Bill Wall's Column on the Krush/Zatonskih Armageddon Game

Chess: A Knight's Tour by Bill Cornwall Sun-Sentinel.com June 22, 2008 Move, Slap, Move!: That sequence, repetitively duplicated at breakneck speed, describes the final moments of the deciding tie-break game played last month in Tulsa, Okla., for the title of U.S. Woman's Chess Champion. Moving pieces at split-second pace and instantly slapping their clocks to preserve time, then-current champion Irina Krush, 24, of New York, and former champion Anna Zatonskih, 29, of Ohio, were engaged in a type of chess appropriately called Armageddon. The scene was prepared when each had scored 7 ½ points in the 9-round main event in which games could take many hours to complete. Two 15-minute "rapid" encounters were split followed by two five-minute "speed" games, also split. Then came one world-ending Armageddon, where there could be no tie. Krush was given the white pieces with six minutes while her opponent commanded black with only four-and-a-half minutes . Counterbalancing the time disadvantage, black possessed draw odds where a draw would ironically win for her. After a blurred confusion of hands, pieces, and clock slaps, Zatonskih stopped, and pointed at the clock. Her foe looked, protested, angrily slapped her king off the board, and left. Krush's time had run out! Zatonskih had regained her title. Controversy erupts: Later, Krush claimed she had been fouled. With the game video supporting her, she could prove that she had lost precious seconds when Zatonskih started her moves early before Krush had actually finished making her own move and stopping the clock. Internet blogging erupted on the subject and the general consensus was instructive. If you have taken your hand off of a piece, your move is over. Once your move is over, your opponent may start theirs even though you may not have yet punched your clock. If this seems unjust, consider that the video did reveal that Krush herself had clearly violated another rule. She had knocked over a man without resetting it.

Get Over It!

IM Irina Krush wrote a second open letter posted at the United States Chess Federation's Chess Life Online. She raised no new points, just the same old complaints - she didn't win the title, therefore she was cheated. She seemed especially miffed that she could not draw Anna Zatonskih, the 2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship, into a pissing and moaning match. Personally, I'm very glad Zatonskih chose not to respond to Krush's baseless allegations and bad sportsmanship. Get over it. You are an adult, not a baby. Stop acting like a spoiled brat who didn't get her way.

Chess News

My June column is up and running at Chessville. This month there's also a separate report on the Frank K. Berry U.S. Women's Chess Championship. Enjoy!

An Open Letter from IM Irina Krush

Published at Chess Life Online (USCF). I have not yet read the commentary this letter is sure to have generated. My initial feelings upon seeing that such a letter was published was surprise! Sharing the title seems an equitable solution, but not for the reasons stated. I'm in agreement with others that using rapid, blitz and an Armageddon game to decide the title was, under the circumstances, ridiculous. Now, people will be "taking sides" and it bothers me the amount of ill will that this open letter will generate and, of course, those who disdain women chessplayers and "women's chess" will be sneering even more than usual. I can just hear them now "isn't that typical of the stupid cows" they're be hooting to each other. My opinion at this time is that IM Krush's letter moves a matter that is essentially a private dispute that should be addressed by the organizers and TDs at the Championship and the officials of the USCF into the arena of public opinion - where nobody wins and women's chess loses. The haters will now be rubbing their hands in glee waiting for a cat fight between the two highest rated female players in the United States. Great, just great.

Winner of 2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Irina Krush! She won the third play-off game behind the black pieces in a rapid-chess game (5 minutes on the clock for each player) Here's the final game in PGN: [Event "2008 Frank K. Berry U.S. Chess Championship"] [Site "Tulsa"] [Date "2008.05.21"] [Round "12Playoff"] [White "Zatonskih, Anna"] [Black "Krush, Irina"][Result "0-1"] [WhiteELO "2490"][WhiteTitle "IM"] [BlackELO "2515"][BlackTitle "IM"] [Source "MonRoi"] 1.e4 c5 2.g3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Bg2 Qe6 6.Kf1 Nc6 7.h3 Bh5 8.d3 Qd7 9.Be3 e6 10.Nbd2 Nf6 11.Nb3 Nd5 12.Bxc5 Bxc5 13.Nxc5 Qe7 14.Nb3 O-O 15.Kg1 f5 16.d4 Rad8 17.Qe2 Nf6 18.c3 Ne4 19.Re1 e5 20.Qe3 exd4 21.Nfxd4 Ne5 22.Nxf5 Rxf5 23.Qxe4 Bg6 24.f4 Qc7 25.Qxb7 Qc4 26.fxe5 Qd3 27.Kh2 Rf2 28.Rhf1 Rxb2 29.e6 h6 30.e7 Re8 31.Qd5 0-1 Thanks to Susan Polgar's blog for providing updating posts on the play-0ff games and the denouement. I'm exhausted - it's way past my bed-time and I haven't eaten supper yet, time for this chess femme to call it a night! STOP THE PRESSES! UPDATED 12:10 A.M. NOT SO FAST! I tried to go to bed before midnight and this is what I get - Irina Krush did NOT win - ANNA ZATONSKIH IS THE WINNER OF THE 2008 U.S. WOMEN'S CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!! At least - I think so - that's what I read at both Monroi just a few seconds ago and at Susan Polgar's blog, so it MUST be true. I thought game 3, which Krush won (?) was the end - but I guess not. Oh, I'll try and figure it all out tomorrow, or else leave it up to the people who really know about this stuff. Darlings, I just follow along as best I can, which obviously sometimes is not very good! Okay, now I really must scrub off my crusted on make-up and hit the sack - the alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m....

