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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.

Already Breaking Records: Opening Day - 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

By on October 04, 2009 in

Opening day of the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship yesterday definitely proved how much fun chess could be! The Contemporary Art Museum of Saint Louis was filled with hula chess games, life-sized chess boards 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 moves on five boards against tough chess enthusiasts, including CCSCSL founder and board member Rex Siquefield. Zatonskih's five wins set a record for female blindfold chess!

Ready to Play! Opening Ceremony - 2009 US Women's Chess Championship

By on October 04, 2009 in

Last night's Opening Ceremony for the 2009 US Women's Chess Championship set the tone for tournament play, which will begin today at 2:00 p.m. at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. After opening remarks from CCSCSL Founder Rex Sinquefield, the 28th Ward Alderman Lyda Krewson, Saint Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, Official Arbiter Carol Jarecki and former Champion Jennifer Shahade, players began the drawing of the lots. Jarecki announced the pairings and the 10 players dazzled the audience playing a team blindfold chess match against each other.

Click here to get your tickets for the tournament and other related events: http://saintlouischessclub.org/US-Womens-Championship-2009/Schedule

A Jazzy Start to 2009 US Women's Championship

By on October 03, 2009 in

The kick-off for the 2009 US Women’s Chess Championship was a huge success! The ten female players and other chess big-wigs gathered at the Contemporary Art Museum last night for a “Queens of Jazz” concert featuring Ann Hampton Callaway and Denise Thimes.

Be sure to get your tickets for all the other exciting events.

Chess Championship Helps Unite Community

By on October 01, 2009 in

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 1, 2009 -- Sure, there will be plenty of great chess at the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship, which will be held Oct. 4-13 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. But thanks to a variety of partnerships involving the arts, cultural and health care communities, the tournament offers much more.

The championship will leave its mark from the Contemporary Art Museum to the Siteman Cancer Center and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art to the Saint Louis Science Center.

For jazz aficionados, the unofficial kickoff of the championship starts 7:30 p.m. Friday with the Queens of Jazz , which features Tony nominee Ann Hampton Callaway and Denise Thimes at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.

What’s it Like Balancing Chess and Motherhood?

By on September 29, 2009 in

By Mike Klein

Chess players often complain about distractions in the tournament hall. But squeaky chairs and jiggling change take a back seat for some competitors. Amidst the intense focus required of top-level players, one subgroup must add another item to the list of complications – motherhood.