Friday, June 4, 2010

2010 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

It will be here before you know it!

When: July 9 - 19, 2010!
Venue: Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis - same venue as last year -received rave reviews from players and fans alike

A reminder - here are the final standings from 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship, featuring the richest prize purse ever - $64,000:

2009 U.S. Women's Championship Standings
# Name USCF FIDE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Score

1 Anna Zatonskih 2492 2462 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8½
2 Camilla Baginskaite 2356 2317 ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 6½
3 Alisa Melekhina 2253 2220 0 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 5½
4 Irina Krush 2490 2458 0 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 5½
5 Tatev Abrahamyan 2342 2275 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 0 4
6 Sabina Foisor 2379 2320 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 0 1 3½
7 Rusudan Goletiani 2437 2391 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 0 3½
8 Iryna Zenyuk 2271 2285 0 0 1 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 3
9 Battsetseg Tsagaan 2265 2258 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 1 2½
10 Yun Fan 2134 1935 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 1 0 0 2½

Format: 10 player invitational.  I haven't seen a final list of players yet, here are the criteria for selecting the invitees:
  • Last year's winner -- IM Anna Zatonskih, who dominated the field with an incredible performance of 8.5/9 and took home the $15,000 prize for clear first of $64,000 total prizes, plus $500 for Goddesschess' Fighting Chess Award, selected by GM Susan Polgar
  • The U.S. Women's Open Champion
  • The May 2010 supplement of the USCF's rating list will be used to determine the seven players who will be selected by rating for the 2010 U.S. Women's Championship
  • A wild-card selection
Here are the top 15 U.S. women listed this evening at the USCF website - kicker - this is the June list - who the heck was on the May Supplement???:

1 Zatonskih, Anna (12873912) NY USA 2518 - returning to defend her title with boxing gloves on

2 Krush, Irina (12543137) NY USA 2493 - "I'll be back..."
3 Goletiani, Rusudan (12807449) NY USA 2401
4 Baginskaite, Camilla (12716466) SD USA 2387
5 Foisor, Sabina-Francesca (14012260) MD USA 2356
6 Abrahamyan, Tatev (12851435) CA USA 2342
7 Melekhina, Alisa (12726115) PA USA 2323
8 Zenyuk, Iryna (12846035) PA USA 2305 - 2009 U.S. Women's Open CC - why would she refuse?
9 Battsetseg, Tsagaan (12719650) MD USA 2247
10 Ross, Laura R (12630804) NY USA 2217
11 Marshall, Abby (12784803) VA USA 2211
12 Epstein, Esther (12515912) MA USA 2210
13 Marinello, Beatriz (12537449) NY USA 2206
14 Airapetian, Chouchanik (12629918) WA USA 2147
15 Kats, Alena (12980885) NY USA 2108

We know that Zatonskih will be playing to defend her title, and Krush will be returning as well.  That leaves six players (not including the winner of the 2009 U.S. Women's Open CC) to qualify off the ratings list - I've highlighted them in purple -- plus a wild-card selection, and who knows who she may be! 

So, you ask, who was the winner of the 2009 U.S. Women's Open CC?  A young lady from India attending college here in the US, Saheli Nath, won with 5.0/6 but since she is not qualified to play in the 2010 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, NM Iryna Zenyuk, who finished in clear second place with 4.5/6, won the spot -- I assume because she is a legal U.S. resident???  Can someone please clarify the rules for qualification of players in the U.S. Women's Chess Championship  - thanks!  Trying to find information at the USCF website is, well, let's just say I haven't found the "key" yet.

Who will be player ten???  It is also possible that one or more players on this list will, for various reasons, decline their invitations -- that is why I included the additional ranked women's players in the U.S.  That means that the next highest-rated female player who qualifies to participate would be invited.  Laura Ross - has your turn finally come???


Total Prize Fund:  AT LEAST $64,000 (promised to be more this year???) - not including special prizes/awards from independent sponsors

Yes, Goddesschess is again putting up prize money this year.  Stay tuned for details.

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