Nac. USA 2018: ! Shankland y Nazi !

30 abril, 2018 CAISSA Torneos 1

Ya concluyó el campeonato nacional de los Estados Unidos con la participación de 12 exigentes jugadores en cada apartado:

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Primero descargue las partidas: NAC USA FINAL

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Absoluto

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Pues si. Sorpresivamente el nortemaericano Samuel Shankland (2671) se ha llevado el gato al agua por encima de tada la flor y nata del ajedrez “norteamericano”. Luego de 11 peleadas rondas, Shankland supo alzarce con el premio gordo y nada más y nada menos que con victoria en la despedida, como solo saben hacer los grandes. Samuel sabía que Caruana le iría con todo a Onischuk y así fue, el mitad bambino se ubicó en la 2da plaza tras su vistoria. El bronze le correspondió a otro portentoso, Wesley So a pesar de sus tablas frente Nakamura, un grande que quedó fuera del pastelito. Tan así de grande es el mérito de Shankland. Lo que le dará un toque máxico al Capablanca con la presencia nada más y nada menos del vigente campeón nacional de los EEUU.

Pues Shankland ha venido decidido a llevarse la mayor plata posible. En la 9na ronda volvió a ganar (al GM Zherebukh, Yaroslav) con lo cual se colocó en solitario al mando a solo 2 rondas del adiós.

¿Shankland o Caruana? Sigue la lucha tras la 8va ronda.

!Caruana” Caruana es mucho Caruana, ya se pegó al sorprendente Shankland y co-manda la lid junto al norteño con 5 puntos de 7 posibles.

Un inspirado Shankland comanda sorpresivamente el nacional más fuerte del planeta tras su victoria en la 6ta ronda sobre uno de los punteros, Akobian!!! El otro ganador es el soberbio Caruana (al ganarle a Ray Robson) quien parece apretar ahora como lo hizo en el Grenke.

Tras la ronda 5 todo marcha igual en la cima.

Tanto va el cántaro a la fuente… El GM Fabiano Caruana (2804) cayó hoy al final de una larga y complicada partida, que por cosas del ajedrez le tocó jugar frente a uno de los más “débiles”, el GM Zviad Izoria (2599). El otro de la tarde que salió victorioso fue el GM Samuel Shankland (2671) frente al GM Ray Robson (2660), con lo cual unió al dúo Wesley So (2786) + GM Varuzhan Akobian (2647) en la cima de la tabla.

El GM Fabiano Caruana (2804) sigue tocado por la “gracia divina” y ayer dispuso en la Ronda 3 de la gran promesa norteña, el GM Xiong, Jeffery (2665) con lo cual accedió a la cima del campeonato nacional de los Estados Unidos, como quien quiere llevarse todos los trofeos que le pasen por delante de sus bambinos ojos. Pero la cima no la ocupa solo, no al menos por ahora, los otros que se mantienen son el ex-filino Wesley So (2786) y el ex-soviético GM Varuzhan Akovian (2647) al entablar frente a los GM Awonder Liang (2552) y Aleksandr Lenderman (2599). Los otros jugadores que se llevaron el punto completo fueron el GM Yaroslav Zherebukh (2640) y el GM Samuel Shankland (2671) frente a los GM GM Ray Robson (2660) y GM Zviad Izoria (2599).

En la segunda ronda salieron victoriosos los GM Caruana, Akovian y So sobre los GM Lenderman, Liang y Onischuk.

En la primera ronda los GM So, Wesley 2786 y Akobian, V. 2647 salieron victoriosos sobre los GM Zherebukh, Y. 2640 y Onischuk, A. 2672 respectivamente.

