The 2012 US Chess Championships

The 2012 U.S. Men's and Women's Chess Championships kicked off this week in St. Louis, featuring an elite field of just 12 players and a guaranteed prize fund of at least $160,000. There would have been a shot at the “$64,000 Fischer Prize,” to be awarded to anyone that scores a perfect 11-0 in the U.S. Championship, in honor of Bobby Fischer’s result at the 1963-64 U.S. Championship, however the draws in the first and second rounds have made that feat impossible this year. Leading the pack after 3 rounds are top rated and current champ Gata Kamsky, and one of  America's best players and 2-time champion, Hikaru Nakamura with 2.5 points each in this 11 round affair. On the Women's side, the undefeated and current champ Anna Zatonskih and the number 2 seed, Irina Krush are in the lead.

There have been some decisive games and fireworks early on, with Nakamura defeating Ray Robson's Sicilian Dragon variation yesterday to share the lead with Kamsky. Kamsky's post match interview with tournament commentators Jennifer Shahade and Grandmaster Ben Finegold, explained that he wanted to avoid facing Onischuk's Berlin Variation of the Ruy Lopez, and instead, steered the game instead into the world of the London System, a popular opening at both the club and Grandmaster level. Onischuk was not as fortunate as he was facing Alexander Stripunsky yesterday, who blundered away his Bishop on the eleventh move of the game, showing us that grandmasters are indeed human, and sometimes hallucinate, turning the most routine of moves into an epic mistake. Stripunksky managed to shake off the loss, rebounding to win against Varuzhan Akobian in the 3rd round. Meanwhile, the 2012 World Chess Championship between current champ Viswanathan Anand and challenger Boris Gelfand begins today in Moscow.

(3) Stripunsky,Alexander (2562) - Onischuk,Alex (2660) 
2012 U.S. Championship Saint Louis, MO, USA
1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 e6 6.g3 Nd7 7.Qe2 d4 8.Nb1 h5 9.h4 g5 10.hxg5 Qxg5 11.d3 0-1

 (7) Kamsky,Gata (2741) - Onischuk,Alex (2660) 
2012 U.S. Championship Saint Louis, MO, USA
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 e6 3.e3 c5 4.c3 b6 5.Nf3 Bb7 6.h3 Be7 7.Nbd2 cxd4 8.cxd4 0-0 9.a3 d6 10.Be2 Nbd7 11.0-0 Rc8 12.Bh2 Ne4 13.Nxe4 Bxe4 14.Ba6 Rc7 15.Nd2 Bc6 16.Qe2 Qa8 17.e4 Bb7 18.Bd3 e5 19.Nc4 b5 20.Na5 exd4 21.Bxb5 Ne5 22.Nxb7 Qxb7 23.Rac1 Rxc1 24.Rxc1 Rc8 25.Rd1 Qb6 26.a4 h6 27.Bg3 Qc5 28.Kh2 Bf6 29.f4 Ng6 30.Bd3 h5 31.b4 Qxb4 32.Qxh5 Qxa4 33.e5 dxe5 34.fxe5 Rc5 35.Re1 Nf8 36.Qg4 Be7 37.Rb1 Qd7 38.Bf5 Qd5 39.Rb8 g6 40.Re8 Rc7 41.Bxg6 fxg6 42.Qxg6+ Kh8 43.e6 Rb7 44.Qf7 Rb2 45.Rxf8+ Bxf8 46.Qxf8+ Kh7 47.Qf7+ Kh8 48.Qe8+ 1-0

(5) Stripunsky,Alexander (2562) - Akobian,Varuzhan (2625)  2012 U.S. Championship Saint Louis, MO, USA
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7 4.Bd3 c5 5.dxc5 Nf6 6.Qe2 0-0 7.Ngf3 Nfd7 8.Nb3 a5 9.e5 a4 10.h4 f5 11.exf6 Rxf6 12.Nbd4 Nxc5 13.Bg5 Nc6 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Ne5 Qa5+ 16.Kf1 Qc7 17.Re1 Nxd3 18.cxd3 Rf5 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Nxc6 Qc5 21.Ne5 d4 22.Kg1 Qd5 23.Nc4 Rb8 24.Rh3 Ba6 25.Rg3 Rbf8 26.Nb6 Qd6 27.Qxe6+ Qxe6 28.Rxe6 R8f6 29.Rxf6 Rxf6 30.Nxa4 Rc6 31.b4 Rc1+ 32.Kh2 Ra1 33.Nc5 Bb5 34.Ne6 g6 35.Rf3 h6 36.Nxd4 Be8 37.Re3 Bf7 38.Re2 Bxa2 39.Re8+ Kf7 40.Ra8 1-0