After 5 rounds, GMs Kamsky, Ehlvest and Shabalov are tied for 1st with 4.5 points. However, the 2 biggest stories so far are the performances of Robert Hess and 12 year old Ray Robson. Hess defeated GM Alexander Ivanov and drew the top seed GM Hikaru Nakamura. Robson defeated GM Blatny, IM Bonin and America’s strongest FM Joe Bradfordf (2500)! He is now tied for 4th with GMs Izoria, Ibragimov, Shulman, Stripunsky and Perelshteyn!!
1 GM Gata Kamsky 2752 4½
2 GM Jaan Ehlvest 2675 4½
3 GM Alexander Shabalov 2656 4½
4 GM Zviad Izoria 2722 4
5 GM Ildar Ibragimov 2675 4
6 GM Yury Shulman 2662 4
7 GM Alexander Stripunsky 2638 4
8 GM Eugene Perelshteyn 2609 4
9 IM Justin Sarkar 2438 4
10 FM Ray S Robson 2332 4
Here is the official website.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Nakamura is done! Robson will be the next Fischer!
Is it true that Robson homeschooled? I know that Hess is not. He is a freshman at Stuyvesant High School, probably one of the most academically demanding high schools in the country. I hope neither of them are the next Fischer. All that chess brilliance came with a lot of mental illness. I hope they both soar at chess and maintain their sanity.