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Ranking FINAL

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ch-USA 2018 Saint Louis USA (USA), 18-30 iv 2018 cat. XVII (2674)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1. Shankland, Samuel g USA 2671 * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 8½ 2884
2. Caruana, Fabiano g USA 2804 ½ * ½ ½ 1 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 8 2836
3. So, Wesley g USA 2786 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 6½ 2728
4. Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2787 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 5½ 2663
5. Lenderman, Aleksandr g USA 2599 ½ 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 1 5½ 2680
6. Robson, Ray g USA 2660 0 0 ½ ½ ½ * 1 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 5½ 2674
7. Izoria, Zviad g USA 2599 0 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 * ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 5 2644
8. Xiong, Jeffery g USA 2665 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 5 2638
9. Liang, Awonder g USA 2552 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ * ½ 0 ½ 4½ 2619
10. Zherebukh, Yaroslav g USA 2640 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 4½ 2611
11. Akobian, Varuzhan g USA 2647 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ * 1 4½ 2610
12. Onischuk, Alexander g USA 2672 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * 3 2498
Round 1 (April 18, 2018)
Nakamura, Hikaru – Robson, Ray ½-½ 33 C45 Scotch Game
Lenderman, Aleksandr – Shankland, Samuel ½-½ 41 A07 Barcza System
Xiong, Jeffery – Izoria, Zviad ½-½ 62 A48 King’s Indian Defence /c2-c4
Liang, Awonder – Caruana, Fabiano ½-½ 52 B31 Sicilian Rossolimo
Zherebukh, Yaroslav – So, Wesley 0-1 53 B51 Sicilian Rossolimo
Onischuk, Alexander – Akobian, Varuzhan 0-1 25 A84 Dutch
Round 2 (April 19, 2018)
Shankland, Samuel – Xiong, Jeffery ½-½ 30 A10 Dutch, QI and KID Systems
Caruana, Fabiano – Lenderman, Aleksandr 1-0 23 C18 French Winawer
So, Wesley – Onischuk, Alexander 1-0 45 C84 Ruy Lopez Centre Attack
Nakamura, Hikaru – Zherebukh, Yaroslav ½-½ 33 C43 Petroff’s Defence
Robson, Ray – Izoria, Zviad 1-0 40 C65 Ruy Lopez Berlin
Akobian, Varuzhan – Liang, Awonder 1-0 35 E10 Blumenfeld Counter Gambit
Round 3 (April 20, 2018)
Lenderman, Aleksandr – Akobian, Varuzhan ½-½ 69 D37 QGD 5.Bf4
Izoria, Zviad – Shankland, Samuel 0-1 34 D41 Semi-Tarrasch Defence
Xiong, Jeffery – Caruana, Fabiano 0-1 49 A61 Benoni
Liang, Awonder – So, Wesley ½-½ 57 C03 French Tarrasch
Zherebukh, Yaroslav – Robson, Ray 1-0 51 D14 Slav Exchange
Onischuk, Alexander – Nakamura, Hikaru ½-½ 40 A41 Modern Defence
Round 4 (April 21, 2018)
Caruana, Fabiano – Izoria, Zviad 0-1 81 C53 Giuoco Piano
So, Wesley – Lenderman, Aleksandr ½-½ 46 A06 Zukertort Opening
Nakamura, Hikaru – Liang, Awonder ½-½ 32 A08 Barcza System
Robson, Ray – Shankland, Samuel 0-1 44 C83 Ruy Lopez Open
Zherebukh, Yaroslav – Onischuk, Alexander ½-½ 30 E06 Catalan
Akobian, Varuzhan – Xiong, Jeffery ½-½ 48 D83 Gruenfeld 4.Bf4
Round 5 (April 22, 2018)
Shankland, Samuel – Caruana, Fabiano ½-½ 44 D27 QGA
Lenderman, Aleksandr – Nakamura, Hikaru ½-½ 41 E98 King’s Indian Classical
Izoria, Zviad – Akobian, Varuzhan ½-½ 52 A29 English Four Knights
Xiong, Jeffery – So, Wesley ½-½ 22 E06 Catalan
Liang, Awonder – Zherebukh, Yaroslav ½-½ 30 C48 Four Knights Rubinstein
Onischuk, Alexander – Robson, Ray ½-½ 51 D85 Gruenfeld Defence
Round 6 (April 23, 2018)
So, Wesley – Izoria, Zviad ½-½ 30 D02 Queen’s Pawn Game
Nakamura, Hikaru – Xiong, Jeffery ½-½ 31 C26 Vienna Game
Robson, Ray – Caruana, Fabiano 0-1 39 C42 Petroff’s Defence
Zherebukh, Yaroslav – Lenderman, Aleksandr ½-½ 30 D37 QGD 5.Bf4
Akobian, Varuzhan – Shankland, Samuel 0-1 59 E36 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Onischuk, Alexander – Liang, Awonder ½-½ 34 D41 Semi-Tarrasch Defence
Round 7 (April 25, 2018)
Shankland, Samuel – So, Wesley ½-½ 50 D85 Gruenfeld Defence
Caruana, Fabiano – Akobian, Varuzhan 1-0 30 C11 French Defence
Lenderman, Aleksandr – Onischuk, Alexander 1-0 43 A28 English Four Knights
Izoria, Zviad – Nakamura, Hikaru 1-0 92 A04 Dutch System
Xiong, Jeffery – Zherebukh, Yaroslav ½-½ 46 E04 Catalan
Liang, Awonder – Robson, Ray ½-½ 72 C65 Ruy Lopez Berlin
Round 8 (April 26, 2018)
So, Wesley – Caruana, Fabiano ½-½ 46 C42 Petroff’s Defence
Nakamura, Hikaru – Shankland, Samuel ½-½ 38 A01 Larsen Opening
Robson, Ray – Akobian, Varuzhan 1-0 144 C11 French Defence
Liang, Awonder – Lenderman, Aleksandr 0-1 40 C42 Petroff’s Defence
Zherebukh, Yaroslav – Izoria, Zviad ½-½ 35 E10 Blumenfeld Counter Gambit
Onischuk, Alexander – Xiong, Jeffery ½-½ 30 D85 Gruenfeld Defence
Round 9 (April 27, 2018)
Shankland, Samuel – Zherebukh, Yaroslav 1-0 71 D37 QGD 5.Bf4
Caruana, Fabiano – Nakamura, Hikaru ½-½ 53 C65 Ruy Lopez Berlin
Lenderman, Aleksandr – Robson, Ray ½-½ 71 D90 Gruenfeld Flohr
Izoria, Zviad – Onischuk, Alexander ½-½ 47 D58 Queens Gambit Tartakover
Xiong, Jeffery – Liang, Awonder ½-½ 30 B12 Caro Kann Advanced
Akobian, Varuzhan – So, Wesley ½-½ 34 D82 Gruenfeld 4.Bf4
Round 10 (April 28, 2018)
Nakamura, Hikaru – Akobian, Varuzhan 1-0 50 C17 French Winawer
Lenderman, Aleksandr – Xiong, Jeffery 0-1 55 A20 English Opening
Robson, Ray – So, Wesley ½-½ 40 C88 Ruy Lopez Closed
Liang, Awonder – Izoria, Zviad 1-0 67 C65 Ruy Lopez Berlin
Zherebukh, Yaroslav – Caruana, Fabiano 0-1 31 B23 Sicilian Closed
Onischuk, Alexander – Shankland, Samuel 0-1 49 D38 QGD Ragozin
Round 11 (April 29, 2018)
Shankland, Samuel – Liang, Awonder 1-0 43 B13 Caro Kann Exchange
Caruana, Fabiano – Onischuk, Alexander 1-0 29 C78 Ruy Lopez Moeller Defence
So, Wesley – Nakamura, Hikaru ½-½ 30 E32 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Izoria, Zviad – Lenderman, Aleksandr ½-½ 30 C43 Petroff’s Defence
Xiong, Jeffery – Robson, Ray 0-1 37 C53 Giuoco Piano
Akobian, Varuzhan – Zherebukh, Yaroslav ½-½ 32 D83 Gruenfeld 4.Bf4

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Femenino

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En el femenino, tras comandar buena parte de la competencia Annie Wang (2321) tuvo que conformarse con la plata al perder en la despedida frente a Sabina-Francesca Foisor (2308), quien le hizo el favor a Nazi Paikidze (2352) que con solo entablar frente a Rusudan Goletiani (2306) aseguró discutir el Oro en Armageddon tie-break playoff. En la serie de desempates (Partidas) pues ganó el armageddon y así se llevó el Oro. El Bronce fue para Krush, Irina (2422).

Annie se volvió a despegar tras la 9na ronda y tiene un punto de ventaja a 2 ronditas del adiós.

Annie sigue en la cima tras la 8va ronda.

En el femenino la 7ma ronda vió despedirse peligrosísimamente a punto y medio de sus perseguidoras a la FM Annie Wan con su victoria frente a Anna Sharevich.

