US Championships 29 March to 9 April 2017

[JustinHorton]

Looks like So had another life today

[Chris Rice]

Rd 6 report which analyses how lucky So and Nakamura were to escape defeat. Wesley So leads in the Open but in the women's it's Paikidze who leads after surprisingly beating Krush.

[Tim Harding]

Rd 6 report which analyses how lucky So and Nakamura were to escape defeat. Wesley So leads in the Open but in the women's it's Paikidze who leads after surprisingly beating Krush.

Why "surprisingly"? Paikidze is defending champion and the commentators say she has now beaten Krush three years in a row.

Also after Krush's failure to claim that draw in the previous round, she must already have been feeling below par.
Both tournaments seem wide open this year.

[Chris Rice]

Rd 6 report which analyses how lucky So and Nakamura were to escape defeat. Wesley So leads in the Open but in the women's it's Paikidze who leads after surprisingly beating Krush.

Why "surprisingly"? Paikidze is defending champion and the commentators say she has now beaten Krush three years in a row.

Also after Krush's failure to claim that draw in the previous round, she must already have been feeling below par.
Both tournaments seem wide open this year.

I thought it was surprising based on the higher Elo and that Krush is a GM whereas Paikidze is an IM. However, I hadn't checked the previous years results between the two which are even more surprising!

[Chris Rice]

Open Round 7:
GM Robson, Ray (3) 2668 ½ - ½ GM So, Wesley (4) 2822
GM Zherebukh, Y. (3½) 2605 1 - 0 GM Caruana, F. (3½) 2817
GM Nakamura, H. (3½) 2793 ½ - ½ GM Shankland, S. (3) 2666
GM Akobian, V. (3½) 2645 ½ - ½ GM Onischuk, A. (3) 2667
GM Kamsky, Gata (2) 2659 1 - 0 GM Naroditsky (3½) 2646
GM Xiong, J. (2½) 2674 0 - 1 GM Shabalov, A. (1) 2556

Standings:
1-2 So, Zherebukh 4½
3-4 Nakamura, Akobian 4
5-9 Shankland, Onischuk, Naroditsky, Caruana, Robson 3½
10 Kamsky 3
11 Xiong 2½
12 Shabalov 2

Women's:
IM Paikidze, N. (4½) 2369 ½ - ½ WGM Sharevich, A. (3½) 2257
IM Zatonskih, A. (3½) 2451 ½ - ½ GM Krush, Irina (3½) 2444
WIM Yu, J. R. (2½) 2196 ½ - ½ WGM Foisor, S. (4) 2272
WIM Nguyen, Emily (½) 2173 0 - 1 WCM Feng, Maggie (3½) 2162
WGM Abrahamyan (3) 2364 ½ - ½ WGM Nemcova, K. (2½) 2359
WFM Virkud, A. (2) 2262 1 - 0 WFM Yip, Carissa (3) 2234

Standings:
1 Paikidze 5
2-3 Feng, Foisor 4½
4-6 Krush, Zatonskih, Sharevich 4
7 Abrahamyan 3½
8-11 Virkud, Nemcova, Yip, Yu 3
12 Nguyen ½

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Wow. Caruana lost. Strange game. Lots of manouevring.

[Chris Rice]

Wow. Caruana lost. Strange game. Lots of manouevring.

This guy Zherebukh is seriously underrated according to Nakamura. The Chess.com report on the 7th round concentrates on this game and the Xiong-Shabalov game where 22 of Shabalov's 26 moves had all been prepared at home.

In the womens, Foisor learnt from Krush's mistake and when Yu blundered a threefold, two pawns up, she claimed a draw and a miracle escape.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Paikidze's opponent took a draw when clearly better if not winning, as well.

[Chris Rice]

Open Round 9:
GM So, Wesley (4½) 2822 ½ - ½ GM Nakamura, H. (4) 2793
GM Zherebukh, Y. (4½) 2605 0 - 1 GM Akobian, V. (4) 2645
GM Caruana, F. (3½) 2817 1 - 0 GM Naroditsky (3½) 2646
GM Onischuk, A. (3½) 2667 1 - 0 GM Robson, Ray (3½) 2668
GM Shankland, S. (3½) 2666 0 - 1 GM Xiong, J. (2½) 2674
GM Shabalov, A. (2) 2556 ½ - ½ GM Kamsky, Gata (3) 2659

Standings:
1-2 Akobian, So 5
3-6 Zherebukh, Caruana, Onischuk, Nakamura 4½
7-11 Xiong, Kamsky, Robson, Naroditsky, Shankland 3½
12 Shabalov 2½

