Niemann, Wang are Junior Champs; Seniors go to Playoff

After a final round draw with Ruiyang Yan on Sunday, IM Annie Wang is the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior Champion.

Annie Wang vs. Ruiyang Yan (courtesy SLCC / C. Fuller)

[pgn][Event "U.S. Girls Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Wang, Annie"] [Black "Yan, Ruiyang"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2384"] [BlackElo "2111"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qb3 c5 6. dxc5 Nc6 7. Bg5 dxc4 8. Qxc4 Qa5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Rc1 Qxc5 11. Qh4 Ke7 12. g3 Bxc3+ 13. Rxc3 Qb4 14. Qxb4+ Nxb4 15. a3 Nd5 16. Rc2 Bd7 17. Bg2 Rac8 18. Nd4 Rxc2 19. Nxc2 Rc8 20. Kd2 Ba4 21. Rc1 Rd8 22. Ke1 f5 23. Nd4 Kf6 24. b3 Be8 25. e3 b6 26. Rd1 Nc3 27. Rc1 Nd5 28. Rd1 Nc3 29. Rc1 Ne4 30. f4 Nc5 31. Ke2 a5 32. b4 axb4 33. axb4 Ne4 34. Bxe4 fxe4 35. Ra1 b5 36. Nb3 Bc6 1/2-1/2 [/pgn]

Wang takes home $3,000 in prize money for her efforts, along with a $10,000 scholarship to be used at her chosen institute of higher learning. This scholarship is generously funded by the Dewain Barber Foundation and US Chess.

IM Annie Wang (courtesy SLCC / C. Fuller)

GM Hans Niemann is the new U.S. Junior Champion, having drawn a long endgame with GM Brandon Jacobson to secure first place. He receives $6,000 for his tournament victory, along with a $10,000 scholarship funded by the Dewain Barber Foundation and US Chess.

A visibly happy Hans Niemann (courtesy SLCC / Lennart Ootes)

[pgn][Event "U.S. Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Niemann, Hans Moke"] [Black "Jacobson, Brandon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2571"] [BlackElo "2504"] [PlyCount "141"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O Nb6 7. b3 Bd6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. d4 Re8 10. d5 Ne7 11. Bb2 Bg4 12. Qd3 c6 13. dxc6 Nxc6 14. Rfd1 Bf8 15. Qe4 Qc8 16. Rac1 Bh3 17. Nb5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 f6 19. Nh4 a6 20. Nd6 Bxd6 21. Rxd6 Qc7 22. Ba3 Rad8 23. Nf5 Nc8 24. Rdd1 Qf7 25. h4 Kh8 26. Rd3 g6 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Ne3 N8a7 29. h5 Nb5 30. Bc5 gxh5 31. Nf5 Qd5 32. Qxd5 Rxd5 33. a4 Nbd4 34. e4 Rd8 35. Bxd4 exd4 36. Kf3 Kg8 37. Ke2 Kf7 38. f4 Ke6 39. Rc4 a5 40. Kd3 Rg8 41. Rc1 h4 42. gxh4 Rg4 43. Rf1 h5 44. Rf3 Kd7 45. Kc4 Kc7 46. Rf1 Kd7 47. Rf2 Kc7 48. Kd5 Kd7 49. Kc4 Kc7 50. Nxd4 Nxd4 51. Kxd4 Kd6 52. Rd2 Rxh4 53. Ke3+ Ke7 54. Rd5 Rh3+ 55. Kd4 Rxb3 56. Rxh5 Rb4+ 57. Kd5 Kf7 58. f5 b5 59. Rh7+ Kg8 60. Ra7 bxa4 61. Rxa5 Kf7 62. Ra7+ Ke8 63. Ke6 Rb6+ 64. Kd5 Rb4 65. Ra8+ Kf7 66. Ra6 Kg7 67. Ra7+ Kf8 68. e5 Rb5+ 69. Ke6 Rb6+ 70. Kd5 Rb5+ 71. Ke6 1/2-1/2 [/pgn]

GM Hans Niemann (courtesy SLCC / Lennart Ootes)

The Senior Championship saw a tie for first place between GMs Larry Christiansen and Gregory Kaidanov, who will contest a rapid playoff Monday at 3pm Central time to decide matters. Kaidanov entered the day a half-point ahead of Christiansen, but could only draw against GM Igor Novikov after the players followed theory for 34 moves and neither could improve over a game between Kramnik and Anand.

