2010 U.S. Chess Championship

I am so ticked off!  Last night I cut off listening to the Round 3 live coverage of IM Irina Krush's game against GM Varuzhan Akobian at the last possible moment I could because a particular favorite t.v. show was coming on that was not going to be repeated.  At that point, Krush had a promising position.  And yet - several GMs in the audience where Jen Shahade and Maurice Ashley were giving commentary declined to pick Krush at the winner. 

White: Krush, Irina

Black: Akobian, Varuzhan

1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 4.f4 Qa5 5.e5 Ne4 6.Qf3 d5 7.Bd3 Nxc3 8.Bd2 Qb6 9.bxc3 e6 10.Ne2 c5 11.f5 Nc6 12.O-O Nxe5 13.dxe5 c4+ 14.Be3 Bc5 15.Nd4 cxd3 16.Rab1 Qc7 17.Nb5 Qc6 18.cxd3 a6 19.f6 g6 20.Bxc5 axb5 21.Qf2 Bd7 22.Rb2 Rc8 23.Bd4 Qc7 24.Qe3 h5 25.h4 Ra8 26.Rfb1 Ra4 27.Qd2 Bc6 28.Rb4 Ra6 29.R1b2 Kd7 30.Qe3 Kc8 31.Bc5 Rd8 32.Bd6 Rxd6 33.exd6 Qxd6 34.d4 Ra3 35.R4b3 Ra4 36.Re2 Qd8 37.Qf4 Qc7 38.Qxc7+ Kxc7 39.Kf2 Kd6 40.Kg3 Rc4 41.a3 Ra4 42.Kf4 Ra8 43.Kg5 Rh8 44.Rb1 Rh7 45.Re5 Rh8 46.g4 Bd7 47.Rbe1 hxg4 48.Kxg4 Ra8 49.Ra1 Rc8 50.Rc1 Ra8 51.Kg5 Rh8 52.Rh1 Rh5+ 53.Kf4 Rh6 54.Rg5 Bc8 55.Kg3 Bd7 56.Rf1 Rh8 57.h5 gxh5 58.Kh4 e5 59.Rxe5 Be6 60.Rb1 Rh6 61.Rxb5 Rxf6 62.Rxb7 Rf3 63.a4 Rxc3 64.Rb4 Ke7 65.Re1 Kf6 66.Rf1+ Kg6 67.Rg1+ Kh6 68.Rg3 Rc1 69.Rg2 Rh1+ 70.Kg3 h4+ 71.Kf2 h3 72.Rg3 Ra1 73.Rb8 Kh7 74.Rbb3 Ra2+ 75.Kg1 Rxa4 76.Rbd3 Ra1+ 77.Kh2 Ra2+ 78.Kh1 Bf5 79.Rdf3 Be4 80.Rxh3+ Kg7 81.Rhg3+ Kf8 82.Kg1 Bxf3 83.Rxf3 Ke7 84.Rf5 Ke6 85.Re5+ Kd6 86.Rf5 Ra7 87.Kf2 Rd7 88.Ke3 Ke6 89.Re5+ Kd6 90.Rf5 Re7+ 91.Kd3 Ra7 92.Rf6+ Ke7 93.Rf5 Ra3+ 94.Kd2 Ra5 95.Re5+ Kf6 96.Ke3 Kg6 97.Kf4 f6 98.Re1 Ra2 99.Re7 Ra4 100.Ke3 Kf5 101.Re8 Ra3+ 102.Ke2 Kf4 103.Re6 Ra2+ 104.Kd3 f5 105.Re5 Ra5 106.Re1 Ra3+ 107.Kd2 Kg4 108.Rb1 Kf3 109.Re1 Ra2+ 110.Kd3 f4 111.Re5 Ra5 112.Rf5 Ra3+ 113.Kd2 Ke4 0-1

Turns out, they were right, but I'll bet for all the wrong reasons, the jerks!  Hope they choke on their Spaghettios next meal. 

Krush lost Game 3 and went down in the standings, but she was still at 50%.  So, what happened in Round 4?

She played the black pieces against GM Ray Robson, who is not having a good event thus far.  They battled and battled and battled, and probably exhausted, finally agreed to a draw:

Event "2010 US Championship"]

[Site "St Louis"]
[Date "2010.05.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Robson, Ray"]
[Black "Krush, Irina"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "2623"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[BlackELO "2494"]
[BlackTitle "IM"]
[Source "MonRoi"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.O-O-O Bb4 9.f3 Ne5 10.Nb3 b5 11.Kb1 Nc4 12.Bxc4 bxc4 13.Nc1 Rb8 14.Bf4 e5 15.Bg5 Qb6 16.N1e2 O-O 17.Bxf6 Ba3 18.b3 Qxf6 19.Nd5 Qd8 20.f4 exf4 21.Qxf4 Bb7 22.Rhf1 a5 23.Nec3 Bc6 24.Rd4 cxb3 25.axb3 Bb4 26.e5 Bxc3 27.Nxc3 Qe7 28.Kb2 Rbe8 29.Re1 f6 30.Nd5 Qc5 31.Red1 fxe5 32.Qg5 Rf2 33.Rc4 Qf8 34.Rg4 Kh8 35.Ne3 Qf6 36.Rd6 Qxg5 37.Rxg5 g6 38.h4 Kg7 39.Ng4 Rf5 40.Ne3 Rxg5 41.hxg5 h6 42.gxh6 Kxh6 43.Kc3 Kg5 44.Kd2 Rf8 45.Ke2 Rf4 46.c3 Rf8 47.Ke1 Rb8 48.Nc4 Rxb3 49.Nxe5 Rxc3 50.Nxd7 Bxg2 51.Nf8 Be4 52.Nxg6 Bxg6 53.Rd5 Kf4 54.Rxa5 Ke3 55.Kf1 Kf3 56.Ke1 Rc1 57.Kd2 Rc2 58.Kd1 Bd3 59.Ra8 Rg2 60.Rh8 Ke3 61.Rh3 Kd4 62.Rh8 Kc3 63.Rc8 Bc4 64.Ke1 Re2 65.Kd1 Re7 66.Rc5 Rf7 67.Re5 Kd3 68.Kc1 Ra7 69.Kb2 Ra2 70.Kb1 Rf2 71.Kc1 Kc3 72.Kd1 Bd3 73.Rc5 Kd4 74.Rc8 Rb2 75.Kc1 Ra2 76.Kd1 Bc4 77.Re8 Kd3 78.Ke1 Bd5 79.Rd8 Ke4 80.Kd1 Ra5 81.Kd2 Rc5 82.Rd7 Kd4 83.Rd8 Ra5 84.Ke2 Ra2 85.Ke1 Ke4 86.Kd1 Bc4 87.Rd2 Ra3 88.Ke1 Bd3 89.Kf2 Kf4 90.Ke1 Kg3 91.Rb2 Kf3 92.Rf2 Ke3 93.Re2 Bxe2 1/2-1/2

Krush currently stands in 12th place (exactly at the half-way point of the 24 players) with 2.0 after Round 4.  In Round 5 she will have white against GM Robert Hess, also at 2.0 and currently in 11th place.