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Long Matches End With Zatonskih Extending Lead At U.S. Women's Chess Championship

By on October 08, 2009 in

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 9, 2009 -- At the dawn of the tournament's only rest day, the fifth round of the 2009 U.S. Women's Championship on Friday at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, gave every player both added incentive to fight hard and a reason to be nervous. After many careful calculations, all 10 participants found themselves low on time and close to forfeiture, with several women within 10 seconds of losing by not making the required 40 moves in the first two hours. In the end, all boards cleared the time hurdle, and a hectic scramble gave way to a clearer picture of who has the best chance to win.

Defending champion and pre-round leader Anna Zatonskih, of Long Island, N.Y., won her fourth match in five rounds (the other was a draw) to increase her tournament lead to one point. She said her position against Tatev Abrahamyan, of Glendale, Calif., was approximately equal, but tournament rules prohibit players from agreeing to a peaceful tie before 30 moves have been made. The two played on and Zatonskih eventually found a pawn advance that irreparably weakened Abrahamyan's king.

One of Zatonskih's two closest rivals, who she will play in round six on Saturday, remains the tournament's youngest player, 18-year-old Alisa Melekhina, of Philadelphia, Pa. She drew the No. 3 seed Rusudan Goletiani, of Hartsdale, N.Y. In her five games, Melekhina has 3.5 points from two wins and three draws. Melekhina has adopted a new opening system for the championship against the popular Sicilian Defense, and it was good enough to split the point against her favored opponent.

Melekhina was also the youngest competitor during her first U.S. Championship in 2007. She said she prefers being in the underdog role, as there is less pressure. The college sophomore said she had not yet thought about preparing for the pivotal battle with Zatonskih; Melekhina has an online test to take at noon Friday.

Melekhina is joined in second place by the tournament's oldest player, 42-year-old Camilla Baginskaite, of Sioux Falls, S.D. She defeated tournament tail-ender Yun Fan. Like Melekhina, she has two wins and three draws for 3.5 points. After a period of semi-retirement following motherhood and a return to college, Baginskaite has been hinting that she wants to rededicate herself to chess.

In a battle of good friends and shared names, the favored Irina Krush, of Brooklyn, N.Y., fought to a wild draw with Iryna Zenyuk, of Pittsburgh, Pa. After a peaceful opening that offered a stalled initiative, Krush found a unique breakthrough, but missed a win with only seconds remaining on her clock. Only in the post-game analysis was the winning shot found, but with only seconds remaining on her clock, Krush overlooked it during the game. So far Krush has scored a dismal 50 percent, calling Friday's result a "never-ending disappointment." Following the game, the two friends analyzed with good humor, but only one was satisfied with the result. "Why is Irina playing chess?" Krush said.

Battsetseg Tsagaan, of Ellicott City, Md., again played the longest game of the round for the third day in a row. She upset Sabina Foisor, of Baltimore, Md., who has dropped two games in a row since briefly approaching the top of the standings.

For complete standings, go to www.saintlouischessclub.org/US-Womens-Championship-2009/standings.

The players have Friday off from competition, but many will be doing civic and charity events around St. Louis. Round six play resumes Saturday at noon Central time. Games can be followed live at http://www.saintlouischessclub.org/US-Womens-Championship-2009/Live-Cove... and the broadcast can be heard at www.chessclub.com/chessfm.

Round 4 Photos

By on October 07, 2009 in

Round 4 brought us four hard-fought draws by our competitors and one victory by Alisa Melekhina over Sabina Foisor. That victory brought her within one-half point of the tournament lead.

Round 5 is sure to bring some exciting action as the players move closer to the crowning of the 2009 U.S. Women's Champion. Check out the photo gallery form Round 4!

And Then There Were 3 Undefeated Players At U.S. Women's Chess Tourney

By on October 07, 2009 in

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 7, 2009 -- The quartet of undefeated women was reduced by one in Wednesday's round four of the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship, held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. All four women played each other today, with 18-year-old Alisa Melekhina making a dramatic comeback against Sabina Foisor to remain unbeaten, while top-seeded defending champion Anna Zatonskih drew with 2000 champion Camilla Baginskaite.

Zatonskih, of Long Island, N.Y., now has three wins and one draw for 3.5 points, while Melekhina, of Philadelphia, Pa., the tournament's youngest player, is in clear second with two wins and two draws for three points. Looking ahead, Zatonskih and Melekhina, who have the best chance to win the record $15,000 first prize, will play in round six of the nine-round championship on Saturday. Baginskaite, of Sioux Falls, S.D., remains unbeaten as her one win and three draws gives her 2.5 points, the same number as Foisor, of Baltimore, Md.

Round 3 Photos

By on October 06, 2009 in

Round 3 featured a marquis match-up against the number one and two seeds in a rematch of the final game that decided last year's champiosnhip.

The other four matches offered equally impressive play. Check out the images from Round 3!

No. 1 Beats No. 2 In U.S. Women's Chess Championship

By on October 06, 2009 in

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 6, 2009 -- The most anticipated encounter of the 2009 U.S. Women's Championship took place in round three, with the top two seeds facing off for the first time since their controversial finish to the 2008 Championship. This time, as last time, the top seed, Anna Zatonskih, took the victory at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Zatonskih, of Long Island, N.Y., the top defending champion, took the black pieces against second-seeded Irina Krush, of Brooklyn, N.Y. The two had not faced each other since Zatonskih won a blitz tiebreaker in last year's tournament, causing Krush to object to her opponent's etiquette.

