Video of the US Women’s Championship Playoff
Click here to see it.
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Wow! You must watch the whole video to get a feel of it.
Blitz chess is stupid – especially to win a tournament.
It’s just a test of who can hit the clock fastest.
I thought chess was a mental test?
Goichberg and Berry are in charge of this format. Mr. I don’t care about the top players was running the show. What do you expect?
The video was great. However, it is truly sad that these players were forced into playing at such speed after such a long day.
They should have been declared co-champions. Irina had 7.5 points and so did the new champ. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with having co-champions.
If there is going to be a tie-break then there should be a better format. “Armageddon” chess is just not the way to determine a new champion. There is a better way.
You might as well have a coin toss. 5-game playoff after 7 hours of play was ridiculous. No wonder why players complained.
To decide a national championship by a stupid armageddon blitz game is stupid.
People who don’t know what they’re doing shouldn’t run a prestigious event like this. What do you expect when the guy behind this is the guy who chased GM Onischuk out of the world open. This was aweful.
I agree that they should have been co-champions. Imagine someone asking Irina: “How many points did you finish with?” Answer: 7.5
“So, you tied for first?” Answer: “Yes.” “Then how can you tie for first but not be co-champion?”
I don’t know how IM Krush feels but it isn’t right to lose the title when you have the same number of points as the new champion. It is illogical.
To lose the title after playing for hours and, moreover, playing a silly “Armageddon” game is, well, stupid. It’s not fair to either player.
I hope in the future some better method will be enforced to avoid such a situation.
To me, I think the current champion should have draw odds and, at the end of the match, if the current champion has the same number of points as another player, then she would retain her title….and be declared co-champion.
Both players accepted the rules (stupid or not); and a minimum of courtesy must be displayed by them when the ending is reached.
Congratulations to the winner!
Finally we can see the new time control rules in effect. Dramatic, heart-breaking, stress-provoking, seizure-making and heart-attacking. The inventors of this time control should be ashamed.
Lets congratulate both girls for a wonderful performance!! Bravo!!
A time to stop and think when critisizing chess players all of the time.
The players signed the rules agreement, yes, what else could they have done? Who would have supported either one of them? It was not the place nor the time for it. They showed all flaws by playing it out for the world finally to see.
Wasn’t Robert Fischer a real genius not only over the board, but around it as well, by offering bonus time controls?
Yes, Robert Fischer was a genius and a gentleman in front of the table. He never threw his king to the floor nor was disrespectul to his opponent.
When he wasn’t in agreement with the rules, he simply fight to change them or avoid playing.
The players agreed to the rules,but it would have been better to have the playoff the next day after a good nights rest. Anna and Irina both played great in the tournament!
Yes, that hurt me just from watching.
I could not even keep track to see that each player had moved in turn, let alone what and where.
Nonetheless, chess is a blood sport, i.e., highly competitive.
It’s like ABC’s Wide World of Sports: The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat!
Anyone who respects chess will be appalled at how the US Women’s title was decided.
Well, I feel pain for the poor girl in blue, who received a flying king directly in her knee.
“Collateral damage”, they say. 🙂
i feel bad for krush, but that was no way to act. it was a heart breaker but respect has to be given the other player who is playing in the same stupid system
i cried when she lost at the end of the match… five star drama*****
nothing can be taken away from the victor, its not her fault that the system is messed up or that irina is such a bad loser.
I hope the young people don’t see this video. I help out with scholastic tournaments, and many of them think that if they are on a clock they have to move like this – as fast as possible – even if they have 30 minutes.
Did White run out of time? (I can’t tell)
Nice rack!
Ooops, I meant nice rook!
what was the last thing irina said after she lost?
oh common dude get a grip man that woman is a mother and that statement is not welcome here -julius
I just saw the video. To have it won by the strategy- I can move faster than you just moving rook near the clock- is not chess.
Why don’t they atleast give 2 or 3 seconds delay with black having less time to make it not easier to draw- afterall the same method of choice can be used to make it fair- but atleast it will be decided by chess rather than simply how fast can you move the pieces at the end.
Blitz is still not right to decide- but having no increment or delay makes the winning tactics non-chess. In the end black had the advantage of being right-handed with the clock where it was so that could make split second moves to win on time! If I won by that method I would be embarassed to claim victory as it trivialises the game. I am the champ as I have good hand movement skills! Great!
It might be better in any case to have them as co-champions.
In the video from about 1 minute into Anna moves her pieces before Irina has pressed her clock yet- and then when Irina presses the clock she has her hand there to immediately press back! Isn’t this breaking the rules? You have to wait for the clock to be pressed before moving. I have had this happen to me in rapid/blitz games years ago- it feels like the opponent is cheating playing in your time.