Novikov vs Kaidanov (courtesy SLCC / Austin Fuller)

[pgn][Event "U.S. Senior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Novikov, Igor"] [Black "Kaidanov, Gregory"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2554"] [BlackElo "2547"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. g3 Bb7 12. Bg2 Qb6 13. exf6 O-O-O 14. O-O c5 15. d5 b4 16. Na4 Qb5 17. a3 Nb8 18. axb4 cxb4 19. Qg4 Bxd5 20. Rfc1 Nc6 21. Bxd5 Rxd5 22. Rxc4 Rxg5 23. Qd4 Kb8 24. Rxc6 Rxg3+ 25. fxg3 Qxc6 26. Rd1 Qc7 27. b3 Kc8 28. Qe4 (28. Qe3 Kb8 29. Qd2 Bc5+ 30. Nxc5 Qxc5+ 31. Qd4 Qc3 32. g4 Rg8 33. Kf2 Qxb3 34. Qe5+ Ka8 35. Qe4+ Kb8 36. Rb1 Qa2+ 37. Ke1 a5 38. Qe5+ Kb7 39. Qb5+ {1-0 (39) Salgado Lopez,I (2594)-Shirov,A (2666) Marbella 2019}) 28... Kb8 29. Qd4 Kc8 30. Qd3 Bc5+ 31. Nxc5 Qxc5+ 32. Kf1 Qc3 33. Qxc3+ bxc3 34. h4 {[#]} Rh6 $146 (34... e5 35. Ke2 c2 36. Rc1 Kd7 37. Rxc2 Ke6 38. Rc6+ Kf5 39. Kf3 e4+ 40. Ke3 Rb8 41. Rc5+ Kxf6 42. Kxe4 Rxb3 43. Ra5 Rxg3 44. Kf4 Rg1 45. Rxa7 Kg7 { 1/2-1/2 (45) Kramnik,V (2769)-Anand,V (2793) London 2014}) 35. Rc1 Rxf6+ 36. Kg2 e5 37. Rxc3+ Kd7 38. Rc5 Re6 39. Kf3 e4+ 40. Ke3 Rb6 41. Kxe4 Rxb3 42. g4 Ke7 43. Rc7+ Ke6 44. Rxa7 Rb4+ 45. Kf3 f5 46. Ra6+ Kf7 47. gxf5 1/2-1/2 [/pgn]

This left an opening for Christiansen, who played brilliantly in a victory over GM Jim Tarjan. Winning against any GM with Black is tough, and as FM Robert Shylakhtenko explains in his Game of the Day annotations, Christiansen did an excellent job of keeping his chances alive and grinding his way to the playoff.

Tarjan vs Christiansen (courtesy SLCC / Lennart Ootes)

