Yoo Wins CalChess State Champs, Hunts Third Norm

Christopher Yoo, at just age 11, won the Cal State Chess Championships, held in Northern California at the Berkeley Chess School over Labor Day Weekend. This makes him the youngest California State Champ in history, with the previous record set at age 16 by reigning US Champion Sam Shankland. Yoo scored 5.5/6 for clear first, including a victory over GM Enrico Sevillano. Yoo told US Chess that his best game from the event was the following win over NM Eric Li.

[pgn] [Event "Calchess State Championship"] [Date "2018.09.02"] [White "Christopher Yoo"] [Black "Eric Li"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2414"] [BlackElo "2222"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Nbd7 9. Qd2 b5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 b4 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5 Nb6 14. Na5 Nbxd5 15. Nc4 Nxe3 16. Nxe3 O-O 17. h4 Nd7 18. Nf5 Nc5 19. Bc4 Rc8 20. b3 Rc6 21. Qd5 Rb6 22. Kb1 g6 23. Nh6+ Kg7 24. Nxf7 Qa8 25. Qxa8 Rxa8 26. h5 g5 27. h6+ Kg6 28. Rd5 Nd7 29. Nxd6 Rxd6 30. Rxd6+ Bxd6 31. Rd1 Bc5 32. Rxd7 Kxh6 33. Bd3 Ra7 34. Rxa7 Bxa7 35. Bxa6 Kg7 36. a3 bxa3 37. Ka2 h5 38. gxh5 Kh6 39. Kxa3 Kxh5 40. b4 g4 41. fxg4+ Kxg4 42. c4 Kf5 43. Ka4 Ke6 44. c5 e4 45. Kb5 Kd7 46. Bb7 e3 47. Bf3 Kc7 48. Kc4 Bb8 49. Kd3 Kc8 50. Kxe3 Bc7 51. Kd4 Kb8 52. Kc4 Ka7 53. Kb5 Bd8 54. Kc6 Ka6 55. Be2+ Ka7 56. Kd7 Bg5 57. c6 Bf4 58. c7 Bxc7 59. Kxc7 Ka8 60. b5 Ka7 61. b6+ Ka8 62. Bf3# 1-0[/pgn]

Yoo also graciously sent US Chess his favorite game he ever played, along with annotations, from the North Eastern Masters GM norm event in Herndon, VA in May. Yoo's victory is over 18-year-old IM Craig Hilby, who just earned his first GM norm at the Southwest Open, which CLO will be covering later this week.