Anyone know the rules on this? Is it really allowed at fast time controls where it isn’t at longer? I mean pressing the clock counts as completing your move by FIDE.
No wonder Krush went off in a huff.
maybe irina should have spent more time on her game rather than playing games during the tournament.
11:15:
“Yes, Robert Fischer was … a gentleman in front of the table. He never threw his king to the floor nor was disrespectul to his opponent.”
Did Fischer sweep the pieces off the board in anger?
GeneM
Irina is ready for chess boxing, at least to punch king piece.
🙂
Maybe it was down to Irina to stop the clocks and complain to the arbiter when her opponent moved in her time. Once the game is finished it is too late. But I guess it is hard to stop the clocks like that in such a contolled manner in such a time scramble.
The arbiter was standing right there. Watch the video.
He could have intervened and chose not to.
Poor following of the FIDE rules from a IA.
Poor following of the FIDE rules from a IA.
Irina was no gracious loser here. Anna is the hottest US chess player. Wow, I love her!
i love her boohbees.
I don’t think that the arbiter can do anything himself – a claim has to be made by one of the players.
Jud, there is a distinctand very obvious difference between blitz and scholastic chess. If you believe the kids you work with cannot understand that then chess isn’t their sport.
IS IT TRUE that before the final round the TDs announced that the no-short-draw rules that had been in effect were being suspended for the final round so Friedel and Shulman could play their non-game for the GM norm and title? And a minute later, draw.
CHEATERS!! Booo!
Well, I’ve seen many times when scholastic players are on the clock they think they have to move as fast as possible, even with a game/30 time limit. These aren’t kids I personally work with, I just observe them at tournaments. Every time I have a chance, I tell them that just because they are using a clock, they don’t have to play as if they are playing blitz. I think they might see a video like this and think that is how you are supposed to play. I’ve seen it too many times.
Jenny Craig wants her client back.
Now!
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay
no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye,and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)
We all need to be very careful about speaking about this things with really giving thought. Only Irina and God Himself knows what was going through her mind when she did that. It’s easy to cast stones. But put yourself in her position for a moment. I know that, given those circumstances, it’s quite possible that I would do something similar…and I’ll bet the entire farm plus two cows that a good many of youse out there would do the same.
Having said that, I think Irina at least owes Anna & Courtney (the girl that was struck by the flying king) a public apology, since this was a VERY public outburst. Irina is very well known as a role model for women’s chess in this country, and she needs to set an example for her fans by acknowledging her mistake and making it right as best as she can.
Serious chess players need to behave like any other professional sportsman. We need to work extra hard to dispel the “Bobby Fischer image” of the spoiled bratty chess nerd if we want to increase the popularity of chess in this country.
Well, brother al,
what do you say it was fair the way Anna won it, moving in her opponent’s time? Isn’t that cheating?
I think some are being far to critical of Irina. She was facing (as was her opponent) tremendous stress and it simply isn’t right to lose one’s title by having to play such a silly thing as “Armageddon chess.”
Every person, at some point, has done or said something that they wish they had not happened. We’re all human and with that comes all the emotions that are normal when one is under stress.
Some talk as though her actions were so terrible. She just knocked a piece off the board and walked away…it seems she was frustrated at herself and not her opponent.
She owes no one in the public an apology. I’m sure she has already talked to Anna. And, I have never heard of anyone being severely injured by a chess piece.
Irina should have been co-champion and no player should have to play such a silly thing as “Armageddon chess” knowing that everything depends upon the outcome of that single game.
Irina hurt no one. She owes no one an apology. There are too many things in this world to worry about than getting hit with a chess piece.
Congrats to the winner. However, Irina has lost no fans. She does a lot of good for chess and will continue to do so.
I think everyone should just leave her alone. She is a fine player and role model. And we’re all human and sometimes make mistakes when under a lot of pressure.
Also, this was not a mental challenge. It was just a test to see who can hit the clock faster. And it is this fact that makes such “Tie-breaks” both silly and a real mockery of classical chess.
All Irina said was “Aw, C’mon” when she hit the King. It’s quite obvious that this was merely a reaction from stress and frustration. We all have experienced this.
I can’t believe people are being so critical of her. She did nothing wrong considering what she went through the entire day.
I cannot believe that Irina was not or could not be considered Co-Champion! She did not lose a single game with 7.5 points (6 wins and 3 draws).
To lose the title due to being forced to play after hours and hours of classical chess and then speed and the crazy notion of Armageddon chess….is not ethical.
