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Stage set for epic showdown at U.S. Women's Championship

By on July 12, 2010 in

Victories by IM Irina Krush and IM Anna Zatonskih in round two of the 2010 U.S. Women’s Championship have set the stage for an epic round-three showdown.

In 2007 Krush unseated Zatonskih, the 2006 champion, to claim her second U.S. Women’s Championship title. The following year, a heated Armageddon match allowed Zatonskih to reclaim the title and set the stage for a marquis match-up in St. Louis at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship. A slow start by Krush, however, and an unparalleled performance by Zatonskih allowed for a runaway victory and gave Zatonskih her third title.

Women's and Junior Closed Champs feature fighting chess

By on July 11, 2010 in

After 20 straight decisive games closed out the 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship, this year’s event followed suit as all five games produced a clear winner.

The first decisive game of the tournament featured WFM Abby Marshall, the first-ever female winner of the Denker Invitational Tournament of High School Champions, against 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship competitor WIM Alisa Melekhina. Marshall, who opened with a King’s Gambit, said she felt like she got a good position out of the opening.

2010 Women's and Junior Champs Opening and Pairings

By on July 09, 2010 in

The Opening Ceremony for the 2010 U.S. Women’s and Junior Closed Championships is complete, and the pairings have been determined:

U.S. Championships Special Preview

By on July 07, 2010 in

Many of the participants from these two powerhouse events decided to try their luck at the 2010 World Open, ending Monday, July 5, in suburban Philadelphia. Each year, The World Open is the strongest Open tournament in the United States. The event draws more than 1,000 participants in several sections. Let’s take a look at some of the scores, and see who is likely to be brimming with confidence come Saturday.

Karlow takes the June Knights tourney with 4.5/5

By on July 01, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=5613|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]Expert Nick Karlow won the June Knights with an undefeated performance. After taking a half-point bye in round two, Karlow put himself in a hole, one half point behind the leaders. After pulling off a much needed round three victory against thee-time Knights Champion Paul Goddard, Nick had a crucial round four match-up vs. CCSCSL chess instructor Alex Marler.

Alex had been perfect up until that point in the tournament, and a Karlow loss would put him out of prize contention. Alex got in time pressure, however, and missed an attack that ultimately cost him the game.

We are the (Super Team) Champions!

By on June 25, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=5549|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|origsize=|align=left|width=200|height=200]The 2010 Super Team Championship was well-attended this year, with 17 teams vying for a nice prize and team glory. My team was made of my son Spencer, CCSCSL employee and tournament director Ray “Ray Ray” Kurczynski, and yours truly. We were ranked 2nd behind the team comprised of Doug Eckert, Bob Holliman, and Nick Karlow.

The first round went as expected, with the higher ranked teams winning easily. Round 2 was a bit tougher, as some top teams were nicked for draws, including the top-ranked team, and our team, the 2010 Super Team Champions. No, I am not getting ahead of myself, that was the name of our team!

New and Improved Lecture Videos with GM Finegold

By on June 25, 2010 in

We will be releasing a new video each week that Ben gives a lecture, and they will be appearing with more regularity. This week, Ben lectures on his games form the 2010 Las Vegas Chess Festival. We will have another lecture video appearing in a few days, so stay tuned!

Fields set for 2010 U.S. Women's and Junior Closed Champs

By on June 24, 2010 in

Right on the heels of the 2010 U.S. Championship, which took place in Saint Louis last month, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis has organized yet another unique U.S. Championship tournament experience as it will host these two prominent events simultaneously.

Ray-K saves the day

By on June 22, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=5549|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|origsize=|align=left|width=200|height=200]The 2010 Super Team Championship concluded last Saturday, and a strong performance by the aptly named 2010 Super Team Champions netted them an overall team performance score of 3.5/4 and a share of first place. The 2010 Super Team Champions (Ben and Spencer Finegold and Ray Kurczynski) ended up in a tie for first with team TFD (Doug Eckert, Bob Holliman and Nick Karlow), but took overall first on tiebreaks.

Kurczynski helped his team finish at the top with a solid personal performance of 3.5/4, which helped offset Spencer Finegold's 1.5/4 performance and a surprising round-two draw by Ben Finegold against Joe Garnier.

2010 Las Vegas Chess Festival

By on June 16, 2010 in

The 2010 National Open is one of the big events each year on the chess calendar. I play every year, and this is the second consecutive year the tournament was held at the South Point Hotel. For many years, the tournament was held at the Riviera Hotel. The South Point is much nicer, but, unfortunately, it is not on “The Strip.”

As usual, the tournament had over 15 GMs, and there were over 700 players in the National Open. There was also a scholastic event which drew around 250 kids! The reason this is a “Chess Festival” is due to the myriad of events, not just the National Open. There were GM simuls, a blitz tournament, a quick tournament, free GM lectures, a chess camp, and free game analysis by GM Arthur Bisguier!