Women's:
WCM Feng, Maggie (4½) 2162 ½ - ½ IM Paikidze, N. (5) 2369
WGM Foisor, S. (4½) 2272 1 - 0 WIM Nguyen, Emily (½) 2173
WGM Sharevich, A. (4) 2257 ½ - ½ IM Zatonskih, A. (4) 2451
GM Krush, Irina (4) 2444 1 - 0 WFM Virkud, A. (3) 2262
WGM Abrahamyan (3½) 2364 ½ - ½ WIM Yu, J. R. (3) 2196
WGM Nemcova, K. (3) 2359 1 - 0 WFM Yip, Carissa (3) 2234

Standings:
1-2 Paikidze, Foisor 5½
3-4 Krush, Feng 5
5-6 Zatonskih, Sharevich 4½
7-8 Nemcova, Abrahamyan 4
9 Yu, 3½
10-11 Virkud, Yip 3
12 Nguyen ½

R8 report featuring Caruana crushing Naroditsky and Akobian winning the Black side of a French Tarrasch. In the women's we are all set for a battle of the two leaders today, Paikidze and Foisor.

[Steven DuCharme]

down goes caruana after a 2 pawn lead

[Chris Rice]

Indeed, a very significant round as So wins and both Caruana and Nakamura lose.

Open Round 9 results:
GM Xiong, J. (3½) 2674 0 - 1 GM So, Wesley (5) 2822
GM Akobian, V. (5) 2645 1 - 0 GM Caruana, F. (4½) 2817
GM Nakamura, H. (4½) 2793 0 - 1 GM Onischuk, A. (4½) 2667
GM Robson, Ray (3½) 2668 ½ - ½ GM Zherebukh, Y. (4½) 2605
GM Kamsky, Gata (3½) 2659 ½ - ½ GM Shankland, S. (3½) 2666
GM Naroditsky (3½) 2646 ½ - ½ GM Shabalov, A. (2½) 2556

Standings:
1-2 Akobian, So 6
3 Onischuk 5½
4 Zherebukh 5
5-6 Caruana Nakamura 4½
7-10 Kamsky, Shankland, Robson, Naroditsky 4
11 Xiong 3½
12 Shabalov 3

Women's:
IM Paikidze, N. (5½) 2369 ½ - ½ WGM Foisor, S. (5½) 2272
IM Zatonskih, A. (4½) 2451 1 - 0 WCM Feng, Maggie (5) 2162
WFM Yip, Carissa (3) 2234 ½ - ½ GM Krush, Irina (5) 2444
WFM Virkud, A. (3) 2262 1 - 0 WGM Sharevich, A. (4½) 2257
WIM Yu, J. R. (3½) 2196 ½ - ½ WGM Nemcova, K. (4) 2359
WIM Nguyen, Emily (½) 2173 0 - 1 WGM Abrahamyan (4) 2364

Standings:
1-2 Paikidze, Foisor 6
3-4 Zatonskih, Krush 5½
5-6 Abrahamyan, Feng 5
7-8 Nemcova, Sharevich 4½
9-10 Virkud, Yu 4
11 Yip 3½
12 Nguyen ½

[JustinHorton]

What happened there? When I packed it in Caruana was two pawns up with no apparent sniff of compensation for Akobian.

[LawrenceCooper]

What happened there? When I packed it in Caruana was two pawns up with no apparent sniff of compensation for Akobian.

He drifted, lost one pawn got a bit tied up and then blundered on move 76. You can see it on the video around 5:25 http://uschesschamps.com/2017-us-champi ... ation/live Even Maurice Ashley was briefly lost for words

[Chris Rice]

What happened there? When I packed it in Caruana was two pawns up with no apparent sniff of compensation for Akobian.

I agree with Loz its really difficult to say, Akobian did defend really well and played a lot of 'only' moves but you would have expected Caruana to put him away easily enough given the position he had. Maybe Caruana got tired as he started playing a lot of sub optimal moves and the position started deteriorating. Emil Sutovsky on FB had something to say this morning on it "Caruana tends to miss a lot of winning positions - no other top player is close in this regards. Huge number of misses. He may well be the best player in the world till move 35, but then weird stuff happens regularly. That actually cost him dearly in Moscow Candidates..." https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2017-us ... na_Fabiano

[JustinHorton]

I played through it a bit earlier. Astonishing for a player of that calibre to have any particular problem converting, never mind the panic at the end.

I still can't really believe Akobian didn't resign even though I know what happened. Lucky for him he didn't though (and lucky for him that he didn't take the very standard draw he had available on move 61) .

By contrast, Shabba coming back from nearly minus 6 is a minor thing.