Contact: Laura Slay
314-504-0081 or
Suzanne Corbett
314.749-9596
For immediate release:
ZATONSKIH WITHDRAWS FROM CHAMPIONSHIP; REPLACED BY DOUG ECKERT
Saint Louis , May 11 -- Anna Zatonskih withdrew Sunday from the U.S. Chess Championship because of an unspecified medical illness.
"There were some medical issues," said Tony Rich, executive director of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, which is hosting the tournament. "I know that she went to the hospital Sunday morning."
Zatonskih's medical problems are not life threatening. Her third-round match with Gregory Kaidanov of Lexington, Ky., was declared a forfeit, and Kaidanov was awarded one point for a victory.
Zatonskih, of Long Island, N.Y., is the reigning U.S. Women's Chess champion. She will be replaced in the championship by Doug Eckert, a Saint Louis native now living in central Illinois. Eckert was attending the championship as an alternate. He will play 12th-ranked grandmaster Boris Gulko in the fourth round, which will be held today from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Rex Sinquefield, the founder of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center, has guaranteed prize money to both Zatonskih and Eckert based on where they place in the standings. In effect, the tournament has been expanded from 24 players to 25, and Zatonskih will finish with one-half point for the draw she earned in the second round. Eckert will start the fourth round with no points. The player who finishes 25th will receive $2,000.
The nine-round championship concludes Sunday.
For a live update of tournament play on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/ccscsl. Results of all matches are available at www.saintlouischessclub.org.
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis opened in July 2008, and has over 500 members. The club also will host the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship from October 2-12.
