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Youth Movement Continues at U.S. Championships By FM Mike Klein

Past the halfway point at the 2011 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship, the students are schooling the veterans. After four rounds at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, most of the leaders could not tell you what life what like in the 1980s.

Maintaining her lead in the women's championship, Baltimore college student WGM Sabina Foisor beat WIM Iryna Zenyuk to get to 3.5/4. She survived a scary-looking rook for knight sacrifice to consolidate and win a queen-and-pawn endgame. Afrer being initially worried, Foisor found the winning path and said she "relaxed because at some point I was worse." Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura called Foisor his dark-horse pick to win the title.

She kept her half-point lead over IM Irina Krush, who won for the third consecutive day, thus becoming the first player in either championship to do so. This time she took out her Olympiad teammate and longtime rival IM Anna Zatonskih. The two have played many times, including at the last half-dozen U.S. Women's Championships, but this was Krush's first win ever in their lifetime series. Krush played the rare 8. g4, which was briefly in vogue more than a decade ago, until then-World Champion Garry Kasparov crushed it as Black. Krush unearthed it from obscurity and briefly caused Zatonskih to hold her head in her hands. After a few minutes, Zatonskih eventually found a reasonable reply, only to be edged much later in the game.

The other two women's games were also decisive. Just as Foisor and Krush found, the White pieces were for choice this round.

WGM Camilla Baginskaite tore open FM Alisa Melekhina's kingside to earn the point and get to a plus-one score. WFM Tatev Abrahamyan got to the same score by defeating IM Rusudan Goletiani. Not surprisingly, the four women who won in round four right now hold the four qualifying positions to the semifinals.

In the U.S. Championship, GM Robert Hess continued his torrid play in Group B. As Black, Hess beat GM Alexander Shabalov to get to plus two and a tie for the lead in his group. "I forgot my preparation and had to think for 20 minutes," Hess said. "I've been playing much better with Black than with White. My coach (GM Miron Sher) told me that I should just ask for seven Blacks." Hess cannot claim to even be a college student yet. The Samford Chess Fellowship recipient said he will attend Yale in the fall after his gap year ends. "It looks like [Hess] is in good form and confident," said fellow competitor GM Larry Christiansen.

Hess is level with GM-elect Sam Shankland, who equalized in the easiest way against GM Yasser Seirawan. That game got so dull so quickly that Shankland said Seirawan momentarily forgot the 30-move draw rule and offered one on move 21. Shankland reminded him to play to move 30 and the game was duly drawn when they reached the required number. Shankland said his formation was like an improved Panov-Botvinnik formation, as his light-squared bishop got outside the e-pawn and therefore prevented any attack on h7. He said if Seirawan did not liquidate by exchanging his isolated queen-pawn then he would have been worse. Still, by not gaining any advantage with the move, commentator GM Maurice Ashley said, "This is like giving up," on the game and the tournament. For his part, Seirawan has remained positive and has stayed after his game every round to chat, analyze and be interviewed.

GM Alexander Onischuk only partially bounced back from his loss yesterday. He drew with GM Gregory Kaidanov but remains one point out of a qualifying spot. Christiansen is still lurking one half-point back, as he could only draw local GM Ben Finegold.

In Group A, the veterans took control. Past champions GM Gata Kamsky and GM Yury Shulman lead the way with three out of four. Both won today. Explaining his opening as Black against GM Jaan Ehlvest, Kamsky said, "I just wanted to develop and not to go into complications right away." Ashley questioned Ehlvest's decision to resign so early. "You mean two knights for a rook is not enough?" Kamsky said rhetorically. "These positions are not played at this level. [Ehlvest] used to be a world championship candidate. He knows he will lose and he wants to save his energy."

GM Ray Robson, leads the teenage brigade in Group A. He won today over GM Alexander Stripunsky's offbeat opening to get to plus one. Along with Shulman and Kamsky, Robson is the only other player in the group to not have a loss on his card, but he trails them both by a half-point. IM Daniel Naroditsky continued his solid play with this third draw, this one against GM Varuzhan Akobian.

Log on to www.uschesschamps.com tomorrow at 2 p.m. local time, 3 p.m. Eastern, to follow the games of round five live.

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the public to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, lessons and special lectures.

