US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

[Ferdinand Supsup]

Live Coverage:

http://livechess.chessdom.com/site/

FYI,:)

[Ferdinand Supsup]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Standings after 2 Rounds:

# Name Pts S-B
1 Nakamura, Hikaru 2 2
2 Kamsky, Gata 2 1
3 Ehlvest, Jaan 1.5 1.75
4 Krush, Irina 1.5 1.25
5 Onischuk, Alexander 1.5 1.25
6 Kudrin, Sergey 1.5 1
7 Akobian, Varuzhan 1.5 0.75
8 Christiansen, Larry 1.5 0.75
9 Shabalov, Alexander 1.5 0.75
10 Altounian, Levon 1 1.25
11 Shulman, Yuri 1 0.75
12 Khachiyan, Melikset 1 0.5
13 Hess, Robert L 1 0.5
14 Stripunsky, Alexander 1 0
15 Yermolinsky, Alex 1 0
16 Kraai, Jesse 0.5 0.75
17 Finegold, Benjamin 0.5 0.75
18 Bhat, Vinay S 0.5 0.5
19 Kaidanov, Gregory 0.5 0.25
20 Benjamin, Joel 0.5 0.25
21 Shankland, Samuel 0.5 0.25
22 Lenderman, Alex 0.5 0.25
23 Gurevich, Dmitry 0 0
24 Robson, Ray 0 0

[Ferdinand Supsup]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Standings after 3 Rounds:

# Name Pts S-B
1 Nakamura, Hikaru 2.5 5.25
2 Onischuk, Alexander 2.5 4
3 Akobian, Varuzhan 2.5 3.5
4 Kamsky, Gata 2.5 3.25
5 Ehlvest, Jaan 2 3.25
6 Christiansen, Larry 2 2.25
7 Shulman, Yuri 2 2.25
8 Hess, Robert L 2 1.5
9 Stripunsky, Alexander 2 1
10 Krush, Irina 1.5 2
11 Shabalov, Alexander 1.5 1.75
12 Yermolinsky, Alex 1.5 1.5
13 Kraai, Jesse 1.5 1.25
14 Benjamin, Joel 1.5 1
15 Kudrin, Sergey 1.5 1
16 Finegold, Benjamin 1 1.75
17 Altounian, Levon 1 1.75
18 Kaidanov, Gregory 1 1.25
19 Khachian, Melikset 1 1
20 Lenderman, Alex 1 1
21 Robson, Ray 1 0
22 Bhat, Vinay S 0.5 1
23 Shankland, Samuel 0.5 0.5
24 Gurevich, Dmitry 0 0

Round 4 matchups:

1 GM Nakamura, Hikaru 2.5 2733 - GM Onischuk, Alexander 2.5 2699
2 GM Akobian, Varuzhan 2.5 2599 - GM Kamsky, Gata 2.5 2702
3 GM Hess, Robert L 2.0 2590 - GM Shulman, Yuri 2.0 2613
4 GM Ehlvest, Jaan 2.0 2591 - GM Stripunsky, Alexander 2.0 2570
5 GM Shabalov, Alexander 1.5 2585 - GM Christiansen, Larry 2.0 2578
6 GM Yermolinsky, Alex 1.5 2528 - GM Kudrin, Sergey 1.5 2571
7 GM Kraai, Jesse 1.5 2492 - GM Benjamin, Joel 1.5 2565
8 GM Robson, Ray 1.0 2569 - IM Krush, Irina 1.5 2455
9 IM Lenderman, Alex 1.0 2598 - GM Finegold, Benjamin 1.0 2539
10 GM Kaidanov, Gregory 1.0 2577 GM Khachiyan, Melikset 1.0 2539
11 IM Altounian, Levon 1.0 2454 GM Bhat, Vinay S 0.5 2547
12 IM Shankland, Samuel 0.5 2507 GM Gurevich, Dmitry 0.0 2488

FYI,

[Ferdinand Supsup]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Standings after 4 Rounds: 7 players tied at the top.

