The leaders after 3 rounds:
1-5 Kudrin, Sergey GM 2610 USA 2.5
1-5 Becerra, Julio GM 2637 USA 2.5
1-5 Shulman, Yury GM 2664 USA 2.5
1-5 Kaidanov, Gregory GM 2697 USA 2.5
1-5 Onischuk, Alexander GM 2728 USA 2.5
6 Akobian, Varuzhan GM 2666 USA 2.0
Women’s leaders:
1-2 Zatonskih, Anna IM 2490 USA 3.0
1-2 Krush, Irina IM 2515 USA 3.0
3 Rohonyan, Katerine WGM 2318 USA 2.5
Frank Berry US Chess Championship Round 4 Pairings
1 GM Yuri Shulman (2676 : 2.5) – GM Alex Onischuk (2728 : 2.5)
2 GM Julio Becerra (2648 : 2.5) – GM Gregory Kaidanov (2697 : 2.5)
3 GM Sergey Kudrin (2588 : 2.5) – GM Varuzhan Akobian (2666 : 2.0)
4 GM Alex Shabalov (2709 : 1.5) – GM Jesse Kraai (2569 : 1.5)
5 GM Alex Yermolinsky (2568 : 1.5) – GM Alex Ivanov (2628 :1.5)
6 GM Eugene Perelshteyn (2626 : 1.5) – GM John Fedorowicz (2514 : 1.5)
7 IM Josh Friedel (2539 : 1.5) – GM Boris Gulko (2623 : 1.5)
8 IM Ben Finegold (2613 : 1.5) – IM David Pruess (2497 : 1.5)
9 IM David Vigorito (2439 : 1.0) – FM Daniel Ludwig (2429 : 1.5)
10 IM Larry Kaufman (2384 : 1.0) – GM Dmitry Gurevich (2594 : 1.0)
11 NM Sam Shankland (2299 : 1.0) – IM Dean Ippolito (2512 : 0.5)
12 FM Michael Langer (2307 : 0.5) – Sergey Galant (2176 : 0.0)
Nice sign. Perfect for the US Championship.
While I’m grateful that there actually is even a US Championship going on for chess. I’m embarrassed at the conditions. It doesn’t look really any different that a local 5 round swiss in a hotel hall with folding tables and 2 boards per table. Then you look at MTel in Sofia and they encased in glass and have the very best lighting and comforts I’m sure. It makes our US championship look like it’s in the basement of some 80 year old grade school. I would venture that even Susan’s own Susan Polgar World Open Chess Championship for Girls and Boys would have at least as nice of a setup.
Any company in the US that may have sponsored chess in the past is now just sick of dealing with the BS politics and petty crap of the USCF.
We can’t do better than a hotel banquet room with folding tables and chairs for at least the top couple of boards? Even at local swiss tournaments the top 2 to 4 boards have an exclusive table…what an embarrassing situation for US chess in general.
I am grateful that Susan has the resolve to deal with the BS at the USCF and at least attempt to help. perhaps in the next USCF election we can get her and Paul some help as opposed to more stonewalling and pissy tactics to drive away even the best sponsors that chess once had in the US(Intel, IBM, A4FC, Microsoft, etc…) Where have these Billion dollar or major chess supporters gone? Chased away by the unprofessional actions and behavior of the USCF and the powers in charge. Wasn’t the US chess championship just a few years ago a $500,000 event? Now we are lucky that some rich guy has enough love for the game to put up $100,000 for 30 or 40 of our best players. A $7,500 first prize for the US Chess Champion is just disgraceful in my opinion. ESPN can have a spelling bee and Rock Paper Scissors championship on TV, but not the US Chess Championship….how stupid is this?
-Richard Rajchel
former USCF member
This will be Becerra’s 3rd White in a row.