Why is the concept of Co-champions a thing of the past? The way this years champion won was not the way to decide who the better player was. It was, as some others suggested, who could hit the clock faster.
This is insane.
My opinion is that the current champion should have draw odds. If not, then there must be a better method than this crazy idea of Armageddon chess….especially after such a long day.
Irina deserves to be considered co-champion. And, it’s complete nonsense for people to criticize her for slapping a piece off the board. No damage was done and it is quite true that stress, being tired, frustration, etc will make people do things….it’s happened to all of us.
She has and will continue to be the role model for many, many people. Good luck, IM Krush and don’t let the critical remarks get to you.
“She has and will continue to be the role model for many, many people.”
I doubt that after such display of losing without dignity, if the video is for real. I’d never hire her for my kids.
“I can’t believe people are being so critical of her.”
Well, video-days are changing our perception, aren’t they? Thrashing the pieces after losing was her worst documented move of all. An apology to the pieces thrown off the board would be in place.
We need more videos for definite judgement.
Fear me or feel the wrath of my King upside your head!
Word!
Who was the Jack-Ass laughing in the background of the video?
To the last three “Anons”:
Criticize Irina all you want….I doubt she cares what you think. She did nothing that bad. In virtually every sport (hockey, football, baseball, basketball, etc) you have players that get stressed and do something that they wouldn’t ordinarily do.
In the video all she said “Aw, C’mon” and knocked the King off the board.
Get a life people! Big deal! She never hurt anyone and every human gets stressed. I suppose you have never felt stress or frustration!?????
Haven’t you ever come home from a hard, frustrating day and said or did something you wished you hadn’t? Sure. We all have. It’s part of the human condition. You’re making this little incident far more important than it is.
If IM Krush had a bad temper, then it would have been leaked long, long ago. She is a nice woman. She has played in countless tournaments and no one has ever mentioned negative things about her. So, don’t be so rash to make judgements about someone that you A) don’t know personally and B) know that all people make mistakes at times.
She does not “owe” you or the public any apology, whatsoever. Period. Irina does a lot for chess and is quite successful. She will not lose fans due to this. People are blowing this out of proportion.
Everyone is so ready to criticize. What about the fact that Irina was undefeated with 7.5 points? If the players had not been forced to play for 9 hours and then have it all come down to this stupid “Armageddon” garbage (which is no test of talent, whatsoever), this would not have happened.
But, since all those that have been critical of her have never felt stress or frustation and are “perfect,” then I guess you have never done a single thing in your life you regret.
Stop making this more than what it was…a mistake that happened, under duress, after a long, long day of stress.
“Who was the Jack-Ass laughing in the background of the video? “
I don’t know, and that may have contributed to the problem that ensued. The snickering seems to start just after the white rook is knocked over and not replaced. As far as I can tell, Krush knocked over her own rook.
Irina was under a lot of stress, and that should be kept in mind. However, I say she at least owed Anna a handshake. After that she can go and do whatever, but you don’t just get up and walk away like that without showing at least some measure of courtesy to your opponent.
Also, those were really nice wood pieces. That king could have gotten damaged by being slammed like that.
It is a nice set, and there was a good chance of breaking the king’s finial. However, the finials probably can be replaced on those sets.
You folks are rather strange characters. In another section an Anon wrote, and I completely agree, with the following:
“Why do people concentrate on Irina’s reaction on not on the unfair way Anna won- by moving in her opponent’s time. I can tell you it is very nasty to lose this way- with your opponent pressing the clock as soon as you press yours leaving the clock practically only running on your side. I would have complained if I were Irina.”
There are several reasons why IM Krush did what she did. Since Anna moved while Irina’s clock was clicking, then I would be mad too. A complaint should have been lodged. Perhaps she felt that her opponent did something unfair? Whatever the case may be, Irina is a fine teacher, a great chess player and does a lot to promote chess.
Ultimately, I think it comes down to playing this stupid version of chess called “Armageddon” to decide tie-breaks. The current champion should have draw odds as it used to be.
Irina will be back soon teaching and playing in some great tournaments! Good luck IM Krush!
And, thank you GM Polgar, for posting the video.
“In virtually every sport (hockey, football, baseball, basketball, etc) you have players that get stressed and do something that they wouldn’t ordinarily do.”
Hockey is for illiterate violent people (now I wait for posters of Ph.D. players in NHL). Same for other TEAM sports, you who cannot see the differentce between INDIVIDUAL SPORT chess and TEAM SPORT. In TEAM SPORT it is normal to attract audience by behaving like a moron and lunatic. Chess is a gentleman’s sport and not a lunatic sport.