# Name Pts S-B
1 Nakamura, Hikaru 3 8
2 Akobian, Varuzhan 3 6.75
3 Onischuk, Alexander 3 6
4 Kamsky, Gata 3 5.5
5 Christiansen, Larry 3 4.5
6 Stripunsky, Alexander 3 4
7 Shulman, Yuri 3 2.75
8 Yermolinsky, Alex 2.5 3.75
9 Kraai, Jesse 2.5 3.25
10 Ehlvest, Jaan 2 5
11 Krush, Irina 2 3.25
12 Hess, Robert L 2 2
13 Finegold, Benjamin 1.5 3
14 Altounian, Levon 1.5 2.75
15 Shabalov, Alexander 1.5 2.75
16 Lenderman, Alex 1.5 2.5
17 Kaidanov, Gregory 1.5 1.75
18 Benjamin, Joel 1.5 1.75
19 Kudrin, Sergey 1.5 1.75
20 Robson, Ray 1.5 1.5
21 Bhat, Vinay S 1 2.25
22 Khachian, Melikset 1 1.5
23 Shankland, Samuel 1 1
24 Khachiyan, Melikset 0.5 0.75
25 Gurevich, Dmitry 0.5 0.5
26 Hess, Robert, L 0 0


Pairings round 5 (Tuesday, 18 May 2010)

Table White Score Rating Black Score Rating Result
1 GM Shulman, Yuri 3.0 2613 GM Nakamura, Hikaru 3.0 2733
2 GM Kamsky, Gata 3.0 2702 GM Christiansen, Larry 3.0 2578
3 GM Onischuk, Alexander 3.0 2699 GM Akobian, Varuzhan 3.0 2599
4 GM Stripunsky, Alexander 3.0 2570 GM Yermolinsky, Alex 2.5 2528
5 GM Ehlvest, Jaan 2.0 2591 GM Kraai, Jesse 2.5 2492
6 IM Krush, Irina 2.0 2455 GM Hess, Robert L 2.0 2590
7 GM Benjamin, Joel 1.5 2565 IM Lenderman, Alex 1.5 2598
8 GM Khachiyan, Melikset 1.5 2539 GM Shabalov, Alexander 1.5 2585
9 GM Kudrin, Sergey 1.5 2571 GM Kaidanov, Gregory 1.5 2577
10 GM Finegold, Benjamin 1.5 2539 IM Altounian, Levon 1.5 2454
11 IM Shankland, Samuel 1.0 2507 GM Robson, Ray 1.5 2569
12 GM Bhat, Vinay S 1.0 2547 GM Gurevich, Dmitry 0.5 2488

FYI,

[Jordan S. Berson]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Isn't Nakamura living in BC now?

[Kerry Liles]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Isn't Nakamura living in BC now?

According to the USCF website he has moved to St.Louis

[Ferdinand Supsup]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Isn't Nakamura living in BC now?

Nakamura relocates to St. Louis

Apr 29th, 2010 by Daaim Shabazz

http://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/201...s-to-st-louis/

Nakamura winning the 2009 U.S. Championship.

St. Louis just got a whole lot stronger in chess. A press release buzzed around the Internet about U.S. Champion Hikaru Nakamura relocating from the friendly climes of Seattle with its comfortable living for the St. Louis, a place known mostly for “The Arch” and its baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals. Nakamura will move from Seattle, a place where he gained prominence by winning the U.S. Championship at age 16. Last year, he won the title at the opulent Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis (CCSCSL).

In talking to Nakamura in previous months, it was evident that he wanted to make a serious bid for the World Championship and was seeking a supportive environment. He certainly picked a winner in associating with the CCSCSL. Club founders Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield have put together a wonderful presence and has quickly become one of the most important chess entities in the country. It was his initiative that inspired Nakamura to make the move.

However, no one could have predicted this move by Nakamura. Rumours swirled the Internet about the U.S. Champion moving to Japan, Europe or Canada. Of course, these were only speculative fodder for chess blogs and websites. However, the Canada rumour may have had more truth than conjecture. Now that he has settled on St. Louis, he will defend his title on his new homefront and will certainly be welcomed by the St. Louis and surrounding Midwestern states. Nakamura is good for U.S. chess and it will be interesting to watch him in these crucial years as he plots a course to compete for the World Championship.

CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich said Nakamura’s decision will benefit not just St. Louis, the club and the American chess scene as whole, but ultimately it will benefit Nakamura as well.

“We hope that the support Nakamura will receive in Saint Louis will help him reach his full potential,” Rich said. “He has achieved so much in just the past year, it is impossible to predict how far he could go. Nakamura’s appearance and success on the world stage can help promote American chess at all levels.”

[Hans Jung]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

The young, the ambitious, and the old. I thought I would add a little colour to the thread with my predictions: Final 4: Nakamura, Kamsky, Onischuk, and Hess. Irina Krush will get her 2nd GM norm. GM Ray Robson will win a couple of more brilliant games. All of Hikaru Nakamura's next 5 games will be brilliant (or at least interesting) and he will win the US Championship.

[Paul Beckwith]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Hans, I hope that Nakamura wins also.

I played him in the Bermuda tournament about 5 years ago or so. I had a great game and had him tied up from the opening; after the game he said that it was one of his worst games in quite a while. It came down to a complicated middlegame time scramble where I still had an advantage but blew it.

[Garland Best]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

I'm just watching the video commentary with Shahade and Ashley. (http://saintlouischessclub.org/conte...s-championship) The production values here are excellent! I've never seen this sort of presentation.

[Ferdinand Supsup]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Standings after 5 Rounds: 2 players tied at the top.

# Name ELO Pts S-B
1 Onischuk, Alexander 4 10.25
2 Kamsky, Gata 4 9.75
3 Nakamura, Hikaru 3.5 11.25
4 Shulman, Yuri 3.5 7.75
5 Kraai, Jesse 3.5 7.25
6 Stripunsky, Alexander 3.5 6
7 Akobian, Varuzhan 3 9.75
8 Christiansen, Larry 3 6.5
9 Krush, Irina 3 6.5
10 Yermolinsky, Alex 3 6
11 Finegold, Benjamin 2.5 5
12 Kaidanov, Gregory 2.5 4.75
13 Benjamin, Joel 2.5 4.25
14 Shabalov, Alexander 2.5 4.25
15 Ehlvest, Jaan 2 6
16 Robson, Ray 2 3.25
17 Hess, Robert L 2 3
18 Lenderman, Alex 1.5 3.5
19 Altounian, Levon 1.5 3.25
20 Bhat, Vinay S 1.5 3
21 Khachian, Melikset 1.5 2.75
22 Kudrin, Sergey 1.5 2.25
23 Shankland, Samuel 1.5 2.25
24 Gurevich, Dmitry 1 1.5


Pairings round 6 (Wednesday, 19 May 2010) Starts @ 3:00 PM EST

Table White Score Rating Black Score Rating Result
1 GM Onischuk, Alexander 4.0 2699 GM Kamsky, Gata 4.0 2702
2 GM Nakamura, Hikaru 3.5 2733 GM Kraai, Jesse 3.5 2492
3 GM Stripunsky, Alexander 3.5 2570 GM Shulman, Yuri 3.5 2613
4 GM Akobian, Varuzhan 3.0 2599 GM Yermolinsky, Alex 3.0 2528
5 GM Christiansen, Larry 3.0 2578 IM Krush, Irina 3.0 2455
6 GM Shabalov, Alexander 2.5 2585 GM Kaidanov, Gregory 2.5 2577
7 GM Finegold, Benjamin 2.5 2539 GM Benjamin, Joel 2.5 2565
8 GM Robson, Ray 2.0 2569 GM Ehlvest, Jaan 2.0 2591
9 IM Altounian, Levon 1.5 2454 GM Hess, Robert L 2.0 2590
10 GM Lenderman, Alex 1.5 2598 GM Kudrin, Sergey 1.5 2571
11 GM Bhat, Vinay S 1.5 2547 IM Shankland, Samuel 1.5 2507
12 GM Gurevich, Dmitry 1.0 2488 GM Khachiyan, Melikset 1.5 2539

FYI,

[Hans Jung]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Paul, I envy you. At North Bay 96? I was itching to play Sunil Weeramantry (Hikaru's step father) but had no interest in playing young Nakamura. My how times have changed.

