As you no doubt know by now, Irina Krush is the new U.S. Women's Chess Champion after Anna Zatonskih hung a rook in a won game and immediately resigned game 2 of the rapid chess play-off (Krush had won the first game with the black pieces). Zatonskih had black in Game 2 and the commentators (Jennifer Shahade and Ben Feingold) had pretty much called the win for Zatonskih at the point in the game where she had plenty of time left on her clock and Krush was playing on increment and was down material.
I turned the live coverage off after Zatonskih hung her rook and resigned, leaving the title to Krush. So, no Armageddon game was played after all. And I was wrong in predicting that Zatonskih would repeat as champion. I'm sure she felt like shit yesterday and today even worse. That's how I'd feel! Because, before hanging her rook in the final indignity, Zatonskih had evidently missed an earlier crushing blow against Krush - I think it was grabbing her queen with no compensation on Krush's part. I was out cutting the grass and ran in now and then to watch the action on the laptop, and missed that part.
You can find the games in PGN at uschesschamps. There is video at U.S. Chess Champs but not of the games - you evidently have to buy a subscription elsewhere to view the games if you were not able to watch them live. What crap.
Congratulations to Irina Krush for getting lucky. I feel badly for Anna Zatonskih, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
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