“She has played in countless tournaments and no one has ever mentioned negative things about her.”
Why would anyone mention? Maybe she “lost it” just now? Maybe she was fine/the best before, but NOT ANY MORE.
This video will be used to show generations of chess players to come what kind of people they should never become and for parents to understand that chess can make their child go astray, even the normalest person, and to consider another sport for their child, and NOT CHESS.
The producer of this video really risked a lot by publishing it. Whoever else had their say in publishing this video world-around has also entered history.
Poor Irina. I feel sorry for her. Should get some professional help/counselling.
“IM Krush”
FIDE should take away her IM, and Ethics Committee should act now.
A sign for chess producers to make pieces which can hit back on humans.
There is a problem with the suggestion of the previous champion having draw odds in a tournament like this – the players that are tied for first place might very well not include the previous champion!
Anna very lucky to be sitting out of hitting range of Irina? Is this video for real? Can it be it was made after the real games were played, just as a parody?
The gals are not to blame. They never studied armageddon in schools of chess they attended.
http://www.fide.com/official/handbook/pdf/A10.pdf
Attention: this code was breached.
From Irina Krush’s profile at
http://main.uschess.org/content/view/152/203
“Krush also has high standards of sportsmanship, and is disappointed when her chess peers don’t adhere to them.”
I suppose throwing a piece and storming out of the room after you lose doesn’t fall into this category?
Moving your pieces closest to the clock when running out of time is a known Blitz technique perfected by Genrikh “Chip” Chepukaitis a non titled player but a blitz Giant killer.
Anna being well schooled in chess was aware of the technique.
I am sure Irina will not forget this hard learned blitz lesson
“I suppose throwing a piece and storming out of the room after you lose doesn’t fall into this category?”
She obviously did it before, or at least planned it, it looked well practised. This behaviour is not random. I watched afterwards a few of her other video interviews, they all had erratic moments or signs of it. Very emotional woman she is.
Really poor sportsmanship, women should not play chess, it does not suit them as much as men. Girls maybe OK, but women – certainly not. Washing dishes or pursuing PhD or taking care of the family, is far more productive.
“Irina aims to be a great chessplayer, not a great female chessplayer. That’s why she prefers organizers to tout her as an IM among men, rather than a Women’s Grandmaster, a title that she never actually applied for.”
……seemingly another fake or not updated info from http://main.uschess.org/content/view/152/203, as http://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=2012782 has her listed as applied WGM. OK, also maybe someone else applied for her and paid the fees?!
Chess fakes US and world-wide are being uncovered by video proof, now and follow the future, too!
No breach of behavioral norms and erratic momentums will ever change the fact that she is the one by far most sexiest IM in the US.
Slapping pieces is just a step towards slapping the opponent in the face.
http://www.fide.com/component/
content/article/7-commissions/
1510-1-report-of-the-fide-arbiters-seminar-in-tashkent
is a way for being a better arbiter in chess.
“Anonymous said…
Slapping pieces is just a step towards slapping the opponent in the face.”
I would pay money to see that!
I would pay more if they fought it in a swimming pool filled with chocolate pudding.
They only challenge would be to keep Anna from eating all the pudding while Irina pummels her big fat melon.
LOL @ IRINA “8 YEAR OLD WHINER” KRUSH LET’S HOPE THE NAME STICKS! Honestly what the hell… There were arbiters right there and a video of the match, if you have a claim, it will be very easy to see if you are right. If not, Shake Zatonskih’s hand and congratulate her on a fine tournament. Storming off like a little brat though… uncalled for. Also feel lucky that you somehow didn’t lose to Rohanyan that morning and managed to force the tiebreak at all.
Krush should marry korchnoi– theyd get along great!
Irina is a great chess teacher and her chess kids love her. She is a great inspiration for women’s chess and absolute class and a chess genius. How many of you are rated now what Irina was rated as a 14 year old???? Give her some credit and quit suggesting Fischer was a class act OTB, that’s crap and all the Fischer apologists can’t change that fact.
The USCF treats women’s chess as an afterthought because it is dominated by men who think Fischer was a god and he thought women were inferior. No-one has mentioned that this field was so small that inevitably it would lead to a showdown between Irina and Anna (also a great player and teacher). Where are the US born women players? There are some vg ones. USCF — this is your charge.
Congratulations Anna. You are also a fantastic player and a champion.
I would be really happy if the USA chess community would grow up and stop referring to boobies of the women players or to how HOT they are — you are sick. That is the huge insult of this event, not Irina getting upset about losing a very close competition. Both Anna and Irina have been harassed at the board because of their gender. Why aren’t we talking about this!!
GROW up USA chess.