[pgn][Event "US Senior champs"] [Site "?"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9"] [White "Tarjan, James"] [Black "Christiansen, Larry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A20"] [Annotator "Shlyakhtenko,Robert"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2021.07.17"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. d4 exd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Na6 6. Bg2 Bc5 {A popular setup, delaying ...d5.} 7. Qe5+ {This is considered to be white's best move, interrupting black's coordination.} ({Instead, black has no problems after} 7. Qd1 O-O 8. O-O d5) 7... Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Re8 10. Rd1 Nc7 $5 ({More games have continued with} 10... Bb4 11. Qd4 Nc5 {, but after} 12. Bg5 {trades are very likely -- not an ideal situation in a must-win game.}) 11. Qa5 $1 { A strong move, disrupting black's development.} d6 (11... b6 $6 12. Qa4 $16 { black has only created weaknesses.}) 12. h3 {However, this is slow and allows black to finish development, after which the queen will be poorly placed on a5. } ({White would have had some advantage after} 12. e4 $1 {and in view of the threat of e4-e5, black has to offer the trade of queens.} Ne6 (12... Bd7 $6 13. Bf4 $1) 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. b3 $14) 12... Be6 13. b3 Qc8 14. Kh2 ({White probably should have tried} 14. Bf4 {, at least preventing ...d5. Black cannot take on h3 for the time being because of the loose knight on c7.}) 14... d5 $1 {After this timely break black has no problems.} 15. Be3 $6 ({Perhaps} 15. Ne5 $5 {could have been tried.}) 15... b6 ({I do not see anything wrong with} 15... dxc4 16. Nd4 Ncd5 $1 {, intending} 17. Nxe6 Nxe3) 16. Qa4 c5 17. cxd5 Ncxd5 18. Bd2 Bf8 {Giving white an extra opportunity.} ({More prudent was} 18... h6) 19. Rac1 ({White had a chance to play} 19. Ng5 $1 {, intending} Bd7 $6 20. Qh4 Nxc3 21. Bxc3 {and black loses material.}) 19... Bd7 $1 {Rerouting the bishop to a better diagonal. Starting from here, black slowly takes over the initiative.} 20. Qc4 Bc6 ({There is no reason to go for complications with} 20... b5 $5 21. Nxb5 Nb6 22. Qd3 Bf5 23. e4 Bxe4 24. Qf1 $11) 21. Ng5 Qb7 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 23. Be1 Re5 $5 {A typical rook lift to h5, where it will fight against white's fianchetto. A similar idea against the same kingside pawn structure is seen in some lines of the Tarrasch Defense.} 24. Nf3 Re6 25. Ng5 Re5 26. Nf3 Rh5 27. Kg1 b5 $1 {A good time to advance the queenside pawn majority.} ({After} 27... Re8 {black probably feared} 28. Nd4) 28. Qd3 Nf6 ({However, now black could have brought in the last inactive piece and maintained the bind:} 28... Re8 { , and it's not easy for white to find a move.}) 29. Bc3 $1 {Seizing the chance to activate the bishop on the a1-h8 diagonal.} Rd5 30. Qc2 Ne4 31. Bb2 Rxd1+ 32. Rxd1 f6 33. Bc1 {A good defensive regrouping, preparing Nd2.} ({Not the immediate} 33. Nd2 $2 Nxg3 $1 34. Bxc6 Nxe2+ 35. Kf1 Qxc6 36. Kxe2 Re8+) 33... Re8 34. Rd3 {White defends g3 for good measure.} Qf7 35. Nd2 {White has been able to organize the pieces and should not be worse anymore.} f5 $5 {Trying to keep the position imbalanced.} 36. Nxe4 Bxe4 37. Bxe4 fxe4 38. Rd1 Qe6 39. Kg2 a6 {Black's only chance is to use his queenside pawn majority with an eventual ...c4, but playing this will always allow white to activate his heavy pieces as well. So white should have maintained the status quo, perhaps preparing a2-a4.} 40. e3 {I do not like this move, limiting white's own bishop.} ({ The bishop would be more active after} 40. Be3 Rc8 41. Rc1 {, and black's c-pawn is under pressure. After} c4 42. bxc4 Rxc4 43. Qb3 {white does not have to fear much.}) 40... Rc8 41. Qd2 Be7 42. Qd7 $2 {The critical moment in the game. White makes a serious positional misjudgement. With queens off the board, black is much less worried about allowing counterplay after ...c4.} Qxd7 43. Rxd7 Bf6 44. Rd2 ({Neverthless, white should have kept the rook on d7 and searched for counterplay; passive defense does not seem to hold. Thus, he should have tried} 44. g4 {, with the idea of} c4 45. bxc4 Rxc4 46. g5 $1 Bxg5 47. Bb2 Bf6 48. Bxf6 gxf6 $1 49. Kg3 Ra4 50. Kf4 Rxa2 51. Kxe4 Rxf2 52. Ra7 { and white is fighting despite the two-pawn deficit -- all because his pieces are active.}) 44... Kf7 {There is no rush -- another crucial point in this endgame is that it is much easier for black to activate his king.} 45. Rc2 c4 46. bxc4 Rxc4 47. Rxc4 bxc4 48. f3 $5 ({The only defense was} 48. Kf1 {, but I would not be surprised if black was technically winning here as well. A logical plan is to bring the king to a4 and combine threats of invasion on the queenside with threats to the f2-pawn, via ...Bc3-e1.}) 48... Ba1 $1 49. Ba3 ( 49. fxe4 c3 {white cannot prevent ...Bb2, and black wins.}) 49... c3 50. Bc5 Ke6 51. fxe4 c2 52. Ba3 Bc3 53. Bc1 Ke5 54. Kf3 h5 55. g4 h4 56. Ke2 {After ... Kxe4 black will eventually get the opposition, so white resigned. A very instructive display on how to play must-win games with the black pieces.} ({or } 56. g5 g6 57. a3 Ba1 $1 58. a4 Bc3 {and white runs out of tempi.}) 0-1 [/pgn]

