Independent voices from the TWT Communities
American GM Gata Kamsky came up just short of a remarkable double this week, blundering in a level position Monday against Italian GM Fabiano Caruana in the final round of the FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki, Greece, to allow Cuban GM Lenier Dominguez Perez to pass him for the tournament title.
Breaking news — It came down to a single "armageddon" playoff game, but top-seeded GM Gata Kamsky claimed the 2013 U.S. championship in a thrilling finish Monday at the Chess Club Scholastic Center of St. Louis. He defeated Texas GM Alejandro Ramirez in a rapid playoff after the two finished atop the 24-player field with 6½-2½ scores.
Some of the fiercest competition at your typical chess tournament can be found far from the top boards.
We are the world, or at least we will be for a couple of years. The Continental Chess Association, which organized the Continental Class Championships in Arlington featured in this column last week, announced it will be temporarily relocating its flagship World Open tournament to the area in 2013 and 2014 from its traditional home in Philadelphia.
The Continental Class Championships, which wrapped up last week in Arlington, featured a couple of players punching well above their weight.
Texas GM Alejandro Ramirez and surprising Maryland IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat shared the lead entering the final turn in the Continental Class Championships, held over Columbus Day weekend in Arlington. The nine-round event, one of the strongest on the area's chess calendar, concluded too late Monday night for the results to be included in this column.
He didn't finish in the money, but Boston IM Marc Esserman had a major say in the outcome of last week's 112th U.S. Open in Orlando, Fla., the nation's premier open event, won in a sudden-death playoff by young New York GM Aleksandr Lenderman over fellow GM Alejandro Ramirez.
The field is set for next month's 2011 U.S. Championship as veteran GM Gregory Kaidanov and 16-year-old newcomer GM Ray Robson of Florida grabbed the last two spots in the 16-player field.
