For more information contact:
Laura Slay, president
Slay and Associates
lslay@slayandassociates.com
Mark Bretz, Slay and Associates
314-838-9371
mbretz@slayandassociates.com
For Immediate Release:
Saint Louis, May 9, 2009 - The defending champion of the U.S. Chess Championship, along with the top two rated players in the United States all were victorious Friday in the first round of the 2009 championship at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.
The 2008 champion, Yury Shulman of Barrington, Ill. , No. 1 rated Gata Kamsky, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and No. 2 ranked Hikaru Nakamura, of White Plains, N.Y., were among the winners in 24-person field. Three of the four youngest players in the tournament -- all age 17 -- distinguished themselves in the first round. Sam Shankland, 17, of Berkeley, Calif., played to a draw, while Tyler Hughes, 17, of Colorado, and Robert Hess of New York won their matches.
Irina Krush, the 2007 U.S. Women's Chess Champion, played to a draw against the Gregory Kaidanov, of Lexington, Ky., the No. 9 ranked player in the country.
For a video wrap-up of Friday's games go to
http://www.
. Jennifer Shahade, a two-time women's champion, and Macauley Peterson, the 2008 Chess Journalist of the Year, provide commentary on the video.
The nine-round tournament continues Saturday, and will conclude Sunday, May 17. Saturday's results will be available shortly after the last game ends.
Nearly $200,000 in prize money could be available, including a $64,000 check going to any player who achieves a perfect score. That prize honors the late Bobby Fischer, the only player to accomplish that feat.
For a live update of tournament play on Twitter, go to
. Results of Friday's matches are available at
. Photos of Round 1 are available at
www.slayandassociates.com/
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis opened in July 2008, and has 500 members. The club also will host the U.S. Women's Chess Championship in October.
