the Saint Louis University John Cook School of business. Dr. Sinquefield, who has supported and volunteered for the Boy Scouts for more than 20 years, announced that the Boy Scouts of America just approved Chess as the next Merit Badge for development.Boys Scouts earn Merit Badges in more than 100 areas from camping to coin collecting.A Chess Merit Badge would show that the recipient has attained a specified level of knowledge of the game of Chess. This merit badge would focus on the benefits that chess can bring, as this sample from the proposal shows.The rationale for this merit badge is that Chess is an exercise of infinite possibilities for the mind, one which develops mental abilities used throughout life: concentration, critical thinking, abstract reasoning, problem solving, pattern recognition, strategic planning, creativity, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, to name a few. Through chess, we learn how to analyze a situation by focusing on important factors and by eliminating distractions. We learn to devise creative solutions and put a plan into action. Chess works because it is self-motivating. The game has fascinated humans for almost 2000 years, and the goals of attack and defense, culminating in checkmate, inspire us to dig deep into our mental reserves.Look for more details in the coming months about this exciting project.<div class="image-clear"></div><iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-07-30%2Fchess-boy-scouts-merit-badge-announced-saint-louis"></iframe>

A Perfect Storm
IM Sam Shankland had an atrocious first two rounds at the Junior Closed Championship. After announcing his early retirement from chess before coming to the Junior Closed, Shankland appeared listless as lower-rated opponents made quick work of him in rounds one and two. Then, after scoring a win against FM John Bryant in round three, Shankland appeared more relaxed, and was even able to crack a few jokes in his post-mortem analysis with GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jen Shahade. Shankland went on a tear to close out the Junior Closed, scoring six points out of his final seven games.Initially, his round eight draw appeared to seal his fate, as GM Ray Robson entered round nine a full point, and Parker Zhao a half point, ahead of Shankland. In a bizarre turn of events, Robson lost to FM Warren Harper in the final round, and Zhao was unable to convert a winning endgame against Bryant.As the Bryant-Zhao game unfolded, Shankland and Robson were watching with tense anticipation to see if Bryant could hold the draw. As both players got down on time, Zhao finally agreed to a draw to ensure he didn't blunder away his chance at a playoff for the title.In an unlikely scenario, Robson, Shankland and Zhao tied for first place and had to play an Armageddon playoff to determine the champion.The playoff, which will took place at 10 a.m CDT, on Tuesday, featured  a unique set of rules. Robson, by virtue of being first on tiebreaks, elected to receive a bye in the first round of the playoff. Zhao and Shankland had to play first to determine who would play Robson for the championship.Both players had to bid on how much time they were willing to start with, and whoever bid the lesser amount of time got the option to choose his color, with the black pieces getting draw odds (meaning that in the case of a draw, black is declared the winner). Whoever lost the bid received a full 45 minutes, with both players receiving a five-second increment for each move.Shankland's bid of 31 minutes was trumped by Zhao's 29 minutes and 54 seconds, but even with draw odds, Zhao was no match for the newly focused Shankland.Because of the victory, Shankland got his choice of color in the championship game, with Black again having draw odds. Shankland again chose Black and got  aten minute respite to mentally prepare himself for Robson. Robson attempted a line he hoped Shankland wouldn't know, the Fantasy variation of the Caro Kann, but Shankland was obviously prepared as he quickly whipped out the moves. Robson, as he has for most of the games throughout this tournament, once again found himself in time trouble, and Shankland cruised to an easy victory."I’ve been happy with my play," Shankland said. "I think ... in the last seven rounds of the tournament, I think I played my best chess. Unfortunately the first two count as well.”Shankland said he may make an exception to quitting chess, instead calling it a long hiatus with the possibility of returning next year.“It’s a nice feeling to get someone who normally gets you, but really it’s just the title that matters. If he had offered me a draw at any point I would have just taken it.”<iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-07-20%2Fperfect-storm"></iframe>