Tune into the live coverage of the playoff today at 3pm Central with live commentary from GMs Yasser Seirawan and Cristian Chirila, and host Sharon Carpenter on www.uschesschamps.com or the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Girls' Junior Championship Round Nine Games and Final Crosstable

[pgn][Event "U.S. Girls Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Wu, Rochelle"] [Black "Vittal, Sanjana"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2138"] [BlackElo "1938"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Qa4 Bd7 7. Qxc4 Na5 8. Qd3 c5 9. O-O Bc6 10. Rd1 Qb6 11. Nc3 Be7 12. Qc2 c4 13. e4 O-O 14. Ne5 Rfd8 15. Be3 Be8 16. Rd2 Qa6 17. h3 b5 18. Rdd1 Rac8 19. a3 Nb3 20. Rab1 Qb7 21. Nf3 a5 22. Bg5 Qa7 23. e5 Nd5 24. Ne4 f6 25. exf6 gxf6 26. Bh6 b4 27. axb4 axb4 28. Qe2 Bg6 29. h4 Qb6 30. Bh3 Rc6 31. Re1 Nxd4 32. Nxd4 Qxd4 33. Rbd1 Qxe4 34. Qxe4 Bxe4 35. Rxe4 f5 36. Re2 c3 37. bxc3 bxc3 38. Bg2 Kf7 39. Ra1 Rc7 40. Bf3 Bf6 41. Bh5+ Ke7 42. Ra6 e5 43. Bc1 Kf8 44. Rc2 Kg7 45. Ra4 Be7 46. Re2 e4 47. Re1 c2 48. Rf1 Nb4 49. Be2 Nd3 50. Kg2 Bf6 51. Ra2 Rd5 52. f3 Rb5 53. fxe4 fxe4 54. Ra6 Rf7 55. Rc6 Nxc1 56. Bxb5 Nb3 57. Rxc2 Nd4 58. Rc5 e3 59. Rd5 Re7 60. Rd7 Nxb5 61. Rxe7+ Bxe7 62. Rf5 Nd6 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Girls Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Wang, Annie"] [Black "Yan, Ruiyang"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2384"] [BlackElo "2111"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qb3 c5 6. dxc5 Nc6 7. Bg5 dxc4 8. Qxc4 Qa5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Rc1 Qxc5 11. Qh4 Ke7 12. g3 Bxc3+ 13. Rxc3 Qb4 14. Qxb4+ Nxb4 15. a3 Nd5 16. Rc2 Bd7 17. Bg2 Rac8 18. Nd4 Rxc2 19. Nxc2 Rc8 20. Kd2 Ba4 21. Rc1 Rd8 22. Ke1 f5 23. Nd4 Kf6 24. b3 Be8 25. e3 b6 26. Rd1 Nc3 27. Rc1 Nd5 28. Rd1 Nc3 29. Rc1 Ne4 30. f4 Nc5 31. Ke2 a5 32. b4 axb4 33. axb4 Ne4 34. Bxe4 fxe4 35. Ra1 b5 36. Nb3 Bc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Girls Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Samadashvili, Martha"] [Black "Morris-Suzuki, Sophie"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C11"] [WhiteElo "2215"] [BlackElo "2043"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nce2 