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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
US Championship (Women) Tournament

Irina Krush9/11(+7 -0 =4)[games]
Anna Zatonskih7/11(+5 -2 =4)[games]
Rusudan Goletiani5.5/9(+5 -3 =1)[games]
Viktorija Ni5/9(+3 -2 =4)[games]
Tatev Abrahamyan4.5/9(+4 -4 =1)[games]
Sabina-Francesca Foisor4.5/9(+3 -3 =3)[games]
Iryna Zenyuk4.5/9(+3 -3 =3)[games]
Alisa Melekhina3.5/9(+2 -4 =3)[games]
Kamile Baginskaite2/9(+1 -6 =2)[games]
Alena Kats1.5/9(+1 -7 =1)[games]

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
US Championship (Women) (2012)

Held in St. Louis, MO 8-19 May 2012.

Previous edition: US Championship (Women) (2011). Next: US Chess Championship (Women) (2013). See also US Championship (2012).

 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 47  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. I Zenyuk vs A Melekhina ½-½672012US Championship (Women)D34 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
2. V Ni vs T Abrahamyan ½-½682012US Championship (Women)A57 Benko Gambit
3. I Krush vs S Foisor 1-0412012US Championship (Women)B14 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack
4. A Zatonskih vs A Kats 1-0332012US Championship (Women)D11 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
5. R Goletiani vs K Baginskaite 1-0362012US Championship (Women)A13 English
6. T Abrahamyan vs A Kats 1-0352012US Championship (Women)B90 Sicilian, Najdorf
7. K Baginskaite vs A Zatonskih 0-1382012US Championship (Women)E41 Nimzo-Indian
8. V Ni vs I Zenyuk 0-1342012US Championship (Women)A57 Benko Gambit
9. A Melekhina vs I Krush  ½-½442012US Championship (Women)B52 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
10. S Foisor vs R Goletiani 1-0532012US Championship (Women)E47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
11. R Goletiani vs A Melekhina 1-0292012US Championship (Women)A10 English
12. I Zenyuk vs T Abrahamyan 1-0702012US Championship (Women)E99 King's Indian, Orthodox, Taimanov
13. A Zatonskih vs S Foisor ½-½432012US Championship (Women)D07 Queen's Gambit Declined, Chigorin Defense
14. I Krush vs V Ni 1-0432012US Championship (Women)A38 English, Symmetrical
15. A Kats vs K Baginskaite 1-0362012US Championship (Women)B98 Sicilian, Najdorf
16. I Zenyuk vs I Krush ½-½302012US Championship (Women)D45 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
17. V Ni vs R Goletiani 1-0282012US Championship (Women)A81 Dutch
18. A Melekhina vs A Zatonskih ½-½442012US Championship (Women)B22 Sicilian, Alapin
19. S Foisor vs A Kats  1-0282012US Championship (Women)D45 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
20. T Abrahamyan vs K Baginskaite 1-0382012US Championship (Women)C50 Giuoco Piano
21. R Goletiani vs I Zenyuk 1-0582012US Championship (Women)A10 English
22. A Kats vs A Melekhina  0-1602012US Championship (Women)B07 Pirc
23. K Baginskaite vs S Foisor  ½-½342012US Championship (Women)A40 Queen's Pawn Game
24. I Krush vs T Abrahamyan 1-0332012US Championship (Women)E63 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Panno Variation
25. A Zatonskih vs V Ni  ½-½332012US Championship (Women)B41 Sicilian, Kan
 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 47  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
May-19-12  kenkur: Interesting that none of the ten players are US-born (or even foreign born but US-developed like for example Nakamura and Seirawan). I'm not knocking immigration but it can't be a good sign for US chess when you have to rely so much on imports. Sort of like if 90% of pro baseball players came from Japan, there would be a lot of concern, I think.
May-19-12  kenkur: Oops, I mean 11 players.
May-19-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Peligroso Patzer: <kenkur: Oops, I mean 11 players.>

Actually, Viktorija Ni and Viktoria Ni are the same player, so you did mean ten (10) players, after all.

May-19-12  belgradegambit: Um, Krush arrived in the US at age 6. Can we count her as "US-developed" please?
May-19-12  King Death: < belgradegambit: Um, Krush arrived in the US at age 6. Can we count her as "US-developed" please?>

Let's hear from all sides on this, it's so important, what do the "birthers" think? Should we start to exclude all foreign born people from the US Championship because they started their lives somewhere else? Maybe we can let them play if they came to the US early enough (like it matters). Why not at least discuss something worth talking about? Almost all of us came from somewhere else if you take things back far enough.

May-20-12  PhilFeeley: <Jason> Clearly, we disagree. I think blitz is a terrible way to decide a championship, either here or at the WCC. I hope it doesn't come down to that, in either case.
May-20-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chessgames Bookie: Only one hour to go, good luck!