Krush Crowned; Three-way tie atop Juniors
By Mike WilmeringST. LOUIS, July 19, 2010 -- After an IM Anna Zatonskih draw in round nine, IM Irina Krush won a wild one against WFM Abby Marshall to clinch the 2010 U.S. Women's Championship title with a score of 8/9. This is her third U.S. Women’s Championship title, and her first since 2007.FM Warren Harper bounced back from five straight losses to upset GM Ray Robson, which seemingly dashed his hopes at a repeat, but a late draw by Parker Zhao and a victory by IM Sam Shankland created a three-way tie atop the Junior Closed leaderboard at 6/9. An Armageddon showdown will be used to determine the Junior Closed Championship.The playoff, which will take place at 10 a.m CDT, on Tuesday, will feature a unique set of rules. Robson, by virtue of being first on tiebreaks, has elected to receive a bye in the first round of the playoff. Zhao and Shankland will play a game to determine who will play Robson for the championship.In this game, both players will bid on how much time they are willing to start with, between 1 minute and 45 minutes. Whoever bids the lesser amount of time has the option to choose his color, with the black pieces getting draw odds (meaning that in the case of a draw, black is declared the winner). Whoever loses the bid will receive a full 45 minutes, with both players receiving a five-second increment for each move.The winner of that game will have his choice of color in the championship game, with black again having draw odds. This means that Robson will almost certainly have to play for a win with White. In the championship game, each player will have 45 minutes with a five-second increment for each move.At the start of round nine play, tournament announcers GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jennifer Shahade said each thought the women’s event was more likely to go to Armageddon playoff than the Junior Closed Championship. As both of the top seeds in the Women’s Championship event had White in the final rounds, a rematch of the controversial 2008 Armageddon playoff between Krush and Zatonskih seemed imminent.But tough opposition from WGM Sabina Foisor stymied Zatonskih’s chances at a three-peat, and Krush’s dynamic yet solid play helped her capture the crown.After a disappointing 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship, Krush brought an upbeat, positive and focused mentality to this year’s event.“I tried to be aggressive Black and kind of principled with White,” Krush said. “So no one was just going to get any easy points.”In round nine, Krush got the benefit of playing with White against Marshall, who had a disappointing tournament going just 0.5/9. Initially, it appeared as though Krush would simply steamroll her opponent.Krush pulled the aggressive 14.Qd4, stopping Marshall’s ability to fianchetto her bishop on g7. The book move, according to Krush, is to play Rg8 to prep Bg7, which attacks the queen and controls the long diagonal, but Marshall instead opted for 14...b5.“After Qd4, she apparently didn’t know the position anymore,” Krush said. “You have to give up this pawn [on c4]. Trying to defend it with b5 just means the queenside will collapse.”But Marshall defended well, as she attempted to play the spoiler and salvage a win in her first U.S. Women’s Championship.“After [22...]Be5, I realize she has a very good plan to consolidate,” Krush said. “My bishop on g3 is out of the game, she has all this good dark-square control, and its not even really clear what I’m doing. I suddenly realized that the whole position I was aiming for is not so good.”Krush said after 23...Bc3, she was able to capture Marshall’s knight on d7 and a pawn on c7, which ultimately broke open the position to give her a winning advantage.Although Krush called her game against Marshall her worst game of the tournament, she was able to convert the full point to clinch the victory, a victory she said she badly wanted.Krush said an impromptu vacation may be in the works before she begins preparing for the Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.Although they will be teammates in Russia, Krush’s main rival in this tournament, Zatonskih, never got the opening advantage she needed to overwhelm a tough opponent in Foisor. Although she said she prepared for the a6 Slav, Zatonskih differed from the main line of 6.Bg5 with 6.g3. Foisor responded with 6...c5, a response that took Zatonskih by surprise.Following a queen trade, each established a solid position, but Foisor did not allow Zatonskih to once again work her endgame magic. Numerous times throughout the tournament, Zatonskih demonstrated her uncanny ability to grind opponents down in a long, grueling endgame, often turning the slightest of advantages into winning positions.Zatonskih, who found herself in time pressure frequently this tournament, went at least 50 moves deep in five of her nine games, including a grueling round four win against WIM Alisa Melekhina that lasted 82 moves.