| May-16-10 | | dbquintillion: A real tragedy. |
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| May-16-10 | | Nimzonick: Oh my god so lucky |
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May-16-10
 | | HeMateMe: I don't understand this at all. Wasn't white winning, with the exchange advantage? Even so, with a R + 2 pawn endgame, white just has to shuffle the king back and forth on the 5th rank, to box out the black king, and the game is a draw? |
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| May-16-10 | | bambino3: she must be krushed |
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May-16-10
 | | tamar: 63 a4 gave up the c pawn too easily.
63 Rb3 with the idea of pushing the a pawn eventually is better, since the c pawn and d pawn do not fall. |
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| May-17-10 | | MKalafatas: Of course this game featured many mistakes but I think a very serious one was the innocuous-looking 25.h4. On its face it seems so normal, so organized, but it is completely unnecessary. The fixed fortress-like pawn structure that saved Akobian was created thereby. Although queens are still on the board, White is in such control that we are already into an ending. White can exchange pieces almost at will and should be considering how to make the winning pawn break. g2-g4 would be the correct idea, and wouldn't it be better when making that break to have a rook on h4 instead of that ugly pawn? |
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| May-17-10 | | Illogic: Heartbreaking. Irina was playing so well, I hope this doesn't derail her tournament. |
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| May-17-10 | | ycbaywtb: yes, after a win in round 1, and strong looking play that dwindled into a draw in round 2, and this heartbreak after being up the exchange, either she has faded fast, or it just is what it is, but re-covery, who knows? |
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| May-17-10 | | BlackWaive: Akobian missed 86...Rd2, which wins by force:
<87. Rxf7 Rxd4> is an easy win for Black, since White's king will be permanently cut out of the action. <87. Rf4 Ke6 88. Kf1 f5 89. Ke1 Rh2!> and Black will make headway into White's camp. I believe that Akobian's 86...Ra7 only draws. But if I recall correctly, he only had 5 seconds on his clock when he played the move. |
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| May-17-10 | | Hovik2009: After Akobian's fancy but harmless knight sac, this game should have ended in a draw no more and no less, Krush never had an decisive advantage(I hope somebody check that with Rybka), but Krush made many strategical mistakes like 32.Bd6? allowing Akobian a liberating exchange sac, then in the resulting endgame she pushed for a win in a draw position. |
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| May-17-10 | | Ashram64: she's so inconsistent, that's why take her a long time and she's still an IM |
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| May-17-10 | | birthtimes: She was in time trouble people...that's the main reason why she lost... |
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May-17-10
| | HeMateMe: How do you know she was in time trouble? |
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| May-17-10 | | andrewpbell: I disagree with Hovik. I think that she missed several wins. For instanc, It seemed winning to play 44. Reb2, and then take the b-pawn and bishop for a rook. The king position and advanced f-pawn make this a fairly easy win for white. |
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| May-17-10 | | dmjjmd2: OOOUUUCHHH. Man i hav had games like this. In the opening it was VERY sharp. I was awed, and krush seemed to be making these nice,pretty, and creative moves. But as the tactics left, started pushing in the wrond directions and stuff started to fall apart. Noting this is um, what's it called, The U.S CHAMPIONSHIPS that must have been hard. |
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| May-17-10 | | dmjjmd2: Also imagine Akopians joy:From defending and calculating, to having to play what would seem to be cat and mouse, to watching that go bad, to having winning opportunity's, to winning! |
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| May-17-10 | | sezori: What I liked most about this game was Black played 10...c5 and instead of looking for a retreat square or simply taking the pawn, Krush plays f5!; doing two things... 1) If 11...c4 is played to attack the seemingly trapped bishop then 12. fxe6 saves it indirectly by threatening a mate in 4! which was the whole point behind f5... 2) or If black spots the mate in 4, which 9/10 they will, then taking back with the bishop or queen will only help the bishop escape by either 12...Qxe6 13. Nf4 (queen moves) 14. Be2 or 12...Bxe6 13. Bf5 offering an exchange |
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| May-18-10 | | dumbgai: After Irina's childish tantrum following the 2008 US Women's, it warms my heart to see her lose like this. |
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| May-18-10 | | Riverbeast: She didn't have a childish tantrum, she was justifiably upset that the title was decided by an insane blitz scramble Until you people start competing for important titles, and experience what it's like to lose one so closely in the heat of battle, you have no right to judge "Topalov is a bad sport"...."Krush is a bad sport"....That kind of stuff is easy to say from the sidelines |
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| May-18-10 | | Petrosianic: Lose like what, exactly? What makes this loss particularly satisfying? |
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Kibitzing
sac: 32...Rxd6