US Women's Championship: Krush-Zatonskih Tiebreaks

May-20-12  siamesedream: Tie-breaks (2 rapid games 25+5) just started:

http://www.uschesschamps.com/live

May-20-12  King Death: I don't really care what happened in that playoff a few years ago but I agree with <PhilFeeley> that rapid play after playing long games is no way to decide a champion.
May-20-12  random1: Krush just won the first playoff game.
May-20-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  chessgames.com: We're grabbing the tiebreak games as soon as they become available. The first one is here A Zatonskih vs I Krush, 2012.
May-20-12  Illogic: Irina Krush is the women's US champion!
May-20-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  chessgames.com: And here's the other one: I Krush vs A Zatonskih, 2012.

Congratulations to Irina Krush, the 2012 US Women's Champion!

May-20-12  siamesedream: And second too... Congrats Irina Krush.
May-20-12  AgentRgent: A shame that the championship is decided in such a manner, but congratulations to Irina for regaining the title.

I was a fan before, but after spending some time speaking with her at the tournament, I'm an even bigger fan of this very gracious young lady!

May-20-12  Jason Frost: <PhilFeeley: <Jason> Clearly, we disagree. I think blitz is a terrible way to decide a championship, either here or at the WCC. I hope it doesn't come down to that, in either case.> No, I completely agree that it's a terrible way to decide the championship, but it was one she agreed to. So, her writing the letter, in which she tries to paint Anna as a cheater and claims it an injustice that she lost, was weaselly.But like I said before, that's old history.

Great tournament by Irina this year and congratulations on the championship.

May-20-12  AgentRgent: <Jason Frost> The contention of cheating really has nothing to do with the format (aside from the fact that the actions in question likely wouldn't occur except for the format). The question was simply whether it's legal to move your pieces BEFORE your opponent has pressed his/her clock. The regulations are somewhat unclear. (fwiw, I consider it to be illegal)
May-20-12  Jason Frost: <AgentRgent: <Jason Frost> The contention of cheating really has nothing to do with the format (aside from the fact that the actions in question likely wouldn't occur except for the format). The question was simply whether it's legal to move your pieces BEFORE your opponent has pressed his/her clock. The regulations are somewhat unclear. (fwiw, I consider it to be illegal)>

That's not the question at all. Moving on your opponent's time is against the rules. Anna did move on Irina's time, but the rule for reporting issues is that a player must stop the clocks, call over and arbiter, and claim a violation of the rules (whether it be moving pieces on the opponent's time, making an illegal move, not moving a piece that a player touched, etc...). It was clearly a bad format and situation, maybe a bad rule, but that's the rule.

Also, in my opinion the use of the word cheating a bit poor here. Cheating implies intent, and anyone who has played blitz any reasonable number of times will have moved on his opponents time at some point ... as Irina herself did earlier in the tiebreaks.

But, again ..... old history.

May-20-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Peligroso Patzer: <Jason Frost: <PhilFeeley: Irina's protest in 2008, and the USCF's weasily reply here: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail...>

I think you have that backwards, weasely letter from Irina, logical and correct reply by organizers. Though, of course that's ancient history.>

As you say, it’s ancient history, and I hesitate to revisit an old dispute. Nevertheless, I can’t refrain from observing that the USCF response relied heavily on the US principle that TDs only intervene to decide protests raised by a player. This is valid for a US event, but the US Championship, despite being the US national championship, is typically contested under FIDE rules.

Where FIDE rules apply, the arbiter has more responsibility to take the initiative (to act <sua sponte>, as it were) when a rule has been violated. For example, Rule 13.1 of the FIDE Laws of Chess reads as follows: “13.1 The arbiter shall see that the Laws of Chess are strictly observed.“

May-20-12  AgentRgent: Are you suggesting that illegal behavior is only illegal if one is "called" on it? Whether Irina realized it or not, the actions were illegal (presumably) and it is unfair to expect someone, especially in the heat of the moment, to not only think about chess, but whether the opponent is making illegal moves..

Furthermore, for the action to have occurred so as often as happened in that game, at least demonstrates disregard for that "rule" if not intent. I would suggest that Anna certainly knew she was doing it and did nothing to stop, where then does that leave any "cheating" allegations?

May-20-12  belgradegambit: The Womens champ beats the Mens champ
I Krush vs Nakamura, 2001
May-20-12  Jason Frost: <Peligroso Patzer> Interesting, thought it was played under uscf rules, but if that is in fact the case, then I completely agree.

<AgentRgent: Are you suggesting that illegal behavior is only illegal if one is "called" on it?>

I'm simply <suggesting> there is a statue of limitations on reporting it, which for most chess violations is during the course of the game).

Of course, if uscf rules were actually being superseded by fide rules there, as <Peligroso Patzer> pointed out, then the arbiters should've probably stepped in.

May-21-12  whiteshark: There goes my bees and honey...
May-22-12  Riverbeast: Let's hear the rap Irina!
May-24-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  eternaloptimist: Irina played great chess in this tournament & got through it w/o a loss!! None of the games that she played went over 56 moves (per player)!! This tournament proves that she can play king's pawn openings, queen's pawn openings & the english opening very well w/ the white pieces! This versatility makes her very tough to prepare for. She is at the top of her game now. Anna also played well but irina played a little better.
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