[imagefield_assist|fid=3694|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]The Opening Ceremony of the 2010 U.S. Championship went off without a hitch, and the most prestigious tournament in the country is about to begin. You can follow all of the action live here at www.saintlouischessclub.org, or visit uschesschamps.com to hit the 2010 U.S. Chess Championship home page directly.
We will be broadcasting all of the commentary live through the website. Visitors are welcome to attend all rounds of the championship here at the club, and commentary will be provided by GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade.
The drawing of the colors took place this evening, and the round one pairings are official. Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage of the event, and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute coverage by IM Greg Shahade.
Round One Pairings for the 2010 U.S. Championship:
| Bd. | # | White | # | Black |
| 1 | 13 | GM Alexander Stripunsky | 1 | GM Hikaru Nakamura |
| 2 | 2 | GM Gata Kamsky | 14 | GM Ray Robson |
| 3 | 15 | GM Joel Benjamin | 3 | GM Alexander Onischuk |
| 4 | 4 | GM Yury Shulman | 16 | GM Vinay Bhat |
| 5 | 17 | GM Ben Finegold | 5 | GM Varuzhan Akobian |
| 6 | 6 | GM Aleksandr Lenderman | 18 | GM Melikset Khachiyan |
| 7 | 19 | GM Alex Yermolinsky | 7 | GM Jaan Ehlvest |
| 8 | 8 | GM Robert Hess | 20 | IM Sam Shankland |
| 9 | 21 | GM Jesse Kraai | 9 | GM Alexander Shabalov |
| 10 | 10 | GM Larry Christaiansen | 22 | GM Dmitry Gurevich |
| 11 | 23 | IM Irina Krush | 11 | GM Gregory Kaidanov |
| 12 | 12 | GM Sergey Kudrin | 24 | IM Levon Altounian |