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Nf3 Qb6 8. a3 f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Ng3 Bd6 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O Kh8 13. Bc2 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Re1 Bg4 17. f3 Bxg3 18. hxg3 Bd7 19. Be3 Qc7 20. Bf4 Qb6 21. Be5 Rae8 22. Qd2 Be6 23. Rab1 Nd7 24. Qh6 c4+ 25. Kh1 Nf6 26. Bxf6 Rxf6 27. Qxh7# 1-0 [Event "U.S. Girls Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Ulrich, Susanna"] [Black "Lee, Alice"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D11"] [WhiteElo "1974"] [BlackElo "1972"] [PlyCount "108"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qb3 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bf5 6. g3 e6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Nbd7 10. Re1 Ne4 11. Qb3 Qb6 12. Bf4 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Be4 14. Ne5 Bxg2 15. Nxd7 Qxb3 16. axb3 Rfd8 17. Kxg2 Rxd7 18. Red1 a6 19. Rd3 g5 20. Bc1 Rad8 21. Ba3 Bxa3 22. Rxa3 e5 23. Ra5 exd4 24. Rxg5+ Kf8 25. c4 Re8 26. Kf1 Red8 27. Rh5 f6 28. Ke1 b6 29. c5 b5 30. b4 Kg7 31. Kd2 Re7 32. Ra3 Rde8 33. Rxa6 Rxe2+ 34. Kd3 Kg6 35. Rh4 Rxf2 36. Rxc6 Ree2 37. Rd6 Rd2+ 38. Ke4 Rde2+ 39. Kd5 d3 40. Kc6 d2 41. Kxb5 Re8 42. Rhd4 Rb8+ 43. Kc4 Rf1 44. Rxd2 Rc1+ 45. Kd5 Rxb4 46. c6 Rbc4 47. Rf2 Rc5+ 48. Kd4 R5c4+ 49. Ke3 R4c3+ 50. Ke4 Rc4+ 51. Kd5 Rc5+ 52. Ke6 Rxc6 53. Rxf6+ Kg7 54. Rf7+ Kg6 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Girls Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.5"] [White "Cervantes Landeiro, Thalia"] [Black "Zeng, Sheena"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2226"] [BlackElo "2013"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 h6 9. Bh4 Re8 10. Nge2 a5 11. h3 Na6 12. a3 Nc7 13. O-O Ne6 14. Rae1 Be7 15. f3 b5 16. Bf2 b4 17. axb4 axb4 18. Na4 Ba6 19. Bxa6 Rxa6 20. b3 Nd7 21. Rc1 Bg5 22. Qd3 Nc7 23. Ng3 Qa8 24. Nf5 Re6 25. h4 Be7 26. Bg3 Nb5 27. e4 Qb7 28. exd5 cxd5 29. Nxe7+ Rxe7 30. Qd2 Nc3 31. Nxc3 bxc3 32. Rxc3 Rae6 33. Rfc1 Nf8 34. Qd3 Qb6 35. Bf2 Re8 36. Rc5 Ng6 37. Bg3 Re3 38. Qb5 Qf6 39. Be5 R8xe5 40. dxe5 Qxh4 41. R5c2 Nf4 42. Rf1 d4 43. Qe8+ Kh7 44. Qxf7 Rxe5 45. Qc4 d3 46. Ra2 Re2 47. Rfa1 Qf2+ 0-1 [/pgn]