En la 6ta ronda del Femenino se volvió a formar la guerra mundial y el que no dió, recibió, excepto la partida Maggie-Nazi que terminó en tablas. Con los resultados Krush, Irina se le pegó al dúo Annie+Nazi en la cima.

Tras la 5ta ronda todo sigue igual.

En el Femenino, la tercera guerra mundial llegó a la cuarta ronda donde todas la partidas terminaron ensangrentadas. Imposible resumir tanta “criminalidad”. De la ronda salieron en la cima Annie+Nazi para variar, con 3,5 puntos.

Desconozco que sucedió en la 3era ronda… Sorry

En la segunda ronda la FM Feng, Maggie 2243venció a WGM Sharevich, Anna 2281, la GM Krush, Irina 2422 a la IM Derakhshani, Dorsa 2306 y la IM Zatonskih, Anna 2444 a la FM Yu, Jennifer 2367.

En la primera ronda la IM Paikidze, N. (0) 2352 y la FM Wang, Annie (0) 2321 vencieron a la FM Yu, Jennifer (0) 2367 y a la FM Feng, Maggie (0) 2243 con lo cual salieron delante.

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Ranking FINAL

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ch-USA w 2018 Saint Louis USA (USA), 18-30 iv 2018 cat. IV (2331)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1. Paikidze, Nazi m USA 2352 * ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 8 2503
2. Wang, Annie f USA 2321 ½ * 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 8 2506
3. Krush, Irina g USA 2422 ½ 0 * 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 7 2424
4. Zatonskih, Anna m USA 2444 ½ ½ 0 * 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 6½ 2385
5. Yu, Jennifer f USA 2367 0 0 ½ 0 * ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 6½ 2392
6. Abrahamyan, Tatev wg USA 2366 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ * ½ 1 1 0 1 ½ 5½ 2327
7. Foisor, Sabina-Francesca wg USA 2308 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ * 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 5 2296
8. Sharevich, Anna wg USA 2281 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 * 1 0 0 ½ 4½ 2270
9. Gorti, Akshita f USA 2252 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 * 1 1 ½ 4½ 2272
10. Feng, Maggie f USA 2243 ½ 0 0 0 0 1 ½ 1 0 * 1 ½ 4½ 2273
11. Goletiani, Rusudan m USA 2306 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 * 1 3½ 2199
12. Derakhshani, Dorsa m USA 2306 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * 2½ 2121
Round 1 (April 18, 2018)
Wang, Annie – Feng, Maggie 1-0 70 A40 Unusual Replies to 1.d4
Yu, Jennifer – Paikidze, Nazi 0-1 30 B07 Pirc Defence
Abrahamyan, Tatev – Foisor, Sabina-Francesca ½-½ 29 B18 Caro Kann
Gorti, Akshita – Krush, Irina ½-½ 70 A13 Reti Opening
Goletiani, Rusudan – Zatonskih, Anna ½-½ 50 A13 Reti Opening
Derakhshani, Dorsa – Sharevich, Anna ½-½ 30 B12 Caro Kann Advanced
Round 2 (April 19, 2018)
Paikidze, Nazi – Gorti, Akshita ½-½ 44 D31 Semi-Slav Defence
Wang, Annie – Abrahamyan, Tatev ½-½ 38 E32 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Krush, Irina – Derakhshani, Dorsa 1-0 67 A05 Various
Zatonskih, Anna – Yu, Jennifer 1-0 47 D11 Slav Defence
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca – Goletiani, Rusudan ½-½ 44 A84 Dutch
Feng, Maggie – Sharevich, Anna 1-0 74 A07 Barcza System
Round 3 (April 20, 2018)
Yu, Jennifer – Foisor, Sabina-Francesca 1-0 72 B10 Caro Kann
Abrahamyan, Tatev – Feng, Maggie 0-1 36 C03 French Tarrasch
Sharevich, Anna – Krush, Irina 1-0 42 A46 Queen’s Pawn Opening
Gorti, Akshita – Zatonskih, Anna ½-½ 67 A13 Reti Opening
Goletiani, Rusudan – Wang, Annie 0-1 55 A13 Reti Opening
Derakhshani, Dorsa – Paikidze, Nazi 0-1 67 B07 Pirc Defence
Round 4 (April 21, 2018)
Paikidze, Nazi – Sharevich, Anna 1-0 27 B11 Caro Kann Two Knights
Wang, Annie – Yu, Jennifer 1-0 107 A52 Budapest Defence Main Line
Zatonskih, Anna – Derakhshani, Dorsa 1-0 55 D94 Gruenfeld Closed
Abrahamyan, Tatev – Goletiani, Rusudan 1-0 30 B43 Sicilian Paulsen
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca – Gorti, Akshita 1-0 33 D31 Semi-Slav Defence
Feng, Maggie – Krush, Irina 0-1 54 B51 Sicilian Rossolimo
Round 5 (April 22, 2018)
Krush, Irina – Paikidze, Nazi ½-½ 56 E48 Nimzo Indian
Yu, Jennifer – Abrahamyan, Tatev ½-½ 59 C01 French Exchange
Sharevich, Anna – Zatonskih, Anna ½-½ 112 D02 Queen’s Pawn Game
Gorti, Akshita – Wang, Annie ½-½ 64 D05 Colle System
Goletiani, Rusudan – Feng, Maggie 0-1 28 A06 Zukertort Opening
Derakhshani, Dorsa – Foisor, Sabina-Francesca ½-½ 65 C47 Four Knights
Round 6 (April 23, 2018)
Wang, Annie – Derakhshani, Dorsa 1-0 57 E32 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Zatonskih, Anna – Krush, Irina 0-1 40 D05 Colle System
Abrahamyan, Tatev – Gorti, Akshita 1-0 36 C15 French Winawer
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca – Sharevich, Anna 0-1 71 D37 QGD 5.Bf4
Feng, Maggie – Paikidze, Nazi ½-½ 34 A14 Reti Opening
Goletiani, Rusudan – Yu, Jennifer 0-1 88 A09 Reti Opening
Round 7 (April 25, 2018)
Paikidze, Nazi – Zatonskih, Anna ½-½ 53 D00 Queen’s Pawn Game
Krush, Irina – Foisor, Sabina-Francesca ½-½ 58 D10 Slav Defence
Yu, Jennifer – Feng, Maggie 1-0 59 A00 Irregular Openings
Sharevich, Anna – Wang, Annie 0-1 83 D58 Queens Gambit Tartakover
Gorti, Akshita – Goletiani, Rusudan 1-0 41 A04 Dutch System
Derakhshani, Dorsa – Abrahamyan, Tatev ½-½ 31 C19 French Winawer
Round 8 (April 26, 2018)
Wang, Annie – Krush, Irina 1-0 53 E38 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Yu, Jennifer – Gorti, Akshita 1-0 46 A14 Reti Opening
Abrahamyan, Tatev – Sharevich, Anna 1-0 71 B15 Caro Kann
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca – Paikidze, Nazi 0-1 29 D39 QGD Ragozin
Feng, Maggie – Zatonskih, Anna 0-1 40 A07 Barcza System
Goletiani, Rusudan – Derakhshani, Dorsa 1-0 36 A15 English counter King’s Fianchetto
Round 9 (April 27, 2018)
Paikidze, Nazi – Wang, Annie ½-½ 30 D31 Semi-Slav Defence
Krush, Irina – Abrahamyan, Tatev 1-0 50 E51 Nimzo Indian
Zatonskih, Anna – Foisor, Sabina-Francesca ½-½ 35 D11 Slav Defence
Sharevich, Anna – Goletiani, Rusudan 0-1 51 A40 Unusual Replies to 1.d4
Gorti, Akshita – Feng, Maggie 1-0 92 A06 Zukertort Opening
Derakhshani, Dorsa – Yu, Jennifer 0-1 28 B06 Modern Defence
Round 10 (April 28, 2018)
Wang, Annie – Zatonskih, Anna ½-½ 42 D37 QGD 5.Bf4
Yu, Jennifer – Sharevich, Anna ½-½ 89 D35 QGD Exchange
Abrahamyan, Tatev – Paikidze, Nazi 0-1 40 B15 Caro Kann
Gorti, Akshita – Derakhshani, Dorsa ½-½ 36 A48 King’s Indian Defence /c2-c4
Feng, Maggie – Foisor, Sabina-Francesca ½-½ 80 A01 Larsen Opening
Goletiani, Rusudan – Krush, Irina 0-1 42 A13 Reti Opening
Round 11 (April 29, 2018)
Paikidze, Nazi – Goletiani, Rusudan ½-½ 38 B42 Sicilian Paulsen
Krush, Irina – Yu, Jennifer ½-½ 46 D30 Queen’s Gambit (without Nc3)
Zatonskih, Anna – Abrahamyan, Tatev ½-½ 30 E32 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca – Wang, Annie 1-0 37 D61 Queens Gambit Main Line with 7.Qc2
Sharevich, Anna – Gorti, Akshita 1-0 43 A40 Unusual Replies to 1.d4
Derakhshani, Dorsa – Feng, Maggie ½-½ 24 C19 French Winawer

