2012 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Results R6:

Table	White	Score	Rating	Black	Score	Rating	Result
1	WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev	2.5	2329	WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	3.0	2364	1-0
2	FM Melekhina, Alisa	2.5	2242	WGM Baginskaite, Camilla	0.5	2358	1-0
3	WIM Ni, Viktorija	2.0	2228	WFM Kats, Alena	1.0	2137	1-0
4	WIM Zenyuk, Iryna	3.0	2224	IM Zatonskih, Anna	3.5	2510	0-1
5	IM Krush, Irina	4.0	2457	IM Goletiani, Rusudan	3.0	2333	½-½

Standings after R6 (cross-table):

Rank	Name	Score	M/F	Rating	TPR	W-We	1	2	3	4	5	6
1	IM Zatonskih, Anna	4.5	F	2510	2456	-0.30	1	1	½	½	½	1
2	IM Krush, Irina	4.5	F	2457	2480	+0.18	1	½	1	½	1	½
3	IM Goletiani, Rusudan	3.5	F	2333	2369	+0.33	1	0	1	0	1	½
4	WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev	3.5	F	2329	2352	+0.23	½	1	0	1	0	1
5	FM Melekhina, Alisa	3.5	F	2242	2394	+1.21	½	½	0	½	1	1
6	WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	3.0	F	2364	2354	-0.06	0	1	½	1	½	0
7	WIM Ni, Viktorija	3.0	F	2228	2332	+0.78	½	0	0	1	½	1
8	WIM Zenyuk, Iryna	3.0	F	2224	2350	+0.96	½	1	1	½	0	0
9	WFM Kats, Alena	1.0	F	2137	2062	-0.53	0	0	1	0	0	0
10	WGM Baginskaite, Camilla	0.5	F	2358	1918	-2.80	0	0	0	0	½	0

Pairings for R7:

Table	White	Score	Rating	Black	Score	Rating	Result
1	IM Goletiani, Rusudan	3.5	2333	WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev	3.5	2329
2	IM Zatonskih, Anna	4.5	2510	IM Krush, Irina	4.5	2457
3	WFM Kats, Alena	1.0	2137	WIM Zenyuk, Iryna	3.0	2224
4	WGM Baginskaite, Camilla	0.5	2358	WIM Ni, Viktorija	3.0	2228
5	WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	3.0	2364	FM Melekhina, Alisa	3.5	2242

Tomorrow a much-anticipated game between Zatonskih with white against Krush with black at Table 2.  I also expect the Table 1 match-up to be intense.  Abrahamyan wants to move into the first or second position after being a bridesmaid for several years running.  I don't know if she's strong enough to do it, but she sure as hell is STUBBORN, a trait I admire (gee, I wonder why) :) 
Abrahamyan won't give up. 

Really, except for Baginskaite's performance, I am pleasantly surprised by how tight the scores actually are after 6 games, with only 3 more to go, with Alena Kats being somewhat of an outlyer.

Jen Shahade commenting during R4 of the U.S. Chess
Championship.  Leopard Print?  Soooo Judit Polgar!

Zatonskih scored a "must win" game today against  the "other" Iryna, Iryna Zenyk, in order to stay in first place after Krush's draw.  Iryna is a good friend of the Irina with whom Zatonskih keeps trading the U.S. Women's title back and forth.  I don't know if Krush took it "easy" today in agreeing to a draw, I haven't looked at the games and, frankly, I probably wouldn't be able to tell anything from it anyway without hearing live commentary from the pros! 

In any event, we all know she'll have her hands full tomorrow with black against Zatonskih, who will be looking to make another definitive move by taking the full point.  The final 3 games should be where the leaders pull away from the pretenders -- and that doesn't mean someone pretending to play chess, that means someone who hasn't been there before trying to move as high up the ranks as possible and possible take over one of the top spot -- as in "pretender to the throne."  That sort of pretender.