Fantasy Chess gets fans involved in U.S. Championships

On Friday, April 15 the 2011 U.S. Championship and 2011 U.S. Women's Championship will begin in Saint Louis. Before the start of the first round, chess fans can enter their selections from the combined 24-player field and fill out a championship bracket to determine the winner of each event. In this Fantasy Chess competition several prizes can be won, including a 1-hour lesson with two-time U.S. Champion and World #8 Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura.

The 2011 U.S. Championship and 2011 U.S. Women's Championship take place April 14-28 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The two tournaments will be held concurrently, and the first round for each begins on Friday, April 15, 14:00 CT (21:00 CET).

2011 U.S. Championship

The 2011 U.S. Championship format features a preliminary stage with two round robins of eight players each. Once the dust settles, the top two players in each round robin will advance to a four-player knockout. These semifinal and final matches will consist of two games each.

Round Robin 1				Round Robin 2
No.	First Name	Last Name	FIDE Rating	No.	First Name	Last Name	FIDE Rating
1.	Gata	Kamsky	2733	1.	Alexander	Onischuk	2678
2.	Yury	Shulman	2622	2.	Yasser	Seirawan	2636
3.	Varuzhan	Akobian	2611	3.	Alexander	Shabalov	2590
4.	Jaan	Ehlvest	2586	4.	Larry	Christiansen	2586
5.	Alexander	Stripunsky	2578	5.	Gregory	Kaidanov	2569
6.	Alexander	Ivanov	2540	6.	Robert	Hess	2565
7.	Ray	Robson	2522	7.	Sam	Shankland	2512
8.	Daniel	Naroditsky	2438	8.	Ben	Finegold	2500
Average Rating			2578.75	Average Rating			2579.5

2011 U.S. Women's Championship

The 2011 U.S. Women’s Championship format will feature a preliminary round robin with eight players. The top four players will advance to a four-player knockout. The semi-finals and finals will consist of two game matches. The players are IM Anna Zatonskih, IM Irina Krush, IM Rusadan Goletiani, WGM Camilla Baginskaite, WIM Tatev Abrahamyan, WIM Sabina Foisor, FM Alisa Melekhina and WIM Iryna Zenyuk.

Fantasy chess

Before the start of the first round, chess fans can enter their selections from the combined 24-player field and fill out a championship bracket to determine the winner of each event. At the moment 250+ teams were created so far. Anyone can play, with major prizes on offer:

• A 1-hour lesson with two-time U.S. Champion and World #8 Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and a commemorative chess set from House of Staunton. This limited-edition set is made specifically for the 2011 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship and comes with a certificate of authenticity, signed by all competitors.
• A three-pack of one-hour lessons with GM Ben Finegold and a rosewood set and board.
• A 1-year subscription to New in Chess Magazine, 1-year membership to the Internet Chess Club and a signed chess board from the 2011 competitors.
• More prizes TBD.

Sign up now and create your team to see how your picks stack up against the rest of the field. Visit fantasychess.saintlouischessclub.org to register.

Make your team before round 1 (14:00 CT / 21:00 CET).