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Una breve reseña de los participantes (en inglés)

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Absoluto

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Fabiano Caruana

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2868
Residence: Saint Louis, MO
Age: 25
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Caruana was a four time Italian national champion, and was the 2016 U.S. champion. He is currently the highest rated player in the U.S.
Bio: The twenty five year old Grandmaster was introduced to chess through an afterschool program as a five-year old in Brooklyn, New York, while living near to Bobby Fischer’s childhood home.  That same year, he played his first tournament at the Susan Polgar Chess Center in Queens New York.  His performance there got the attention of Caruana’s first coach, NM Bruce Pandolfini.

At ten years old, Caruana became the youngest American to defeat a GM in  a FIDE sanctioned event.  By the age of twelve, he had earned his FIDE master title, won several national scholastic championships, and two gold medals in the Pan-American Youth Championships.  When it became clear that chess would be his future, Fabiano and his family moved to Europe.

Caruana is now one of the hottest players on the global scene.  He crossed the super- elite rating threshold of 2800 after winning the 42nd Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dartmund, Germany.  He was the eighth player in history to pass the 2800 barrier.  He secured the tournament win in the penultimate round without losing a game.

In 2014 Fabiano achieved two impressive results, he placed second behind Magnus Carlsen in the World Rapid Championship and went on to win the Sinquefield cup with a remarkable score of eight and a half out of ten. In early 2015, after playing as a member of the Italian Chess Federation, Caruana rejoined the United States Chess Federation as one of its strongest members.  In the past two years, Caruana has won his first U.S. Championship, placed second at Tata Steel, played first board for the gold medal winning U.S. team at the 42nd Chess Olympiad, and won the 2017 London Chess Classic. He returns to the U.S. Championship as a serious contender for the title of U.S. Champion.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Hikaru Nakamura

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2853
Residence: White Plains, NY
Age: 30
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Hikaru has won the U.S. Championship four times and won the Gibraltar Chess Festival three consecutive years. GM Nakamura is currently the second highest rated player in the U.S. with a FIDE rating of 2781(URS 2809).
Bio: A child prodigy in every sense of the word, Hikaru swiftly knocked down nearly every age record on his way into the elite ranks. He was, at one time, the youngest American Master in history (10 years, 79 days), the youngest American International Master (13 years, 2 months), and eventually broke Bobby fischer’s record by three months when he became  the youngest American Grandmaster at the time (15 years, 79 days).

‘Naka’, as his fans affectionately refer to him, has collected numerous titles and championships since the age of thirteen, when he arrived on the national scene by winning the 2001  U.S Junior Championship.  He quickly confirmed his place among the elites, shocking the world with a sweet sixteen appearance in the 2004 FIDE World Cup.  His accomplishments do not end there.  This recipient of the prestigious Samford Chess Fellowship, won the 2007 National Open, the North American Open three times, and was gold medalist on the first board of the 2010 World Team Championship.

Since the advent of published FIDE Blitz ratings, Nakamura has graced the top of the list, demonstrating inimitable acuity and speed.  In 2015, the American GM won the Gibraltar Chess Masters tournament, captured his fourth U.S. Championship, first place at the Millionaire Chess Open, and propelled his classical FIDE rating to a career high of 2814.  2016 also proved to be a fruitful year for Naka as he repeated first place finishes at  the Gibraltar Chess Festival and the Zurich Chess Challenge.

