2005 U.S. Chessmaster Championship ($250K Purse)

[sarongsong]

"...defending US Champion Alexander Shabalov going down to defeat...upset by Anna Zatonskih, one of the stars of the US women's Olympiad team..."
And this is just Round 1---10 days to go...

[Candy]

US Champion Alexander Shabalov. :-k

Is she born and bred US or 1st Generation? Just wondering.

After I get the answer, I have a second question. 8-[

[sarongsong]

Concentrate, Candy, Anna is the female..."Before the game I was thinking I would be happy with a draw. I had black and against a strong opponent. I had a slightly worse position out of the opening. Alexander was attacking and had about 20 minutes left when he blundered. I organized a counter-attack and got the advantage. Then he sacrificed pieces trying for a perpetual check draw. Maybe he could play the endgame a little better, I don't know."

[Candy]

ops:

[Candy]

Maybe he could play the endgame a little better, I don't know."

Well, young sarongsong, sounds like they are not 'Englishmen'. We can't expect everyone to be civilized. 8-[

[sarongsong]

Check! [-(
Ha, ha---just kidding, Candy. Anna is from the Ukraine.
This tournament is about 20 miles away in la-di-dah Torrey Pines, at The Hilton, so I'll be dropping in to 'catch the action'. Any message for Alexander?

[Candy]

When will [Americans] ever grow up?

[sarongsong]

Well...okay---but I'm not sure I can do that sliding-down-the-glass-wall thingy right. I'll give it a go, tho! Say hello to ToSeek.

[Candy]

Well...okay---but I'm not sure I can do that sliding-down-the-glass-wall thingy right. I'll give it a go, tho! Say hello to ToSeek.

Take photos, I am! I will post them.

[Brady Yoon]

Hey who plays chess here? If anyone wants to play me on yahoo, post.

[TriangleMan]

I met Alexander Shabalov when he played at an Invitational in Bermuda. IIRC he is an immigrant to America from a former Soviet republic but I don't remember which country.

(For the record Giovanni Vescovi won the torunament)

[Candy]

I met Alexander Shabalov when he played at an Invitational in Bermuda. IIRC he is an immigrant to America from a former Soviet republic but I don't remember which country.

(For the record Giovanni Vescovi won the torunament)

And Bobby Fischer fights deportation to America. :-k

I play chess - and so do some of my friends on N-W...Any chance of a challenge???

I wouldn't have clue how to go about it though...

I'd love to play chess with you, Candy.. :P

[sarongsong]

I play chess...I'd love to play chess with you, Candy.. :P

Say, is that called an 'opening gambit'?

[TriangleMan]

I think the name of the gambit is double entendre.

[Candy]

I'd love to play chess with you, Candy.. :P

That sounds like a challenge, mate. 8-[

I'd love to play chess with you, Candy.. :P

That sounds like a challenge, mate. 8-[

No, seriously, I would.

Concentrate, Candy, Anna is the female..."Before the game I was thinking I would be happy with a draw. I had black and against a strong opponent. I had a slightly worse position out of the opening. Alexander was attacking and had about 20 minutes left when he blundered. I organized a counter-attack and got the advantage. Then he sacrificed pieces trying for a perpetual check draw. Maybe he could play the endgame a little better, I don't know."

I think that Candy's tired?? What with all that work and school...

[Candy]

I think that Candy's tired?? What with all that work and school...

I am so tired! If I get out of hand, just give me a little smack! :P

[harlequin]

I'd love to play chess with you, Candy.. :P

That sounds like a challenge, mate. 8-[

As in check mate?

[jfribrg]

I play chess. I beat a strong master (rating 2380) 2 weeks ago. Granted, he played without his queen, but I did beat him. Towards the end of the game, he pointed at one of my pawns and said that if that one pawn wasn't there, he'd be able to hold a draw. I have however gotten 2 draws fair and square against masters, both in quickie games. The first one back in 1979 I was losing badly and came up with a perpetual check. The second was against Bill Paschall in an internet game. I played very well. We were absolutely even after about 20 moves and he offered a draw. Had we continued, I would have surely blundered and lost.

[TriangleMan]

I play chess. I beat a strong master (rating 2380) 2 weeks ago. Granted, he played without his queen, but I did beat him.

Wow, that's still pretty impressive. I'm around 1600 on a good day and I've never even come close to giving a master a challenging game. I played a game against a grandmaster once and got uttlerly mowed down, not that I was expecting anything less.

[jfribrg]

My rating is about 1600. I play the opening like a 1300 player, middle game like a 1700 and endgame like a 1900 player. Problem is that I don't always make it to the middlegame against a strong opponent. I have never come close to giving a master a challenging game in a tournament. I do have a recurring dream of being down a queen for a bishop and pawn, winning the queen through an underpromotion/family fork, and then winning the resulting king, bishop and knight vs king endgame.

[sarongsong]

Do that here!
"...Thanks to special donations there are also over $8,000 in special cash prizes for brilliant games and for playing fighting chess..."

[sarongsong]

December 7, 2004
"...SAN DIEGO - A 16-year-old boy has won the U.S. Chess Championship, making him the youngest player to claim the title since 14-year-old Bobby Fischer won it in 1958. Hikaru Nakamura of White Plains, N.Y., won the $25,000 prize Monday after beating Alex Stripunsky, 34, of Rego Park, N.Y., in two overtime matches... He said he didn't see himself as the next Fischer..."No, I think I'm a little bit more sane," he said. In a separate tournament for women only, Rusudan Goletiani, 24, of Hartsdale, N.Y., beat Tatev Abrahamyan, 16, of Glendale for a $12,500 prize."

[TriangleMan]

=D> Good for him! I met him and his father at the Bermuda tournament in 2003 - I think his performance at that tournament elevated him to Grand Master at age 15. I know I shouldn't be surprised but I always find it amazing that chess can be played so well by people so young.

[Candy]

Hikaru Nakamura of White Plains, N.Y., won the $25,000 prize Monday after beating Alex Stripunsky, 34, of Rego Park, N.Y., in two overtime matches... He said he didn't see himself as the next Fischer..."No, I think I'm a little bit more sane," he said.

[ToSeek]

Hikaru Nakamura of White Plains, N.Y., won the $25,000 prize Monday after beating Alex Stripunsky, 34, of Rego Park, N.Y., in two overtime matches... He said he didn't see himself as the next Fischer..."No, I think I'm a little bit more sane," he said.

That isn't saying a whole lot....

[jfribrg]

I never met Nakumura, but I did meet Stirpinsky. Actually, I scolded him. I was playing in a tournament in New Jersey. A typical weekend tournament gives players the option of playing several slow games over 2 days or play all the games in one day. I chose to play 2 slow games on Saturday and 2 slow games on Sunday. Most of the players chose to play 3 fast games and one slow game on Sunday. On Sunday morning, before any of the fast games had started and while I was trying to concentrate on my slow game, a bunch of boisterous players came in and were making it very hard to concentrate. It occurred to me later that they probably didn't realize that there were tournament games in progress. Anyway, I do not like to be distracted, and very angrily went over to these players (one of which I later found out was Alex Stirpunsky) and told them to be quiet.

Stirpunsky is an interesting character. He is an extremely good player (obviously you have to be to become a grandmaster), and is a hustler of sorts. He apparently uses chess as a sort of second job, making the rounds in minor tournaments collecting modest first place prizes. I believe he is the most active grandmaster in the country, playing hundreds of tournament games every year. He also holds his own against the best of the best in big money tournaments.