The 2017 U.S. Championships are heading into their last rounds, and the battle for the top position is heating up more each day. In the open division, Wesley So is still leading, but another competitor has emerged on the horizon. Var Akobian dropped the hammer on yesterday’s hero, Yaro Zherebukh, and leap frogged him after a sound strategic victory. He is now joint leader alongside So and will go into the championship rounds as one of the favorites to win it all. Caruana was quick to recover after his painful loss and blew Daniel Naroditsky off the board after a powerful show of dynamic chess. In the women’s section, Nazi drew the wildcard Maggie Feng and allowed Sabina Foisor to catch her at the top of the table.
(The full recap on the official site)
U.S. Championship
Caruana vs Naroditsky was one of those games which reminds you just how strong the number three (4 in the live rating list) is. Fabiano opened with 1.e4 and the players followed one of the most topical lines of the French. Unfortunately for Daniel, he seemed to have forgotten the theory as early as move nine when his 9…b6 could be considered at least a bit suspicious.
White immediately blasted open the center with 10.c4! and black soon found himself under heavy dynamic pressure. Daniel could have defended better, however, Fabiano’s victory never seemed to be in danger.
He is now back within striking distance of the leader and will face Akobian in tomorrow’s clash of the day.
Zherebukh vs Akobian is an example of how difficult some strategical concepts are, even for top level players such as Yaroslav. The players entered a rare variation of the French Tarrasch and there was never a doubt on who knew it better. Akobian was a man with a plan and his enticing 14…0-0! was the one temptation Yaro couldn’t refuse.
He is now back within striking distance of the leader and will face Akobian in tomorrow’s clash of the day.
Zherebukh vs Akobian is an example of how difficult some strategical concepts are, even for top level players such as Yaroslav. The players entered a rare variation of the French Tarrasch and there was never a doubt on who knew it better. Akobian was a man with a plan and his enticing 14…0-0! was the one temptation Yaro couldn’t refuse.
15.Bxf6? was a serious misjudgment which allowed black to gain complete control over the game due to his bishop pair and better placed pieces. Akobian increased his advantage with masterful precision and forced Yaro’s capitulation after the killer 28.Rd2! It was an impressive win for Akobian who is now in a good spot heading into the final decisive rounds!
U.S. Women’s Championship
Krush vs Virkud signaled Irina’s comeback! The 7 time champion came very well prepared and quickly imposed her dominant style. But the nature of the position was quite volatile, and white’s imprecise moves allowed black to find equality. There were still plenty of pieces on the board and Irina’s versatility aided her in making better moves and she slowly outplayed her opponent. Virkud’s 32…Qh4? was the icing on the cake as Irina swiftly punished her opponent’s reckless play.
Emily proved to be extremely resilient and at one point it seemed that the outcome of the game was not set in stone. Despite her missteps, Sabina kept her cool and managed to convert her advantage. With this win, Sabina joins Nazi in the lead and will face her tomorrow in what will surely be the clash of the day in the women’s division.