Last year, Hikaru won his third consecutive Gibraltar Chess Festival.  One can only speculate as to what this four time winner of the U.S. Championship has in store for this year’s field.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Wesley So

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2852
Residence: Minnetonka, MN
Age: 24
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: GM So, the defending U.S. champion, is also the winner of the 2016 Grand Chess Tour, and the 2017 Tata Steel Masters. He is the third highest rated player in the U.S.
Bio: Wesley learned chess from his father at the age of six, and was competing in junior tournaments by the age of nine.  When he earned his Grandmaster title at the age of fourteen years, one month, and twenty-eight days, So completed the ‘trifecta’ of being the youngest-ever Filipino National Champion, IM, and GM.

Wesley came to the U.S. in August of 2012, enrolled at Webster University and quickly leapt from being a top 100 player to one of the top ten worldwide, leading his school to back-to-back national titles along the way.

In October 2014, GM So took first place at the inaugural Millionaire Open then returned to Saint Louis to lead the Arch-Bishops to their first ever Pro Chess League Championship.  Wesley then participated in his first elite tournament, securing the fourth place prize at the 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Holland.  The following year he returned and tied for second place, just a half-point behind Magnus.

2016 saw the American GM earn first place in the Grand Chess Tour by winning the Sinquefield Cup and the London Chess Classic. In 2017 Wesley won the Tata Steel Masters tournament and became the eleventh player in history to surpass 2800 FIDE.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Alex Onischuk

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2759
Residence: Lubbox, TX
Age: 42
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: GM Onischuk won the 2006 U.S. Championship, is currently #68 on the international ranking list and is the fourth highest rated player in the U.S. with a FIDE rating of 2681 (URS 2683).
Bio: Alexander began playing chess at the age of six and has been one of the top 100 players in the world for the past two decades.  The Ukrainian-American Onischuk  earned his GM title in 1994.  After winning the 2000 Ukrainian Championship he emigrated to the U.S. and played collegiate chess for the University of Baltimore, Maryland.  GM Onischuk led the program to multiple national titles before graduating in 2006 with a degree in linguistics.  He has been invited to every FIDE World Cup since 2005, and has won more than twenty major tournaments along the way.  The experienced chess professional said that winning  the 2006 U.S. Championship was the happiest moment of his career, sharing a trophy with legendary names such as Bobby Fischer and Paul Morphy.

Onischuk’s strong performances at the 2006 and 2008 Olympiads helped to secure America’s Bronze Medal finishes. In 2009, he delivered a Gold Medal performance on board two at the World Team Championship in Bursa, Turkey. As head coach of Texas Tech’s chess program, he has led the team to national recognition.  The Ukrainian-American GM has finished in the top three in the U.S. Championships eight times, and in 2015, as head coach, he led his Texas Tech team to first place at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Ray Robson

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2731
Residence: Saint Louis, MO
Age: 23
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Ray won the 2012 Webster university SPICE cup open, placed second at the 2015 U.S. Championships, and is currently the sixth highest rated player in the U.S. with a FIDE rating of 2649 (URS 2620).
Bio: Born in guam, Robson and his family moved to Florida when he was still a toddler.  It was in Florida where he learned to play chess when he was just three years old.  From 2004 to 2007, Robson finished in the top 10 at the World Youth Championships.  He won the Super- Nationals in 2005, first place in the 2005 and 2006 Pan-american Youth Championships, the 2009 U.S. Junior Championship, and the 2009 world Team Championship.  In 2008, Ray won his first major tournament at the Miami open, and later that year broke Hikaru Nakamura’s record by becoming the youngest American GM (14 years, 11 months and 16 days).

Robson attends Webster University, where he won the 2012 SPICE Cup Open, and helped the Webster team win three consecutive National titles.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Sam Shankland

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2730
Residence: Orinda, CA
Age: 25
Status: Invited
Chess Highlights: Sam placed third at the 2011 U.S. Championship. He won the 2010 U.S Junior Closed Championship, took first place at Biel Masters 2016, and played on the U.S. team which took first place at the 42nd Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2016. GM Shankland is currently rated 2668 FIDE(2662 URS), making him the the seventh highest rated player in the U.S.
Bio: At the age of eighteen, Sam announced his retirement from the world of professional chess; however, having made a prior commitment to play in the 2010 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, he played and managed to win a difficult  tournament.  The victory earned him an invitation to play in the 2011 U.S. Championship, which proved to be a difficult offer to refuse.

In 2016, the American GM won the Edmonton International as well as Fargenes International. Sam’s strong, sometimes unpredictable play is sure to keep this year’s field on their toes, and the chess fans on edges of their seats.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Var Akobian

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2728
Residence: Saint Louis, MO
Age: 34
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: GM Akobian was the U.S. Junior Champion in 2003, the winner of World Open in 2002, 2004, and 2007, and helped the U.S. win the Silver Medal at the 2009 World Team Championship. Varuzhan has a rating of 2647 FIDE (2649 URS), making him the eighth highest rated player in the U.S.
Bio: The weather in Mongolia was so harsh during the years that “Var” spent there as a child, that his father forbade him and his sister Armine from playing outside.  He taught them chess, which fascinated the young Akobian.  “From the very beginning,” Var says, “I was different from the other chess kids.  It was never just a game for me.  I always wanted to be a Grandmaster, and knew that I would do what it takes.”  As a teenager living in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia,  Akobian spent his days on chess and soccer.  His teachers encouraged him to focus on chess, so much that Var says: “If I went to high school in here [in the U.S], I never could have spent so much energy on chess.”

In 2002, a year after immigrating to the U.S., he earned the Samford Chess Fellowship.  The Fellowship grant, which allowed the young Var to study and improve his chess, yielded quick results with a tie for first at the 2002 World Open and First Place at the Irme Koenig GM invitational.  The following year, he won the 2003 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, earned his GM Norms in June 2004, and then won the World Open for a second time.

An excellent positional player, GM Akobian admires the games and style of Armenian Hero, former World Champion Tigran Petrosian.  He admires him so much so that he became an expert in the French Defence, one of Petrosians most played openings with the black pieces. Var offers this advice for aspiring club players: “Don’t expect to see constant improvement. You build knowledge and work hard, and after a while you’ll see a big breakthrough.”