“Of course, I got tired,” she said. “I’m not a robot ... 58 moves is like a miniature for me.”Zatonskih said she missed a lot of opportunities in this tournament.“I’m in pretty bad shape, so I’m quite happy with the result,” Zatonskih said. “Even if in bad shape I was able to fight for first place, I think it’s pretty good.”Her 7.5/9 performance was good enough to tie for second place with WFM Tatev Abrahamyan, who had another stellar tournament performance.In the Junior Closed Championship, Robson needed only to draw with Black against Harper to ensure at least a playoff for the title, if not the outright victory. He began the day just a half point ahead of Zhao, and his opponent, Harper, was in the midst of a five-game losing streak.Robson once again tried to surprise his opponent by pulling out the King’s Indian, but Harper said he looked over those lines in preparation after seeing Robson use it earlier in the tournament.First, Robson tried to break open the position with 16...Bxh3, sacrificing his bishop to maneuver his Knight to f3, which forked Harper’s king on g1 and rook on d2. After trading the two pieces for the rook, the pivotal move, 23...b5, allowed Harper a passer on the a-file. Robson countered by marching his c- and h-pawns down to the second rank, but Harper had too many pieces, ultimately queening his a-pawn (39.a8=Q) and forcing Robson’s resignation.A dejected Robson appeared resigned to the fact that his hopes of repeating as the tournament champion were all but finished.“Probably not a good position out of the opening,” Robson said. “I tried to create some chances, but I think he played pretty well throughout the game.”Harper said this was the most difficult round-robin tournament he had ever played.“In open tournaments, you lose a couple games, you play a weak player and then you can boost your confidence back up,” Harper said. “But in this tournament, you lose five games in a row, and you play Ray Robson.”“Nobody beats you six in a row,” joked Finegold.After Robson’s loss Zhao needed a full point to claim the 2010 Junior Closed title. After an 0/3 start, FM John Bryant had scored 4/5 and continued his solid play this round to prove to he is a formidable opponent. Although Zhao appeared to have the advantage for most of the game, Bryant managed to successfully defend with just his king and knight against Zhao’s king, bishop and two pawns.As the seconds ticked down Robson and Shankland, who pulled off a brilliant round-nine victory, were crowding around the board to see if Bryant could stave off Zhao’s attack. Finally, with time pressure too great, Zhao acquiesced to a draw.A draw by Shankland in round eight seemed to shut the door on his chances at the title. After losing his first two games, a despondent Shankland, who announced he will soon be retiring from chess, seemed like he had all but given up on his final major tournament. After a remarkable turnaround, however, Shankland managed to score six points in his final seven games to qualify for the Armageddon playoff.In round nine, Shankland blew his opponent, FM Conrad Holt, off the board in a game that truly demonstrated his elite ability.With Shankland’s bishop sitting on f7, the move 15.Qb3 threatened mate in one and further blew apart Holt’s defenses. Shankland said he wanted to “go out in style.”“This [15.Qb3] was an over the board inspiration,” he said. “I decided to have some fun with this one.”Zhao and Shankland will have to bid on how much time each is willing to start with in order to win the ability to play with Black and draw odds in the first round of the Armageddon playoff. Then, the winner will have to take on the tournament’s only grandmaster for the title.FM Darwin Yang drew tournament surprise Eric Rosen in a hard-fought game. If Yang could have pulled off the victory, the Junior Closed would have had a four-way tie for the lead.The playoff begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. CDT. To follow the action live or for more details, visit <a href="http://www.uschesschamps.com" title="www.uschesschamps.com">www.uschesschamps.com</a>. Katie Baldetti contributed to this report.<iframe class="fb-like" style="border-width: initial; border-color: initial; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 450px; height: 80px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; padding: 6px 0;" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=137667496267&href=http%3A%2F%2Fsaintlouischessclub.org%2Fnews%2F2010-07-19%2Fkrush-crowned-three-way-tie-atop-juniors"></iframe>

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