Junior Championship Round Nine Games and Final Crosstable

[pgn][Event "U.S. Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Burke, John M"] [Black "Li, Ben"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C88"] [WhiteElo "2538"] [BlackElo "2376"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bg4 9. c3 b4 10. a5 bxc3 11. Ba4 Bd7 12. dxc3 O-O 13. b4 Qc8 14. Nbd2 Nd8 15. Bc2 Ne6 16. Nc4 Re8 17. Ne3 g6 18. Rb1 Qb7 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Ng7 21. c4 f5 22. Ba4 Bxa4 23. Qxa4 Bf6 24. Bh6 Re7 25. Bg5 Bxg5 26. Nxg5 e4 27. Qb3 h6 28. Nf3 Rf8 29. Nd4 Ree8 30. b5 axb5 31. cxb5 f4 32. b6 cxb6 33. axb6 f3 34. gxf3 exf3 35. Rxe8 Rxe8 36. Qxf3 Rf8 37. Qg3 Kh7 38. Qxd6 Rf7 39. Ne6 Nf5 40. Qc6 Qb8 41. b7 Nh4 42. d6 Qa7 43. Nf4 Qd4 44. b8=Q Qxf4 45. Qbb7 Nf3+ 46. Qxf3 Qxf3 47. Qxf3 Rxf3 48. Rb7+ Kg8 49. d7 Rf8 50. Rc7 Rd8 51. Rc8 1-0 [Event "U.S. Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Hong, Andrew"] [Black "Wang, Justin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C53"] [WhiteElo "2474"] [BlackElo "2467"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. O-O h6 7. Re1 O-O 8. h3 a5 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. Bb5 Qb8 11. Nf1 Qa7 12. d4 Bb6 13. d5 Bxf2+ 14. Kh2 Bxe1 15. Be3 Qb8 16. dxe6 fxe6 17. Qxe1 Ne7 18. Bc4 Qc8 19. Rd1 Kh7 20. Bc1 Ng6 21. Ne3 Qe8 22. Ng4 b5 23. Bd3 Rb8 24. Bc2 Qe7 25. Qe3 Nxg4+ 26. hxg4 Rf7 27. g3 Kg8 28. Kg2 Rbf8 29. Rf1 Rf6 30. Bd3 c6 31. Be2 Qe8 32. Bd2 a4 33. Qd3 R6f7 34. Rh1 c5 35. g5 h5 36. Be3 c4 37. Qb1 Rc7 38. Qd1 Qc6 39. Nd2 h4 40. Bh5 Ne7 41. Qg4 g6 42. Qxe6+ Kg7 43. Bg4 b4 44. a3 bxc3 45. bxc3 Ng8 46. gxh4 Re8 47. Qd5 Qxd5 48. exd5 Rb8 49. Ne4 Ne7 50. Be6 Nf5 51. Bf2 Rb3 52. h5 Rxa3 53. Bxf5 gxf5 54. Nxd6 Rxc3 55. Ne8+ Kf8 56. Nxc7 e4 57. h6 f4 58. h7 1-0 [Event "U.S. Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Brodsky, David"] [Black "Balakrishnan, Praveen"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C55"] [WhiteElo "2455"] [BlackElo "2507"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6 5. O-O d6 6. c3 g5 7. a4 Bg7 8. a5 O-O 9. a6 b6 10. Nbd2 Ne7 11. d4 Ng6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Qc2 g4 14. Ne1 c6 15. Nb3 Ne8 16. f3 Nd6 17. Be2 f5 18. fxg4 fxg4 19. Rxf8+ Qxf8 20. Be3 Be6 21. Rd1 Nc4 22. Bf2 Qf7 23. Nc1 Rf8 24. Ned3 h5 25. b3 Nd6 26. Be3 Nxe4 27. Nb4 Nc5 28. Nxc6 Bf5 29. Qa2 Kh7 30. b4 Ne6 31. Bc4 Qc7 32. Nxa7 Qxa7 