Jeffery Xiong

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2724
Residence: Coppell, TX
Age: 17
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Jeffery won the 2016 U.S. Closed Junior Championship, and is currently the highest rated player in the U.S. under the age of eighteen. He is rated 2640 FIDE (URS 2622) making him the ninth highest rated player in the country.
Bio: This seventeen-year old from Coppell, Texas has a quite an impressive list of results.  Showing a tenacity beyond his years he has won the 2015 Chicago Open, finished sixth in the 2016 U.S.Championship (the strongest in history), and was awarded the 2016 U.S. Outstanding Player Achievement Award by USCF.  Xiong, the winner of the 2016 U.S. Junior Closed Championship is sure to give some of the seasoned veterans in this year’s field a run for their money.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Yaroslav Zherebukh

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2717
Residence: Saint Louis, MO
Age: 23
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: GM Zherebukh won the Cappelle la Grande tournament in 2010, the U.S. Masters 2015 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and placed sixth in the 2017 U.S. Championship. Yaroslav currently holds a FIDE standard rating of 2628 (2607URS) and is the tenth highest rated player in America.
Bio: The Ukrainian-born GM earned his title at the age of fifteen.  Zherebukh says, “ My biggest success so far was the advancement to the fourth round at the 2011 World Cup in Russia.”  In 2015, ‘Yaro’ switched his affiliation with the Ukrainian Chess Federation to the USCF, granting him eligibility to be the wildcard in  the 2017 U.S. Championships.  GM Zherebukh made his mark on the Saint Louis Chess Campus when he joined the Saint Louis Arch-Bishops, contributing to the team’s 2017 PRO Chess League Championship title.  This impressive young GM who has become a regular presence at the Saint Louis Chess Club is a fan favorite and is sure to give us some exciting chess in this year’s Championship.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Zviad Izoria

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2714
Residence: San Jose, CA
Age: 34
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: GM Izoria is the winner of the 2000 World Youth Chess Championship (U16 section). He also won the 2000 Moscow Kasparov Cup, and in 2005 won the HB Global Chess Challenge.
Bio: The Georgian born Izoria is an exciting and interesting player in this year’s U.S. Championship. Currently rated 2599 FIDE (2593), he is the eleventh highest rated player nationally, the 34 year old GM will have to be very prepared for some intense top level chess as he competes against this year’s field of elites.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Alex Lenderman

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2695
Residence: Brooklyn, NY
Age: 28
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: GM Lenderman shared first place in the 2009 Atlantic Open, won the 2009 USCF Grand Prix, and in 2015 took first at the World Open. He is rated 2600 FIDE (2598 URS) and is the fourteenth highest rated player in the U.S.
Bio: Born in Leningrad, Russia, at age four  Aleksandr arrived in Brooklyn with his family and quickly began to cultivate his love of the royal game.  Lenderman was part of the ‘dream team’ at his high school, winning four straight national titles.  During the 2008 USCF Grand Prix, Alex scored higher than all of the competing GM’s by playing and championing smaller events, including WCL tournaments.  After placing first in the 2009 Atlantic Open he went on to win the 2009 Grand Prix, and co-champion the 2009 U.S. Open.  GM Lenderman earned his three Grandmaster norms in quick succession in the summer of 2009 and formally obtained the GM title in 2010.  In 2015, the young American Grandmaster helped the U.S. team bring home the gold medal at the World Chess Championship and then went on to win the 2015 World Open.   Last year he produced impressive performances at the Chess World Cup and the Chess.com Isle of Man Open in September.  This experienced GM  is a strong and exciting addition to this year’s already very strong field.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

Awonder Liang

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2669
Residence: Madison, WI
Age: 14
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: GM Liang is the winner of the 2017 U.S. Junior Closed Championship. He is currently rated 2578 FIDE (2514 URS) and holds the records for youngest American Master and International Master, respectively.
Bio: Awonder is one of the most impressive chess prodigies in recent history.  The youngest GM in this year’s field, he tied for first at the 2011 U8 World Youth Chess Championship and went on to become the youngest American to ever earn the Master and IM titles.  He enters this tournament after a year of  important successes, earning his final GM Norm in May 2017 and winning the 2017 U.S Junior Closed Championship.  The Chess world can count on seeing an impressive performance from the young American GM in this year’s U.S. Championship.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Championship

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Femenino

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Irina Krush

Title: Grandmaster
Rating: 2524
Residence: Brooklyn, NY
Age: 34
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Irina Krush has won the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship seven times, although she placed 3rd at last year’s Championship tournament. Her first win was in 1998 where she established herself as the youngest U.S. Women’s Champion ever at the age of 14. She has also played on the U.S. national team in the Women’s Chess Olympiad since 1998. Krush contributed to the U.S. team winning the silver medal in 2004 at the 36th Chess Olympiad, and later a bronze medal in 2008 at the 38th Chess Olympiad.
Bio: Irina Krush has earned the spot as the highest-rated competitor in this year’s tournament. She has entrenched herself as the figurehead to elite American women’s chess play by earning the title of Grandmaster in October 2013.

America’s only active female GM says she doesn’t spend much time contemplating her current chess success or failures — “I’m more attached to my future accomplishments.” Born in Odessa, USSR (now Ukraine) in 1983, Irina learned to play chess at age five, emigrating with her parents to Brooklyn that same year. Krush attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, where she participated in one of the top high-school chess teams in the country. It has been a rapid climb for Irina since then, including exceptional showings in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 Chess Olympiads, as well as a gold-medal performance in the 2013 Women’s World Team Championship — a result Krush called the best of her career. In addition to her chess studies, the 2008 Samford Chess Fellowship recipient enjoys tennis, reading, writing, yoga and music. Krush has a degree in international relations from NYU, though she is currently concentrating on chess. She said she enjoys the challenge of playing other Grandmasters most: “When you beat a strong GM, that’s when you feel like you can play chess. She is also an author and has dedicated her time to writing several articles for Chess Life and USchess.org. Her article based on her experience earning her grandmaster norm in 2013 was named “Best of U.S. Chess.”

Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Anna Zatonskih

Title: International Master
Rating: 2517
Residence: Hartsdale, NY
Age: 39
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Anna Zatonskih is a four-time U.S. Women’s Champion and three-time Ukrainian Women’s Champion. She placed 4th in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. Zatonskih also contributed to the success of the U.S. at the 36th, 37th, and 38th Chess Olympiads, where the U.S. placed 2nd, 4th, and 3rd respectively. In 2008 she beat the defending U.S. Women’s Champion, Irina Krush, by a single second under time control, a moment that has been widely viewed on the Internet because of Krush’s reaction of smacking her king across the room in anger.
Bio: Zatonskih was born in Maripol, Ukraine and immigrated to the U.S. in 2004. In 2009, Zatonskih won the U.S. Women’s Championship with a dominating score of 8.5/9, but she ran into stiff competition in 2010 against her longtime nemesis (then) IM Irina Krush. Zatonskih recaptured the title in 2011 with a gutsy and grueling performance. Including the tiebreak and playoff matches, she played 19 games of chess over a two-week period to win the 2011 U.S. Women’s title. In 2012, Zatonskih suffered a heartbreaking loss in a playoff match against Krush, who went on to win the event.

Outside of chess, Anna has a variety of interests from bicycling to ping pong to scuba diving. She even played an underwater match while in scuba gear on a giant board. The game couldn’t go longer than 50 minutes, but she played to a draw. Coached by her husband, German Grandmaster Daniel Fridman, Anna comes into the tournament in the hopes of securing her fifth title.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Tatev Abrahamyan

Title: Women’s Grandmaster
Rating: 2450
Residence: Glendale, CA, U.S.
Age: 30
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Abrahamyan has competed in the U.S. Women’s Chess Championships over the last several years, but has never won despite many valiant attempts that often ended in tie-breaker decisions. She is known for her solid and determined style of gameplay, qualities that earned her the Goddesschess Award. Some of her most remarkable victories include two games against former U.S. Champion Alexander Shabalov.
Bio: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan started playing chess at eight after her father took her to the Chess Olympiad games in 1996. There she met Grandmaster Judit Polgar, arguably the greatest woman player of all time and the only woman in the tournament. “I was in complete awe,” Tatev said. “My first thought was, ‘I want to be just like her.'” She was soon playing competitively among the top players her age in Europe and has played in the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship eight times.

Tatev is a formidable competitor. At the 2010 U.S. Women’s Championship she played her heart out to a fantastic 7/9 score, which would usually be enough to net first place, but actually put her in a tie for second place, half a point behind Irina Krush. Tatev’s strong play and fighting qualities in 2010 earned her the 9 Queens/Goddesschess Fighting Chess award, which was selected by former Women’s World Champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk.

At the 2011 U.S. Women’s Championship, Tatev turned in a remarkable performance, falling just short to Anna Zatonskih in the playoff finals to finish in second place. That same year, Abrahamyan graduated from California State University Long Beach with a double major in psychology and political science. These days she is a regular face of the Saint Louis Chess Club commentary and journalism crew.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Nazi Paikidze

Title: International Master
Rating: 2434
Residence: Baltimore, MD
Age: 24
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Nazi Paikidze finished in second at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, and held the title of Champion in 2016. At the age of 9, Paikidze won her first international tournament at the 2003 European Youth Chess Championship. In 2009, at the age of 16, she was ranked 35th among the world’s top FIDE-rated women. Since 2003, she has won 12 medals in the European Youth Chess Championships, World Youth Chess Championships, and World Junior Chess Championships combined.
Bio: Paikidze was born in Irkutsk, Russia and has been playing chess since she was four years old. Even at an early age, it was clear Paikidze would soon become a powerhouse player. Raised in Tbilisi, Georgia, Paikidze quickly collected prolific wins at the highest levels of international youth chess play. By the time she was 16, Paikidze had won four European Youth Chess Championships and medaled in the World Youth Chess Championship an astounding six times, including two gold-medal finishes.

In 2006, Paikidze moved with her family to Moscow, Russia, which allowed her to participate in Russian tournaments. While she continued to represent Georgia in international events, she seized the initiative to combat some of Russia’s best, winning both the Moscow Women’s Championship and the Moscow’s Open Women Tournament, and finishing fourth in the Russian Women’s Chess Championship. With continuous strong play, Nazi achieved her Woman Grandmaster title in 2010 and her International Master title in 2012. Nazi transferred to the USCF in November 2016 after moving to the U.S. and is currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2016, she started teaching lessons on ChessUniversity.com’s Prodigy Program chess course.

Nazi Paikidze has a strong stance in activism in women’s rights in chess tournaments, and announced in October 2016 that she intended to boycott the Women’s World Chess Championship 2017 in Tehran, Iran due to its hijab dress code. She has been quoted saying, “I will not wear a hijab and support women’s oppression, even if it means missing one of the most important competitions of my career.” She has received over 15,000 signatures on a petition regarding this regulation, including support from the United States Chess Federation and other prominent members in the chess community such as Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Sabina Foisor

Title: Women’s Grandmaster
Rating: 2407
Residence: Lubbox, TX
Age: 28
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Foisor has competed in every U.S. Women’s Chess Championship since it was first hosted at the Saint Louis Chess Club in 2009. Last year, she finally secured a victory and the title of 2017 U.S. Women’s Chess Champion, which was a truly emotional experience.
Bio:  Sabina Foisor has been a chess dynamo since age 4. While her parents have been her biggest chess influence, she says her favorite players are Garry Kasparov and the late Bobby Fischer. Her main goal in chess is to become one of the top 20 women players in the world.

When not playing or training for chess, she likes to travel, read books, watch movies and hang out with friends. “Of course I can manage to balance chess with other things,” she says. She has many heroes outside of chess, including her family, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Sigmund Freud. After listing those three she added, “I will stop here because the list would be too large.”

One of her biggest challenges was moving to the U.S. to study at University of Maryland at Baltimore County, which has a strong chess program. Indeed, UMBC won the 2009 U.S. national collegiate title. At UMBC, Foisor studied psychology, modern language and linguistics.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Jennifer Yu

Title: Women’s International Master
Rating: 2402
Residence: Ashburn, VA
Age: 16
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: WGM Jennifer Yu is currently ranked 1st in the world in the female 16 and under active player category. She was well on her way to chess stardom after earning gold medal at the 2014 World Youth Chess Championship in South Africa–the only U.S. gold in the event and the first world title for an American girl since 1987. She placed 6th at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, 8th in 2016, and 12th in 2015.
Bio: Yu enters this year’s championship with a USCF rating of 2402. She was born in Ithaca, New York and started playing chess in first grade, attending an after-school chess class. After the school finished its chess sessions, Yu wanted to continue her interest and asked her parents to find a coach. This simple request launched Yu’s chess career. They took her to group chess lessons and tournaments for kids, but didn’t realize how talented she was until that coach informed them.

