Live Blogging the Final Round of the US Chess Championship 2009 - Nakamura Wins!
Holy cow, games have begun, follow it live @ www.uschesschamps.com.
NAKAMURA WINS! New US CHESS CHAMPION. GM Hikaru Nakamura. Winning $40,000 with an outright 1st place finish. (results below)
Nakamura has won his second title at the age of 21. The former 2005 US Chess Champion has done it again. Congratulations to GM Elect Robert Hess who has surprised everyone with a powerful perfromance.
| Board | White | Rating | Result | Black | Rating |
| 1. | IM Robert Hess (6) | 2545 | ½-½ | GM Varuzhan Akobian (5½) | 2664 |
| 2. | GM Hikaru Nakamura (6) | 2757 | 1-0 | GM Joshua Friedel (5) | 2568 |
| 3. | GM Alexander Onischuk (5½) | 2736 | 1-0 | IM Ray Robson (4½) | 2542 |
| 4. | GM Jaan Ehlvest (4) | 2649 | 1/2-1/2 | GM Gata Kamsky (5½) | 2798 |
| 5. | GM Yury Shulman (4½) | 2697 | ½-½ | GM Gregory Kaidanov (4) | 2662 |
| 6. | IM Enrico Sevillano (4) | 2549 | 0-1 | GM Larry Christiansen (4) | 2681 |
| 7. | GM Joel Benjamin (4) | 2650 | 1/2-1/2 | GM Alexander Shabalov (4) | 2620 |
| 8. | GM Ildar Ibragimov (4) | 2628 | 1-0 | IM Michael Brooks (4) | 2419 |
| 9. | IM Samuel Shankland (3) | 2464 | 0-1 | GM Boris Gulko (3½) | 2631 |
| 10. | GM Julio Becerra (3½) | 2672 | ½-½ | GM Melikset Khachiyan (2½) | 2632 |
| 11. | Tyler Hughes (3) | 2293 | 1-0 | FM Doug Eckert (2) | 2278 |
| 12. | IM Irina Krush (3) | 2496 | ½-½ | Charles Lawton (½) | 2350 |
Hess Update: Commentator Sutovsky has shifted his position on the Hess board, claiming surprise that Hess may be able to pull out of the draw with his pawn advantage. Things are heating up hear, Nakamura may have to pause his celebrations. Below is the current position.
He is live in the commentary room right now talking shop. You can listen in live at the club site. He is reporting he was up late and up early. "Sleep can wait."
Tournament UPDATE: FRIEDEL RESIGNS. NAKAMURA takes 1st place! (at least for now.) Gaining at least a tie for first Nakamura wins.
If there is a playoff situation. It will be broadcast live @ 6pm. It's not looking very likely at the moment with Hess plowing his way into a draw and Nakamura looking positionally better with white.
Tournament Update: Gulko defeats young Sam Shankland from Berkley. A rough week for Shanlkand ends in another defeat as he resigns against Gulko's bishop pair vs. rook.
First Result of the day: Draw! Beccera and Khachiyan have agreed to a draw. Maybe they want to take the rest of the day to hang out at the club but there's a perpetual draw played out and I hope they enjoy the rest of their day before the closing ceremony.
In the media room Kris Littlejohn Nakamura's second, "i'm not dissapointed" with the current position on the board. Things are looking good for Nakamura.
Hess Update: All you Hess fans out there, it looks like they're in a very drawish position. Below is the board.
Tourney Update: Other interesting games today, Ray Robson needs a draw to earn his GM norm. He's playing his GM coach Onischuk and is actually in a pretty good poisiton with the black peieces. Onischuk predicted in an interview earlier this week that his student would earn the tournament within the next year.
I'm here at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center Saint Louis, late, but the games are underway. Below are the pairings. All eyes on Hess and Nakamura today. Kamsky and Shulman still have chances for more money. The tournament could get really complicated if the top 2 boards end in draws and Shulman and Kamsky win their games. So we're all hoping for wins.
Tie breaker games will be played this evening.
Nakamura v. Friedel.
Current board position below. This one is getting interesting, with Nakamura saying yesterday he was playing for the win. At this point it's looking good for white.
