Krush, Lee Storm To 2-0; Eliminations Begin
GM Irina Krush and IM Alice Lee each went 2-0 on day three of the 2024 American Cup. GM Ray Robson has taken the lead vs. GM Wesley So while GMs Fabiano Caruana and Levon Aronian are tied so far.
Meanwhile, the Elimination Bracket began. GMs Leinier Dominguez and Sam Sevian advance while FMs Zoey Tang and Jennifer Yu move forward in the women's section.
Day four begins on Friday, March 14, 2024, at 2:20 p.m. ET/19:20 CET/11:50 p.m. IST.
Champions:
Elimination:
- Open: Smooth Sailing For Sevian, Dominguez Fights Through Deadlock
- Women's: Yu Victorious In Whirlwind, Tang Upsets Zatonskih
A strange and unique occurrence took place on day three. About three hours into the round, all the games were paused due to a tornado warning. As severe storms swept the St. Louis area, the players were escorted to a nearby shelter to wait. Yet, the tournament broadcast continued―with no players or games in progress. What were the commentators to do? Share tales of their own brushes with emergencies at chess tournaments.
After a short break, the tornado warning cleared, and events returned to the chessboard.
Champions Open: A Brilliant Impasse, Robson Leads
Caruana and Aronian didn't give each other any ground on Thursday. In their classical duel, Caruana pressed energetically and offered a positional exchange sacrifice with the hopes of gaining connected passers. However, Aronian defended accurately.
Position after Caruana's 37.e5!!
When it was his turn with the white pieces, Aronian strived for winning chances for 75 moves, but ultimately the game ended peacefully.
Coming off a victory vs. Dominguez, Robson is after another upset vs. So. After a draw in the classical game, Robson took the lead in the rapid. He gained an extra pawn and converted in the rook ending.
Champions Women's: Krush, Lee Perfect So Far
Krush went 2-0 vs. IM Nazi Paikidze. In their classical game, Krush ripped open her opponent's kingside with an exchange sacrifice to create our Game of the Day. Enjoy the following analysis by GM Rafael Leitao.
In the rapid, Paikidze overlooked the danger of a pin that Krush had built along the c-file, allowing the latter to snatch an extra piece. Paikidze will be in a must-win position for both games on Friday to take the match into tiebreaks.
Lee also went 2-0 in her match, facing WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova. In their classical duel, Tokhirjonova focused her forces on the kingside while Lee generated counterplay by opening lines in the center. This unbalanced battle led to a wild and unique milddlegame: Both players advanced two pawns, each a step away from promotion.
Commentator GM Cristian Chirila remarked: "What is this position? Somebody splashed these pieces on the board." It was as if the tornado struck the chessboard itself.
What is this position? Somebody splashed these pieces on the board.
―Cristian Chirila
Elimination Open: Smooth Sailing For Sevian, Dominguez Fights Through Deadlock
Sevian knocked out GM Grigoriy Oparin. After two draws, Sevian came through in a dynamic skirmish in game three. With the lead in his pocket, Sevian found a tactical thunderbolt in the last round, sealing the match victory.
Also starting with two draws, Dominguez drew first blood vs. GM Sam Shankland with a positional win in their third game. However, Shankland countered with a victory on demand as Black by creating mating threats in the endgame.
It was in the middle of this game that the tornado warning occurred. When asked after if it had affected him, Dominguez shared: “No, not too much. I had enough misery myself with my position. It would’ve been great if the tornado had come just 10 minutes before that. I had all the time in the world to realize just how lost it was.”
I had all the time in the world to realize just how lost it was.
―Leinier Dominguez
Shankland's victory brought the match to a playoff. The deadlock continued into the blitz as Dominguez won the first, and again Shankland evened the score. In the end, Dominguez closed the match going 2-0 in the final pair of blitz games.
Shankland resigned after Black's next move. 😅https://t.co/ytJVpmUDj2#AmericanCup pic.twitter.com/5OKdxTJaJt
— chess24 (@chess24com) March 14, 2024
Elimination Women's: Yu Victorious In Whirlwind, Tang Upsets Zatonskih
Yu knocked out WGM Tatev Abrahamyan. In game one, the players castled to opposite sides in an open Sicilian. In the arising double-edged position, the two-time U.S. Women's Champion was able to ready her forces faster. Tied up in knots in defense, Abrahamyan blundered, and Yu capitalized with the sharp rebuttal.
After a close draw in the second game, Yu won a piece in a time scramble ending, sealing the match win.
Then Tang scored a second win in a row with a picturesque tactical sequence. Can you find it?
White to move.
In a must-win position, Zatonskih came through, winning on demand with a slew of connected passers in round three. However, Tang ended her opponent's comeback in the last game, holding a draw and sealing the match.
In her interview, Tang shared a highlight from the event so far: "Fun fact: My win against Irina was my first win against a grandmaster in a classical rated over-the-board game."
My win against Irina was my first win against a grandmaster in a classical rated over-the-board game.
―Zoey Tang
How to watch?
The games of the American Cup can be found on our live events platform: Open | Women. The rounds start each day at 2 p.m. ET/19:00 CET/11:30 p.m. IST.
The broadcast was hosted by GM Yasser Sierawan, WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, and GM Cristian Chirila.
The 2024 American Cup is an over-the-board tournament in St. Louis featuring some of the strongest players in the United States. Split into Open and Women's sections, the players will compete in a double-elimination knockout bracket while contesting for their share of the $400,000 prize fund.
Previous Coverage:
Vanessa West is a National Master, a chess teacher, and a writer for Chess.com. In 2017, they won the Chess Journalist of the Year award.
You can follow them on X: Vanessa__West