I played him in the Bermuda tournament about 5 years ago or so. I had a great game and had him tied up from the opening; after the game he said that it was one of his worst games in quite a while. It came down to a complicated middlegame time scramble where I still had an advantage but blew it.[/QUOTE]

[Ferdinand Supsup]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

Ranking after round 6. 4 players tied at the Top.

# Name ELO Pts S-B
1 Nakamura, Hikaru 4.5 16.75
2 Kamsky, Gata 4.5 14.75
3 Shulman, Yuri 4.5 14.25
4 Onischuk, Alexander 4.5 14
5 Christiansen, Larry 4 11.5
6 Akobian, Varuzhan 3.5 12.25
7 Shabalov, Alexander 3.5 9.75
8 Kraai, Jesse 3.5 9.25
9 Yermolinsky, Alex 3.5 8.75
10 Finegold, Benjamin 3.5 8.25
11 Stripunsky, Alexander 3.5 7.25
12 Krush, Irina 3 8
13 Hess, Robert L 3 5
14 Ehlvest, Jaan 2.5 8.25
15 Lenderman, Alex 2.5 5.75
16 Kaidanov, Gregory 2.5 5.5
17 Bhat, Vinay S 2.5 5.25
18 Benjamin, Joel 2.5 5.25
19 Robson, Ray 2.5 5
20 Khachiyan, Melikset 2 4.5
21 Altounian, Levon 1.5 4.25
22 Shankland, Samuel 1.5 3.25
23 Kudrin, Sergey 1.5 3.25
24 Gurevich, Dmitry 1.5 3

Pairings round 7 (Thursday, 20 May 2010)

Table White Score Rating Black Score Rating Result
1 GM Shulman, Yuri 4.5 2613 GM Onischuk, Alexander 4.5 2699
2 GM Christiansen, Larry 4.0 2578 GM Nakamura, Hikaru 4.5 2733
3 GM Kamsky, Gata 4.5 2702 GM Shabalov, Alexander 3.5 2585
4 GM Kraai, Jesse 3.5 2492 GM Stripunsky, Alexander 3.5 2570
5 GM Yermolinsky, Alex 3.5 2528 GM Finegold, Benjamin 3.5 2539
6 GM Hess, Robert L 3.0 2590 GM Akobian, Varuzhan 3.5 2599
7 IM Krush, Irina 3.0 2455 GM Lenderman, Alex 2.5 2598
8 GM Ehlvest, Jaan 2.5 2591 GM Bhat, Vinay S 2.5 2547
9 GM Kaidanov, Gregory 2.5 2577 GM Robson, Ray 2.5 2569
10 GM Khachiyan, Melikset 2.0 2539 GM Benjamin, Joel 2.5 2565
11 GM Kudrin, Sergey 1.5 2571 GM Gurevich, Dmitry 1.5 2488
12 IM Shankland, Samuel 1.5 2507 IM Altounian, Levon 1.5 2454

FYI,

[Bob Armstrong]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

The top 4 after 7 rounds, are then put into a quad playoff ( and I think they keep whatever their point total has been from the swiss ). The rest then play the final 2 rounds of the swiss, to fix the placings from 5th on down. Quite a novel format they are trying. CFC has a lot to learn about staging a national championship. Though it does help having a patron like the one who has funded the St. Louis playing centre and much of the championship prize fund.

Bob

[Paul Bonham]

Re: US Chess Championship 2010 Live on CHESSBOMB

I'm just watching the video commentary with Shahade and Ashley. (http://saintlouischessclub.org/conte...s-championship) The production values here are excellent! I've never seen this sort of presentation.

On Kevin Spraggett's blog the other morning appeared this bit:

"I think most of my readers would agree that it would be money well spent for the CFC to rent a bus and send many of Canada's chess organizers (Level-one organizers) to St. Louis for a week to watch, observe and learn how to organize a prestigious tournament! When they come home, they could change the map of chess in Canada overnight!"

Really? Would it really be that simple?

Kevin provides a link to the section of the St. Louis Chess Club web site devoted to this event:

http://saintlouischessclub.org/conte...s-championship

I don't know about anyone else, but the first thing I noticed when I brought this link up: there is NO PROMINENT MENTION of who the sponsors of the event are. In fact, on that given page, THERE IS NO MENTION OF SPONSORS AT ALL.