Today, the 16-year-old lives in Ashburn, Virginia and is a pretty typical tenth-grader, aside from her immense chess talent.  Her well-rounded interests include playing the flute and piano, listening to music, drawing, and playing sports. She becomes a better player through competition in tournaments where she can think through difficult challenges as she encounters them.

Yu holds a FIDE rating of 2196 and has participated in three World Youth Chess Championships. At age 10, she came in 11th place at the 2012 World Youth Championship in Slovenia, and in 2013 she placed fourth in the United Arab Emirates.

Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Annie Wang

Title: Women’s International Master
Rating: 2373
Residence: La Canada, CA
Age: 15
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: In 2013 Annie went undefeated in the U2100 section of the Annual Recession Buster Open in San Diego. She won first place in the U-18 Girls section of the 2014 North American Youth Chess Championship, where she earned her WIM title. WIM Wang placed fifth at the 2017 U.S. Junior Girls’ Chess Championship, and won the 2017 Girls U16 World Youth Championship with a tremendous score of 10.5/11.
Bio: WIM Wang was turned onto chess at the age of five while attending a festival at a park near her home and observing a simul. Annie remembers, “I was interested in the toy-like pieces and started learning chess.” In March 2014, Annie Wang became the youngest female chess master in the United States at age 11–breaking the record that had been held by Irina Krush since 1996. Annie held this record for one year, until Carissa Yip broke it in March 2015. The following year, she competed in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship at just 12 years old. Annie currently lives in La Cañada, California and, though her father is a numerical-modeling researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, his daughter’s chess talent far outpaces his own. When she isn’t playing chess, Annie enjoys reading and spending time with friends.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Maggie Feng

Title: FIDE Master
Rating: 2363
Residence: Dublin, OH
Age: 17
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: In 2016, she shattered the glass ceiling and became the first female in history to win the U.S. Junior High School Chess Championship with a strong score of 6.5/7. FM Feng competed in her first U.S. Women’s Chess Championship in 2017 and placed 7th; in that tournament, she won her game against current U.S. Women’s Champion Sabina Foisor. Over the course of the same year, she acquired her new title of FIDE Master.
Bio: FM Feng lives in Ohio with her family. She has competed in several tournaments hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club recently, and we expect her to appear as a regular competitor in the coming years.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Anna Sharevich

Title: Women’s Grandmaster
Rating: 2361
Residence: Saint Louis, MO
Age: 32
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Anna Sharevich made her first attempt at securing the national title in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, where she ultimately placed 5th. A native of Brest, Belarus and a prolific champion of the Ladies’ Belarusian Chess Championship (2002, 2005, 2007, 2011), Sharevich has long-established herself as a fierce competitor on elite levels of chess competition. Receiving her WGM title in 2006 at 21 years old, Sharevich has continued to improve her play after immigrating to the U.S. and has grown accustomed to living far from home.
Bio: Now living in Saint Louis, MO, Sharevich has played for both the Lindenwood and Webster University Chess teams, and had an impressive showing in December’s 2014 and 2015 Pan American Intercollegiate Championship. This past year also saw Anna selected for her first Chess Olympiad–for team U.S.A.–already boasting a great deal of experience in Olympiad play, having contributed to the Belarusian team in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012. Sharevich also was a member of the Saint Louis Arch Bishops, the 2014 champions of the U.S. Chess League. She also heads the Ladies Knight class for the Saint Louis Chess Club.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Dorsa Derakhshani

Title: International Master
Rating: 2321
Residence: Saint Louis, MO, U.S.
Age: 19
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: As a teenager IM Derakhshani placed first in 2012, 2013 and 2014 at the Asian Youth Chess Championships. In 2017, Derakhshani accepted a scholarship to play for the Saint Louis University Chess Team. Together with her six team members, she helped secure a third place victory at the 2017 Presidential Cup.
Bio: IM Derakhshani officially changed her federation from Iran to the United States in 2017 after a controversy arose about her refusal to wear a hijab while she played for the Iranian national team under the Iranian Chess Federation. Derakhshani was a loyal member of the team; however she claimed that “they cared more about the scarf covering my hair than the brain under it.” Currently, Derakhshani is a student at Saint Louis University where she studies biology, and is an accredited journalist for FIDE. At the age of 19, she is certainly a force to be reckoned with.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Akshita Gorti

Title: Women’s International Master
Rating: 2317
Residence: Chantilly, VA
Age: 16
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: WIM Gorti started playing chess in March of 2009 and in only 6 years broke a rating of 2300. Gorti is currently ranked 17th in the United States in the U-16 category. In 2017, WIM Gorti won the U.S. Girls’ Junior Chess Championship and earned both the title of Woman International Master and FIDE Master; thus qualifying her for acceptance to the 2018 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship pool.
Bio: When Akshita first entered the chess scene in March 2009 at the age of seven, she was rated 400. However, that rating quickly shot up: 1000 by the end of 2009, and 1467 by the end of 2010. Some notable achievements began to stack up for Gorti after a few years of playing in an impressive number of tournaments (averaging 30 per year). She took second in the 2013 All-Girl National Championship U-18 and the 2013 All-Girl National Blitz Championship U-18, tied for first in the 2014 U.S. Junior Girls Invitational, and took clear first in the Releya Chess WGM Norm Tournament in 2015.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

Rusudan Goletiani

Title: International Master
Rating: 2302
Residence: Tarrytown, NY
Age: 37
Status: Accepted
Chess Highlights: Goletiani has been a notable chess player since the early 1990s. She earned titles such as Soviet Junior Champion, two-time Russian champion, and three-time world junior champion by 1994. Goletiani’s first appearance in the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship in 2004 earned her the title of Champion after winning the playoff match against WGM Tatev Abrahamyan.
Bio: IM Goletiani’s love of chess and the desire to make a better life for herself encouraged her to move her life to the United States in May 2000. When Goletiani immigrated to the U.S, it took her awhile to gain status as a USCF chess player, but soon after she was granted status, she played in the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship and won (2004). She enters this year’s championship with a rating of 2302.
Tag: 2018 U.S. Women’s Championship

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Saludos,

Lenin Delgado

CD´21

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