Another important aspect of our mission is to develop in-school and after-school scholastic chess programs. Chess teaches valuable lessons for developing students like problem solving, critical thinking, spatial awareness and goal setting. If you'd like more information about the CCSCSL, our mission or our programs, or if you'd like to support our cause with a financial contribution, please call us at 314.361.CHESS (2437), or e-mail info@saintlouischesscub.org.

ch-USA GpA Saint Louis (USA), 15-21 iv 2011											cat. XIV (2579)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1.	Kamsky, Gata	g	USA	2733	*	.	½	½	1	.	.	1	3	2757
2.	Shulman, Yuri	g	USA	2622	.	*	.	1	.	½	½	1	3	2728
3.	Robson, Ray	g	USA	2522	½	.	*	.	½	.	1	½	2½	2722
4.	Ivanov, Alexander	g	USA	2540	½	0	.	*	.	1	½	.	2	2592
5.	Akobian, Varuzhan	g	USA	2611	0	.	½	.	*	½	1	.	2	2567
6.	Naroditsky, Daniel	f	USA	2438	.	½	.	0	½	*	.	½	1½	2502
7.	Stripunsky, Alexander	g	USA	2578	.	½	0	½	0	.	*	.	1	2380
8.	Ehlvest, Jaan	g	USA	2586	0	0	½	.	.	½	.	*	1	2385

Round 4 (April 18, 2011)
Shulman, Yuri	- Ivanov, Alexander	1-0	53	E11	Bogo Indian Defence
Naroditsky, Daniel	- Akobian, Varuzhan	½-½	30	C06	French Tarrasch
Stripunsky, Alexander	- Robson, Ray	0-1	24	C00	French Defence
Ehlvest, Jaan	- Kamsky, Gata	0-1	30	B40	Sicilian Classical

ch-USA GpB Saint Louis (USA), 15-21 iv 2011											cat. XIV (2580)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1.	Shankland, Samuel L	m	USA	2512	*	½	1	.	.	½	.	1	3	2782
2.	Hess, Robert L	g	USA	2565	½	*	.	½	1	.	1	.	3	2763
3.	Christiansen, Larry M	g	USA	2586	0	.	*	½	.	1	1	.	2½	2654
4.	Finegold, Benjamin	g	USA	2500	.	½	½	*	0	.	.	1	2	2599
5.	Onischuk, Alexander	g	USA	2678	.	0	.	1	*	.	½	½	2	2556
6.	Seirawan, Yasser	g	USA	2636	½	.	0	.	.	*	½	½	1½	2477
7.	Shabalov, Alexander	g	USA	2590	.	0	0	.	½	½	*	.	1	2423
8.	Kaidanov, Gregory S	g	USA	2569	0	.	.	0	½	½	.	*	1	2388

Round 4 (April 18, 2011)
Christiansen, Larry M	- Finegold, Benjamin	½-½	48	C10	French Rubinstein
Seirawan, Yasser	- Shankland, Samuel L	½-½	30	B10	Caro Kann
Shabalov, Alexander	- Hess, Robert L	0-1	25	C45	Scotch Game
Kaidanov, Gregory S	- Onischuk, Alexander	½-½	51	E06	Catalan

ch-USA w Prelim Saint Louis (USA), 15-21 iv 2011											cat. V (2363)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1.	Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	wg	USA	2350	*	1	½	.	.	1	1	.	3½	2672
2.	Krush, Irina	m	USA	2472	0	*	1	.	1	.	.	1	3	2578
3.	Abrahamyan, Tatev	wf	USA	2326	½	0	*	1	.	.	.	1	2½	2477
4.	Baginskaite, Camilla	wg	USA	2342	.	.	0	*	½	.	1	1	2½	2469
5.	Zatonskih, Anna	m	USA	2499	.	0	.	½	*	1	½	.	2	2340
6.	Zenyuk, Iryna		USA	2245	0	.	.	.	0	*	1	½	1½	2293
7.	Melekhina, Alisa	f	USA	2304	0	.	.	0	½	0	*	.	½	2037
8.	Goletiani, Rusudan	m	USA	2367	.	0	0	0	.	½	.	*	½	2024

Round 4 (April 18, 2011)
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	- Zenyuk, Iryna	1-0	59	A57	Volga Gambit
Krush, Irina	- Zatonskih, Anna	1-0	60	D31	Semi-Slav Defence
Abrahamyan, Tatev	- Goletiani, Rusudan	1-0	41	B42	Sicilian Paulsen
Baginskaite, Camilla	- Melekhina, Alisa	1-0	39	E62	King's Indian 6...Nc6

View the games on this Page

Download the PGN from this page

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