To find out who the sponsors are: if you expand the 2010 U.S. Championship link given on the right side, down at the bottom is a Sponsors link, which brings up a page listing sponsor logos.

I also downloaded the Media Kit, and looked on the cover page or at the very beginning for sponsors to be listed. Nada. In fact, all sponsors are LISTED ON THE LAST PAGE as follows:


"We would like to thank the following sponsors for making it possible to bring the
2010 U.S. Championship to Saint Louis!

Caesar Creative, LLC
Peabody Energy
RKL Consulting
Chi Chi, LLC
Internet Chess Club - ICC
Chess FM
Chess.com
House of Staunton
United States Chess Federation
Chase Park Plaza Hotel
Arcturis
Infuz
Weber Shandwick
Duffe-Nuernberger Realty
Pelopidas
Eleanor Maynard
Slay and Associates
Open Source Associates
Prepcasts.com
Saint Louis Science Center
Downtown Saint Louis Partnership
House of Staunton
Chess for Life
Liluma
Logic Systems
Straub’s"

I wonder how all these sponsors feel about their being mentioned on the LAST PAGE of a file that very few people will download, and not being mentioned at all on the main page of the web site of the event.

It would be interesting to hear David Ottosen's take on this, and on whether the company he works for was approached for sponsorship or considered it, and whether they would have settled for such low-key recognition.

I also wonder whether these sponsors above are all very minor contributors, and whether the large prize money is coming PRIMARILY from a DONOR -- perhaps Rex Sinquefield: President & Chairman of the Board, who "recently provided the seed capital for the creation of The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis". He also "formed Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) in 1981, which today oversees more than $158 billion in assets worldwide".

That's potentially a lot of sympathy money for chess. The club does charge membership fees and there's also one-day visitor fees, but with that and with whatever sponsorship money is provided for this event, it still appears as if the bulk of the money being spent on prizes and amenities is coming from the pockets of a very wealthy man. Are there any public documents showing the financial balance sheet of this club?

Anybody, anywhere, could hold an equally prestigious event if money were coming unconditionally from such a donor. Which means, our busload of Canadian "Level 1" organizers would learn only one thing from their trip to this event: FIND A RICH DONOR WHO LOVES CHESS MORE THAN MONEY.

Good luck, Canadian "Level 1" organizers! The elite of Canadian chess, Spraggett and Hebert, are fully behind you! (Ignore those bullwhips in their hands).

Incidentally, just scroll down a bit on Spraggett's site from his mentioning the above, and you'll see him lamenting the difficulties chess has getting any mention "in the non-chess media", by which he means TV and non-chess web sites. He writes: "The truth is that our little game, with a history of thousands of years, is being forgotten in a world increasingly focused on changes, tecnologies and being able to quickly adapt to the future. Chess is as much a sub-culture today as when I first started playing the game in the pre-Fischer boom years."

He then goes on to say even chessboxing results don't show up in his google searches.

BTW, is Hebert ghostwriting for Spraggett? A lot of what Hebert has been posting here lately has appeared on Spraggett's site, with the same wording. The "Level 1" tag for organizers, the "bottom dweller" tag for rank and file Canadian chessplayers, a lot of support for Hebert himself, and even a mention of Gary Ruben as the "lone voice of reason" because he defended Hebert's push for organizers to get more corporate sponsorship.

It's either ghostwriting or Spraggett, Hebert, and perhaps a few others are an elitist clique trying to push their own agenda using organizers as the beasts of burden. They seem to think that their high ratings gives them an authority that transcends reality, and can create a demand for chess in North America out of thin air. The longer it doesn't happen, the more frustrated they get (excepting Ruben, who seems happy with correspondence chess).

The lesson: chess in North America needs rich people with money to burn. Even Nakamura is moving to where the money is. I'm sure he'll be transformed into a local hero in St. Louis.... the things people will fall for! There are still people in Green Bay who can't believe that Brett Favre is playing football in Minnesota!

What will Nakamura do if the stock market dives and Dimensional Fund Advisors pulls the plug on the St. Louis chess extravaganza?

One thing I do like about Nakamura: he plays and supports chess960.