Round 2 Photos

By on October 06, 2009 in

Day two of the 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship saw the two main favorites both win.

IM Anna Zatonskih won her second game in a row, this time a victory over WIM Battsetseg Tsagaan, who insisted on complicating the position when she had little time left on the clock.

IM Irina Krush sent a message to the rest of the competitors with a fighting win with the black pieces against one of her major rivals, IM Rusudan Goletiani.

Having being held to a draw with the white pieces in round one, Krush saw this game as a “must win” and succeeded in her quest to not fall a full point behind Zatonskih.

WGM Camilla Baginskaite moved into joint second place but was kicking herself after her game against WIM Alisa Melekhina as she felt she had a winning position towards the end but she, like Krush in the previous round, fell victim to Melekhina’s stubborn defense and a draw was agreed.

WIM Iryna Zenyuk got off the mark with a win against Yun Fan although check out the analysis for Fan’s not very obvious missed draw opportunity at the end of the game.

And last but not least, WGM Sabina Foisor and WFM Tatev Abrahamyan had a complicated affair that eventually fizzled out to a draw.

U.S. Women's Chess Championship Sees Thrilling Second Round

By on October 05, 2009 in

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 5, 2009 -- Defending U.S. women's chess champion WGM Anna Zatonskih is using her versatility to keep her opponents off balance at the 2009 championship at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis . After two games, she was the only player to move to 2-0, reflecting two victories. Zatonskih played a solid opening variation that she seldom uses to frustrate the aggressive style of Battsetseg Tsagaan. "I'm expecting Zatonskih to surprise us in many games," said Grandmaster-elect Ben Finegold, who provided live commentary.

The top-seeded Zatonskih, of Long Island, N.Y., avoided the trap of overlooking Tsagaan, of Ellicott City, Md., the seven-time Mongolian women's champion. Zatonskih insisted she was not placing undue emphasis on her upcoming encounter with second-seeded IM Irina Krush, with whom she shared an infamous incident at last year's championship.

Round 1 Photos

By on October 05, 2009 in

The 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship got underway on Sunday, October 4.

The random drawing of lots at the opening ceremony ensured that the five higher-rated players would each play one of the five lower-rated players in the first round, and four out of the five capitalized with a win.

IM’s Anna Zatonskih and Rusudan Goletiani were joined by WGM’s Camilla Baginskaite and Sabina Foisor in the winner’s circle and will head into day two in a cheery mood.

The fifth game of the day was the only peaceful finish as IM Irina Krush was held to a well-played draw by WIM Alisa Melekhina.

U.S. Women's Chess Championship Gets Off to Competitive Start

By on October 04, 2009 in

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 4, 2009 -- The opening round of the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship gave a taste of the combative play that will come over the next 11 days. The championship will take place at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, from Oct. 3, 2009. The first day's action gathered 10 of the highest-rated women in the country as they faced off in five duels, with four ending in victories.

The lone draw, and biggest surprise of the round, came at the hands of 18-year-old Alisa Melekhina of Philadelphia, the tournament's youngest participant. She played solidly in her battle with second-seeded former champion Irina Krush of Brooklyn, N.Y. Melekhina holds the second-highest female title, women international master. She is riding a hot streak, coming off an individual gold medal at the World Team Championships last month in China.

Kick-Off Events a Success for the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

By on October 04, 2009 in

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 4, 2009 -- The preliminary events for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship have the Saint Louis community and chess-enthusiasts worldwide anticipating the tournament, which begins 2 p.m. today at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.
Here are the highlights of those events:

A Jazzy Start: 2009 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship
The “Queens of Jazz” kick-off for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship was a huge success! The 10 female players and other chess big-wigs gathered at the Contemporary Art Museum Friday night for a breathtaking concert featuring Grammy nominee Ann Hampton Callaway and Saint Louis native Denise Thimes.

Already Breaking Records: Opening Day
Opening day of the 2009 US Women’s Chess Championship on Saturday proved how much fun chess could be. The Contemporary Art Museum of Saint Louis was filled with hula chess games, life-sized chessboards and bounty blitz matches. But the highlight of the event was the blindfold chess demonstration played by two-time champion Anna Zatonskih. She called out and remembered her move on five boards against tough chess connoisseurs, including CCSCSL founder and board member Rex Sinquefield—who was the last competitor standing. Zatonskih’s five wins set a record for female blindfold chess.

Ready to Play! Opening Ceremony
Saturday night’s opening ceremony for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship set the tone for tournament play, which will begin today. After opening remarks from CCSCSL Founder Rex Sinquefield, St. Louis 28th Ward Alderman Lyda Krewson, Saint Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, Official Arbiter Carol Jarecki and former Champion Jennifer Shahade, players began drawing lots to determine who would play in the first round. Jarecki announced the pairings and the 10 players dazzled the audience playing a ceremonial team blindfold chess match against each other. Two-time Steller award winner Kevin Burroughs Neeley, known as KBN, started the evening with a stirring rendition of the National Anthem.