US Chess Championships 2013 Round 2: Christiansen, Kamsky in Lead

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone,

After two rounds of the 2013 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship, there are curiously more perfect scores remaining in the latter tournament, despite having fewer than half the players of the former. Only three women (IMs Irina Krush and Anna Zatonksih and WGM Tatev Abrahamyan) and two men (GMs Gata Kamsky and Larry Christiansen - in photo) have begun with two wins, which represents about 15 percent of the combined field.

The most hyped game of the day featured teenage IM Kayden Troff against the top-seeded Kamsky. Going into the game, Troff said Kamsky was the highest-rated player he had ever faced, however the youngster drew GM Michael Adams, who is just a few points below Kamsky. Overall, Kamsky said he could have been in serious trouble if Troff had used his active pieces to attack the king more. Eventually, Kamsky won.

Grandmaster Larry Christiansen, who won his first U.S. Championship in 1980 and his most recent in 2002, faced an uphill climb as he seeks to win a title in yet another decade. Facing second-seeded GM Timur Gareev as black, the veteran admitted that his opponent was better out of the opening. Since they are the only players with two points, these two winners must play tomorrow even though their colors do not line up. Both players are due white, but Kamsky is higher rated and will get his due color. Christiansen insisted afterward he would still play aggressively as black. 

The U.S. Women’s Championship so far has been far more predictable. The top three seeds are motoring, as Zatonskih, Krush and Abrahamyan all won to go to 2-0. Zatonskih and Krush, the top two seeds and winners of the past seven titles, will face off tomorrow in their annual battle. The head-to-head matchup has served as the de facto championship in recent years. The two have played so many times that Zatonskih forgot who won in 2012 (it was a draw, but Krush won a dramatic tiebreak, which Zatonskih does remember vividly). A detailed report by FM Mike Klein is available at the official website. 

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'It is Impossible Never to Lose a Chess Game!'

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Take heart... is is impossible to never lose a chess game. Jasper Wu ’14, president of the Cornell Chess Club, says chess has a variety of practical applications, especially for learning about science. 

Chess also involves analytical and strategic thinking. As in scientific inquiry, creativity and foresight are key for success. “Any chess player knows that you have to think ahead. It’s important to make a strategy and think things through,” Wu said. According to Wu, the value in chess lies in the inevitability of making mistakes.

“It is impossible to never lose a game in chess, just as it is impossible to never make a mistake in life.” Wu said. “Chess teaches kids and players of all ages that making mistakes is a natural part of the game and that learning from those mistakes is what propels you to the next level.” He elaborated that science, like chess, is all about learning from mistakes."

These quotes are from an interesting article about Grandmaster Larry Christiansen giving a simultaneous exhibition at a Cornell Chess Club event on March 30.

There are plenty of good things said in the article about chess and you could read it here.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com