[pgn][Event "North Eastern Masters GM"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.05.19"] [Round "?"] [White "Yoo, Christopher Woojin"] [Black "Hilby, Craig"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2361"] [BlackElo "2412"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bb7 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Re1 h6 (10... Na5 {is the main move.} 11. Ba2 c5 12. Nf1 b4 13. Ne3 $14) 11. c3 Na5 12. Bc2 c5 13. d4 exd4 14. cxd4 d5 $2 (14... Re8 { Black should have been a little more aware of my resources. This would have been a better move for black.} 15. Nf1 b4 16. Ng3 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Bf8 18. Ndf5 $14) 15. e5 Ne4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Rxe4 $1 (17. Bxe4 $2 Bxe4 18. Rxe4 Qd5 { White's center is collapsing.} 19. Rg4 Kh8 20. Be3 Rfd8 21. Qe2 Nb3 22. Re1 Qe6 23. h3 cxd4 24. Nxd4 Nxd4 25. Bxd4 bxa4 $11) 17... Nb3 (17... Bxe4 18. Bxe4 { The black queen can no longer go to d5.} Rc8 19. d5 c4 20. axb5 axb5 21. d6 Nb3 22. Rb1 Nxc1 23. Rxc1 $16) 18. Rg4 $1 {This move creates a lot of threats for black.} Nxc1 (18... Nxa1 19. Bxh6 Nxc2 20. Rxg7+ Kh8 21. Qxc2 f5 22. exf6 $18) (18... Qd7 19. Qd3 f5 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Qh7+ Kf7 22. Rxg7+ $1 Bxg7 23. Ne5+ Ke8 24. Bg6+ Kd8 25. Nxd7 $18) 19. Qxc1 $6 (19. Rxc1 {was a better move.} c4 20. Bb1 $1 Qb6 21. d5 $18) 19... Qb6 20. Be4 $2 {This is a bad trade. The bishop on c2 was an important attacking piece.} (20. Bb1 $2 {The black queen on b6 prevents white from black rxg6 with the queen on c2.} cxd4 21. Qc2 g6 22. Qb3 Kh7 23. Be4 $14) (20. Qf4 {was the best move.} Kh8 21. Qf5 g6 22. Qf4 g5 23. Qf5 Qg6 24. Qd7 Qxc2 25. Qxe7 Bxf3 26. Qf6+ Kh7 27. Qxf3 Qxb2 28. Rf1 $16) 20... Bxe4 21. Rxe4 cxd4 22. Nxd4 Rac8 23. Qd1 $6 (23. Qe3 {was a better move.} Bc5 24. a5 Qd8 25. h4 Qd7 26. Rd1 Rcd8 27. Rd2 Bb4 28. Rc2 Bxa5 29. Rc6 $14) 23... Bc5 (23... Rc4 {This move is good because it restricts the mobility of my d4 knight.} 24. b3 Rb4 25. Qg4 h5 26. Qf4 Bc5 27. Nf5 Rxe4 28. Qxe4 Bxf2+ 29. Kh1 g6 30. Ne7+ Kg7 31. Rf1 Qe3 $15) 24. Nf5 $1 {The knight on f5 is worth much more than the white pawn on f2. It creates a lot of kingside threats for white.} Bxf2+ 25. Kh1 Qc5 $2 {This is a calculation mistake.} (25... Bc5 $2 26. Qg4 Qg6 27. b4 Qxg4 28. Rxg4 $18) (25... Rc4 {was a better move.} 26. Qg4 g6 27. Nxh6+ Kh7 28. Qh3 Rxe4 29. Ng4+ Kg8 30. Nf6+ Qxf6 31. exf6 Bd4 32. Rf1 Rfe8 33. g4 R8e6 34. g5 Bc5 $13) 26. b4 Qc2 27. Qg4 Qc1+ 28. Re1 Qg5 29. Qxg5 hxg5 30. Re2 {The white pawn on b4 prevents Bc5 for black.} Bb6 31. Ne7+ $18 Kh7 32. Nxc8 Rxc8 33. a5 Bd4 34. Rd1 Bc3 35. Re4 f5 36. exf6 gxf6 37. Re6 Rc4 38. Rxa6 Rxb4 39. Rb6 Ra4 40. Rxb5 Rxa5 41. Rxa5 Bxa5 42. Rd5 Bc3 43. g4 Kg6 44. Kg2 Be5 45. h3 Bf4 46. Kf3 Be5 47. Ke4 Bf4 48. h4 1-0[/pgn]

Among other recent scalps was this victory over Grandmaster Conrad Holt at the Berkeley Chess School GM norm event, where Yoo earned his second IM norm. Yoo told CLO that 14.f5 was a home prepared novelty.

[pgn] [Event "Berkeley GM Norm"] [Site "Berkeley, CA"] [Date "2018.08.21"] [White "Christopher Yoo"] [Black "Conrad Holt"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C18"] [WhiteElo "2378"] [BlackElo "2592"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2018.08.17"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 O-O 8. Bd3 Nbc6 9. Bg5 Qa5 10. Ne2 Ng6 11. O-O Qa4 12. f4 c4 13. Bxg6 fxg6 14. f5 gxf5 15. Qg3 b5 16. h4 a5 17. h5 Qxc2 18. Nf4 Ra7 19. h6 Rff7 20. Bf6 g6 21. Nxg6 hxg6 22. Qxg6+ Kf8 23. Rf3 Qb2 24. Rd1 Ne7 25. Bxe7+ Raxe7 26. Rg3 Ke8 27. h7 Kd7 28. h8=Q 1-0[/pgn]

Next up for the 11-year-old FIDE Master and US Chess Senior Master: The Washington Chess Congress or the Saint Louis Chess Club Fall Classic, followed by the World Cadets in Spain (November). Yoo will also participate in a Kasparov Chess Foundation camp in New York in December. Yoo told CLO that his short term goals include earning the IM title and earning a medal for the United States at the World Cadets. Yoo already has two IM norms, and has met the 2400 FIDE requirement. Look for more round-ups of Labor Day tournaments later this week, including Michael Rohde on the New York State Championships, Franc Guadalupe on the Southwest Open and Randy Hough on the Southern California Championship.