US Championships 29 March to 9 April 2017

[Roger de Coverly]

Maybe Caruana got tired as he started playing a lot of sub optimal moves and the position started deteriorating.

[FEN "8/5pkn/6p1/4Nq2/3Qp2p/4P2P/6P1/7K b - - 12 76"]

.. f6 was not a good idea. It's a position where White has now a good enough position to draw and there are several continuations where Black accepts this.

[Chris Rice]

ChessBase report on Round 9 which was clearly an emotional day. Naroditsky looked inconsolable after his loss while Nakamura wouldn't even look his opponent in the eye when they shook hands at the end. Yermolinsky who wrote the article thinks that Caruana's clock handling was a major factor in his loss and in his games in general.

[JustinHorton]

Naroditsky looked inconsolable after his loss

<cough>

[Carl Hibbard]

ChessBase report on Round 9 which was clearly an emotional day. Naroditsky looked inconsolable after his loss while Nakamura wouldn't even look his opponent in the eye when they shook hands at the end. Yermolinsky who wrote the article thinks that Caruana's clock handling was a major factor in his loss and in his games in general.

A nice report but the ChessBase sight is soooo slow recently.

[Chris Rice]

Naroditsky looked inconsolable after his loss

<cough>

Whoops, after his draw, clearly felt like a loss, seeing him crumpled up there.

[Chris Rice]

Maybe Caruana got tired as he started playing a lot of sub optimal moves and the position started deteriorating.

[FEN "8/5pkn/6p1/4Nq2/3Qp2p/4P2P/6P1/7K b - - 12 76"]

.. f6 was not a good idea. It's a position where White has now a good enough position to draw and there are several continuations where Black accepts this.

The Chess.com report identifies ...f6 as the major blunder by Caruana as well. I like Seirawan's comment on the day's events "I can't believe what I just witnessed".

[JustinHorton]

Watching that video, it seems to me that Akobian maybe had another stroke of good fortune in that he twice looks on the brink of playing Ng4 rather than the Qd4 which induced Caruana's blunder.

[Roger de Coverly]

it seems to me that Akobian maybe had another stroke of good fortune in that he twice looks on the brink of playing Ng4 rather than the Qd4 which induced Caruana's blunder.

It might help explain the blunder. The chessbomb engine suggests after 76. Ng4 that 76 .. Qe6 should be played. If White now plays 77. Qd4, the reply is 77. .. f6.

[JustinHorton]

Presumably also Caruana was seeking to punish Akobian for not playing the obvious and good move....

[Matt Mackenzie]

What an absolutely extraordinary round in all respects. But some people still try to claim that chess is "played out"

[Tim Harding]

Round 10 starts in a few minutes.
So (6) v Kamsky (4)
Akobian (6) v Robson (4)
Onischuk (5.5) v Xiong (3.5)
Zherebukh (5) v Nakamura (4.5)
Caruana (4.5) v Shabalov (3)
Shankland (4) v Naroditsky (4)

Last night the commentators made the interesting point that there are several qualifying places (5, I think) for the World Cup and since So, Caruana and Nakamura (from ratings) and Xiong (as World Junior Champ) are already in that field, just about everybody else still has a chance. Akobian is now pretty much guaranteed qualification.

In the women's event the big pairings are:
Abrahmyan (5) v Paikidze (6)
Foisor (6) v Zatonskikh (5.5)
Nemcova (4.5) v Krush (5.5)

I have to feel sorry for poor Emily Nguyen who is on half a point from nine.

[Matt Mackenzie]

And her solitary score was against Paikidze!

[LawrenceCooper]

A nice miniature from Nakamura today.

[JustinHorton]

Zherebukh was doomed as soon as he bottled out of taking on e6. He spent half an hour considering it, but it's not the time so much as the doubt.

[Roger de Coverly]

Zherebukh was doomed as soon as he bottled out of taking on e6.

Deep Blue went for it in similar circumstances against Kasparov. The chessbomb Stockfish also approves. A key idea may be that Black is forced to give up the Queen for Rook and Bishop.