33. Bxe6 Bxe6 34. Qxe6 Qxa6 35. Qxb6 Qc4 36. Qc5 Qe4 37. Bg5 h4 38. Qd5 Qf5 39. Be3 h3 40. Ne2 hxg2 41. Qxg2 Qc2 42. Rf1 Rxf1+ 43. Kxf1 Qb1+ 44. Nc1 Qf5+ 45. Qf2 Qe4 46. b5 Nf4 47. Bxf4 exf4 48. Qh4+ Bh6 49. Qxg4 Qh1+ 50. Qg1 Qf3+ 51. Qf2 Qh1+ 52. Qg1 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Niemann, Hans Moke"] [Black "Jacobson, Brandon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2571"] [BlackElo "2504"] [PlyCount "141"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O Nb6 7. b3 Bd6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. d4 Re8 10. d5 Ne7 11. Bb2 Bg4 12. Qd3 c6 13. dxc6 Nxc6 14. Rfd1 Bf8 15. Qe4 Qc8 16. Rac1 Bh3 17. Nb5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 f6 19. Nh4 a6 20. Nd6 Bxd6 21. Rxd6 Qc7 22. Ba3 Rad8 23. Nf5 Nc8 24. Rdd1 Qf7 25. h4 Kh8 26. Rd3 g6 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Ne3 N8a7 29. h5 Nb5 30. Bc5 gxh5 31. Nf5 Qd5 32. Qxd5 Rxd5 33. a4 Nbd4 34. e4 Rd8 35. Bxd4 exd4 36. Kf3 Kg8 37. Ke2 Kf7 38. f4 Ke6 39. Rc4 a5 40. Kd3 Rg8 41. Rc1 h4 42. gxh4 Rg4 43. Rf1 h5 44. Rf3 Kd7 45. Kc4 Kc7 46. Rf1 Kd7 47. Rf2 Kc7 48. Kd5 Kd7 49. Kc4 Kc7 50. Nxd4 Nxd4 51. Kxd4 Kd6 52. Rd2 Rxh4 53. Ke3+ Ke7 54. Rd5 Rh3+ 55. Kd4 Rxb3 56. Rxh5 Rb4+ 57. Kd5 Kf7 58. f5 b5 59. Rh7+ Kg8 60. Ra7 bxa4 61. Rxa5 Kf7 62. Ra7+ Ke8 63. Ke6 Rb6+ 64. Kd5 Rb4 65. Ra8+ Kf7 66. Ra6 Kg7 67. Ra7+ Kf8 68. e5 Rb5+ 69. Ke6 Rb6+ 70. Kd5 Rb5+ 71. Ke6 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Junior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.5"] [White "Checa, Nicolas"] [Black "Yoo, Christopher Woojin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D85"] [WhiteElo "2552"] [BlackElo "2474"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Qa4+ Qd7 8. Qa3 O-O 9. Nf3 Re8 10. Be3 b6 11. Rd1 Bb7 12. Bd3 c5 13. O-O Qc7 14. d5 c4 15. Bc2 a6 16. Qb4 Nd7 17. Rb1 a5 18. Qa3 e6 19. d6 Qd8 20. Nd2 Bc6 21. Ba4 Rc8 22. Nxc4 b5 23. Rxb5 Bxb5 24. Bxb5 Rf8 25. Rc1 Qh4 26. Nd2 Nf6 27. c4 Rb8 28. Qd3 Ng4 29. Nf3 Qh5 30. Bd4 Ne5 31. Nxe5 Bxe5 32. Bxe5 Qxe5 33. c5 Rfd8 34. a4 Rbc8 35. Qe3 f5 36. f4 Qxe4 37. Qxe4 fxe4 38. Ba6 Rc6 39. Bb7 Rdxd6 40. Bxc6 Rxc6 41. Kf2 Kf7 42. Ke3 Ke7 43. Kxe4 Rc8 44. c6 Kd6 45. c7 h6 46. g4 g5 47. f5 exf5+ 48. Kxf5 Kd7 49. Kg6 Rg8+ 50. Kh7 Rc8 51. Kxh6 Rh8+ 52. Kxg5 Kc8 53. h4 Rg8+ 54. Kf4 Rf8+ 55. Kg3 Rf6 56. g5 Rb6 57. h5 Rb3+ 58. Kg4 Rb4+ 59. Kf5 Rxa4 60. g6 Rh4 61. g7 Rxh5+ 62. Kg6 1-0 [/pgn]

