Chessable Houska's Caro

US Championship St Louis USA 2009 (8)

Young Guns Battle for US Chess Championship Title

Robert Hess against Yuri Shulman

Robert Hess against Yuri Shulman | http://www.saintlouischessclub.org/US-Championship-2009

Saint. Louis, May 16 -- After eight rounds of tense competition at the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship, two young players enter the final round tied for the lead and the title.


Round 8 Hikaru Nakamura shares the lead going into the final round. Photo © Betsy Dynako. Official site: http://www.saintlouischessclub.org/US-Championship-2009


Round 8. Robert Hess beat defending champion Yuri Shulman. Photo © Betsy Dynako. Official site: http://www.saintlouischessclub.org/US-Championship-2009

Round 8 (May 16, 2009)
Lawton,Charles - Shankland, Samuel L ½-½ 78 B99 Sicilian Najdorf
Khachiyan, Melikset - Eckert, Doug D 0-1 47 B23 Sicilian Closed
Shabalov, Alexander - Krush, Irina 1-0 24 B97 Sicilian Najdorf
Gulko, Boris F - Becerra Rivero, Julio ½-½ 36 E73 King's Indian Averbakh
Christiansen, Larry M - Hughes, Tyler B 1-0 50 B40 Sicilian Classical
Kaidanov, Gregory S - Ibragimov, Ildar ½-½ 33 E00 Catalan
Robson, Ray - Sevillano, Enrico 1-0 62 C17 French Winawer
Friedel, Joshua E - Ehlvest, Jaan 1-0 38 B93 Sicilian Najdorf with 6.f4
Akobian, Varuzhan - Benjamin, Joel 1-0 47 E15 Queens Indian
Brooks, Michael A - Nakamura, Hikaru 0-1 34 B33 Sicilian Sveshnikov
Hess, Robert L - Shulman, Yuri 1-0 67 C01 French Exchange
Kamsky, Gata - Onischuk, Alexander ½-½ 30 C67 Ruy Lopez Berlin



ch-USA Saint Louis (USA), 8-17 v 2009
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  
1. Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2701 +16 =9 +2 =7 =3 =4 +5 +10 . 6 2789
2. Hess, Robert L m USA 2485 +13 +17 -1 =4 +22 =3 +6 +7 . 6 2817
3. Kamsky, Gata g USA 2720 +14 +5 =7 =6 =1 =2 +12 =4 . 2740
4. Onischuk, Alexander g USA 2684 =6 +21 =9 =2 +20 =1 +7 =3 . 2683
5. Akobian, Varuzhan g USA 2612 +24 -3 +8 +17 +9 =7 -1 +12 . 2738
6. Friedel, Joshua E g USA 2516 =4 +15 +12 =3 -7 +10 -2 +9 . 5 2691
7. Shulman, Yuri g USA 2632 +11 +22 =3 =1 +6 =5 -4 -2 . 2641
8. Robson, Ray m USA 2465 -17 +18 -5 +14 =15 +13 -10 +11 . 2609
9. Ehlvest, Jaan g USA 2606 +10 =1 =4 =15 -5 =11 +19 -6 . 4 2567
10. Brooks, Michael A m USA 2463 -9 +16 =11 =12 +17 -6 +8 -1 . 4 2571
11. Sevillano, Enrico m USA 2520 -7 +25 =10 -20 +16 =9 +15 -8 . 4 2472
12. Benjamin, Joel g USA 2583 =20 +19 -6 =10 +21 +22 -3 -5 . 4 2498
13. Christiansen, Larry M g USA 2588 -2 =20 =14 =16 =19 -8 +23 +21 . 4 2438
14. Ibragimov, Ildar g USA 2586 -3 =24 =13 -8 =18 +21 +22 =15 . 4 2520
15. Kaidanov, Gregory S g USA 2595 =19 -6 +24 =9 =8 +20 -11 =14 . 4 2506
16. Shabalov, Alexander g USA 2569 -1 -10 +25 =13 -11 +23 =18 +19 . 4 2445
17. Becerra Rivero, Julio g USA 2609 +8 -2 +21 -5 -10 -19 +25 =18 . 2365
18. Gulko, Boris F g USA 2561 -21 -8 -19 +23 =14 +25 =16 =17 . 2355
19. Krush, Irina m USA 2452 =15 -12 +18 -22 =13 +17 -9 -16 . 3 2495
20. Shankland, Samuel L m USA 2446 =12 =13 =22 +11 -4 -15 -21 =25 . 3 2381
21. Hughes, Tyler B   USA 2230 +18 -4 -17 +25 -12 -14 +20 -13 . 3 2420
22. Khachiyan, Melikset g USA 2546 +25 -7 =20 +19 -2 -12 -14 -23 . 2291
23. Eckert, Doug D f USA 2275 . . . -18 +25 -16 -13 +22 . 2 2380
24. Zatonskih, Anna m USA 2461 -5 =14 -15 . . . . . . ½ 2324
25. Lawton,Charles   USA ---- -22 -11 -16 -21 -23 -18 -17 =20 . ½ 2025

Saint. Louis, May 16 -- After eight rounds of tense competition at the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship, two young players enter the final round tied for the lead and the title.

Former champion and second seed Hikaru Nakamura, 21, of White Plains, N.Y., who in 2004 became the youngest player since Bobby Fischer to win the national title, was the first to take the lead in the penultimate round by beating Michael Brooks, of Kansas City, Mo. He has six points.

Nakamura was followed later in the day at the top of the leader board by rising star and high school football linebacker Robert Hess, 17, of New York. Hess capitalized on an endgame error from defending champion Yury Shulman, of Barrington, Ill., to score a win when a draw seemed the more likely result.

Three players are a half point behind Nakamura and Hess: No. 1 seed Gata Kamsky, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Alexander Onischuk, of Baltimore, (who drew with Kamsky); Varuzhan Akobian, of North Hollywood, Calif., who beat three-time U.S. champion Joel Benjamin, of New Jersey; and Josh Friedel, of New York, who beat Jaan Ehlvest, of Baltimore.

In the final round, Nakamura will play Friedel and Hess will meet Akobian. If more than one player finishes with the same number of points at the top of the leader board, there will be a playoff for the title and prize money on Sunday evening.

Despite losing to Nakamura, Michael Brooks' dream of achieving a grandmaster norm late in life at 47 still lives on. But to do so, he faces the tough task of having to win his last round game against Ildar Ilbragimov, of New Haven, Conn., to become the first Missourian to attain a grandmaster-level performance.

Meanwhile, the youngest player in the 24-player field, Ray Robson, 14, of Largo, Fla., needs only a draw against his coach, Alexander Onischuk, to also score his first grandmaster norm.

The final round-nine of the championship concludes Sunday.

Live coverage: http://www.saintlouischessclub.org/US-Championship-2009-Live - Twitter: http://twitter.com/ccscslM

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