Senior Championship Round Nine games and Final Crosstable

[pgn][Event "U.S. Senior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Benjamin, Joel"] [Black "Shabalov, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A50"] [WhiteElo "2506"] [BlackElo "2521"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. Nc3 Bb7 4. d5 e6 5. a3 exd5 6. cxd5 b5 7. Nxb5 Nxd5 8. e4 Nf6 9. Bf4 Na6 10. e5 Ne4 11. Nf3 c6 12. Nd6+ Bxd6 13. exd6 O-O 14. Bc4 Qa5+ 15. b4 Qf5 16. Be3 Qf6 17. O-O Qxd6 18. Bd3 c5 19. Bxe4 Qxd1 20. Rfxd1 Bxe4 21. bxc5 Rfc8 22. Rac1 Rc7 23. Rd6 Nb8 24. Ne5 f6 25. Nc4 Bf5 26. Rd2 Be6 27. Nd6 Na6 28. f4 g6 29. Rb2 Bd5 30. h3 Rb8 31. Rxb8+ Nxb8 32. Ne8 Rc6 33. Rb1 Na6 34. Bd4 Kf7 35. Nd6+ Ke7 36. Re1+ Be6 37. Rc1 f5 38. Kf2 Nc7 39. Nc8+ Ke8 40. Nxa7 Ra6 41. c6 Bd5 42. cxd7+ Kxd7 43. Be3 Ra4 44. g3 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Senior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Fishbein, Alexander"] [Black "Khachiyan, Melikset"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C47"] [WhiteElo "2417"] [BlackElo "2474"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 Qe7+ 9. Qe2 Qxe2+ 10. Kxe2 Nxd5 11. Ne4 f5 12. Ng5 O-O 13. Rd1 Bd6 14. Kf1 a5 15. a4 Kh8 16. Bd2 Nb4 17. Bxb4 axb4 18. Bc4 Ba6 19. Bxa6 Rxa6 20. b3 c5 21. Rd5 h6 22. Nf3 c4 23. Nd4 cxb3 24. cxb3 g6 25. Re1 Kg8 26. h4 h5 27. Nb5 Rf6 28. Re8+ Kf7 29. Rc8 Ke6 30. Rd1 Rf7 31. Rc1 Kd7 32. Nxc7 Rxa4 33. bxa4 Kxc8 34. Nb5+ Kd7 35. Rd1 Rf6 36. Nxd6 Rxd6 37. Rxd6+ Kxd6 38. Ke2 Kd5 39. Kd3 Kc5 40. f4 Kd5 41. Kc2 Kc4 42. Kb2 Kd5 43. Kb3 1-0 [Event "U.S. Senior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Novikov, Igor"] [Black "Kaidanov, Gregory"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2554"] [BlackElo "2547"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. g3 Bb7 12. Bg2 Qb6 13. exf6 O-O-O 14. O-O c5 15. d5 b4 16. Na4 Qb5 17. a3 Nb8 18. axb4 cxb4 19. Qg4 Bxd5 20. Rfc1 Nc6 21. Bxd5 Rxd5 22. Rxc4 Rxg5 23. Qd4 Kb8 24. Rxc6 Rxg3+ 25. fxg3 Qxc6 26. Rd1 Qc7 27. b3 Kc8 28. Qe4 Kb8 29. Qd4 Kc8 30. Qd3 Bc5+ 31. Nxc5 Qxc5+ 32. Kf1 Qc3 33. Qxc3+ bxc3 34. h4 Rh6 35. Rc1 Rxf6+ 36. Kg2 e5 37. Rxc3+ Kd7 38. Rc5 Re6 39. Kf3 e4+ 40. Ke3 Rb6 41. Kxe4 Rxb3 42. g4 Ke7 43. Rc7+ Ke6 44. Rxa7 Rb4+ 45. Kf3 f5 46. Ra6+ Kf7 47. gxf5 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Senior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Tarjan, James"] [Black "Christiansen, Larry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2381"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. d4 exd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Na6 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. Qe5+ Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Re8 10. Rd1 Nc7 11. Qa5 d6 12. h3 Be6 13. b3 Qc8 14. Kh2 d5 15. Be3 b6 16. Qa4 c5 17. cxd5 Ncxd5 18. Bd2 Bf8 19. Rac1 Bd7 20. Qc4 Bc6 21. Ng5 Qb7 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 23. Be1 Re5 24. Nf3 Re6 25. Ng5 Re5 26. Nf3 Rh5 27. Kg1 b5 28. Qd3 Nf6 29. Bc3 Rd5 30. Qc2 Ne4 31. Bb2 Rxd1+ 32. Rxd1 f6 33. Bc1 Re8 34. Rd3 Qf7 35. Nd2 f5 36. Nxe4 Bxe4 37. Bxe4 fxe4 38. Rd1 Qe6 39. Kg2 a6 40. e3 Rc8 41. Qd2 Be7 42. Qd7 Qxd7 43. Rxd7 Bf6 44. Rd2 Kf7 45. Rc2 c4 46. bxc4 Rxc4 47. Rxc4 bxc4 48. f3 Ba1 49. Ba3 c3 50. Bc5 Ke6 51. Bd4 c2 52. Bc5 0-1 [Event "U.S. Senior Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2021.07.25"] [Round "9.5"] [White "Yermolinsky, Alex"] [Black "Sokolin, Leonid"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2478"] [BlackElo "2497"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Be6 10. Nxe6+ fxe6 11. Bg5 Nc6 12. Bc4 Ke7 13. Nxe4 Kf7 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. O-O-O Rd8 16. Rxd8 Nxd8 17. Rd1 Be7 18. Rd7 f5 19. Nd6+ Kf6 20. Nxb7 Nxb7 21. Rxb7 Bc5 22. f3 Rd8 23. Rxh7 Be3+ 24. Kc2 Rd2+ 25. Kc3 Rxg2 26. Kd3 Bf4 27. Rxa7 Rxb2 28. Ra6 Rd2+ 29. Kc3 Rd6 30. Rxd6 Bxd6 31. h3 e5 32. Bd3 Bc7 33. Kc4 Ke6 34. h4 Bd8 35. h5 Bg5 36. a4 Bd2 37. Bc2 e4 38. Bxe4 fxe4 39. fxe4 Ke5 40. Kd3 Ba5 41. h6 Kf6 42. e5+ Kg6 43. e6 Bd8 44. a5 1-0 [/pgn]