I Can't Stand the Suspense!

Irina Krush won the second rapid-chess play-off game behind the white pieces against Anna Zatonskih, and so now - what? Another play-off game at even faster time controls? Help!

WINNER OF 2008 GODDESSCHESS FIGHTING CHESS AWARD!

GM Susan Polgar, who graciously agreed to decide who the winner of this year's Goddesschess prize fund would be, has declared to winner at her blog this evening: TATEV ABRAHAMYAN! Congratulations to Tatev - she wins the $500 prize for her great performance this year. Thank you again from Goddesschess to GM Susan Polgar for agreeing to select the winner of this year's prize fund, and for going above and beyond the call of duty in personally delivering the prize money to Mr. Berry in Tulsa. The Goddesschess folks are already planning how to make the special prize bigger and better next year... Thanks to all our friends and supporters - and - geez! The Championship isn't over yet! SP reported at her blog that Zatonskih won the first play-off game. As I'm typing this the second game is in progress. I need to hire a GM to sit beside me and explain how all of this works to me, darlings, besides feeding me insightful information on moves and blow-by-blow analysis!

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Krush and Rohonyan just drew, leaving Krush with 7.5 and Rohonyan with 6.0. I can't believe Rohonyan gave up! Who's the winner??? Krush and Zatonskih both end up with 7.5 - but someone has to take the title. Is the prize money for first and second added together and split? Here's the game in PGN: [Event "2008 Frank K. Berry U.S. Chess Championship"][Site "Tulsa"][Date "2008.05.21"][Round "9"][White "Krush, Irina"][Black "Rohonyan, Katerine"][Result "1/2-1/2"][WhiteELO "2515"][WhiteTitle "IM"][BlackELO "2318"][BlackTitle "WGM"][Source "MonRoi"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.g3 d6 8.Bg2 Bg7 9.Nf3 Nbd7 10.Rb1 O-O 11.O-O Qa5 12.Bd2 Bb7 13.Qc2 Qa6 14.e4 Ng4 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bc1 Qa5 17.Rd1 Ba6 18.Bd2 Nge5 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Be1 Rfb8 21.b3 Qa3 22.h3 c4 23.Ne2 cxb3 24.axb3 Bxe2 25.Qxe2 Rxb3 26.f4 Rxb1 27.Rxb1 Nd3 28.Bd2 Bd4 29.Kh2 Nc5 30.e5 Qa2 31.Re1 Qc2 32.Be3 Qc3 33.Bxd4 Qxd4 34.Qe3 Qxe3 35.Rxe3 Kf8 36.g4 Ra4 37.Kg3 g5 38.fxg5 hxg5 39.h4 gxh4 40.Kxh4 Nd7 41.exd6 exd6 42.Re4 Ra2 43.Kg3 Ne5 44.Rb4 Ke7 45.g5 Rd2 46.Rb7 Kd8 47.Rb4 Kc7 48.Be4 Rd1 49.Bg2 Rg1 50.Kh2 Ra1 51.Kg3 Ra8 52.Be4 Rh8 53.Rb2 Rh5 54.Kf4 Rh4 55.Kf5 Ng6 56.Rf2 Ne7 57.Kf6 Rxe4 58.Kxf7 Nxd5 59.g6 Kd7 60.g7 Ne7 61.Kf8 Ra4 62.Kf7 Rg4 63.Kf8 Kd8 64.Kf7 Kd7 65.Kf8 Ra4 66.Kf7 d5 67.Rf1 Ra3 68.Rf4 Ra2 69.Rf1 Ra3 70.Rf4 Rg3 71.Rf1 Rg2 72.Rf4 Rg5 73.Kf6 Rg1 74.Kf7 Ra1 75.Rf2 Ra8 76.Rf4 Rd8 77.Rf2 Rc8 78.Rf4 Rc5 79.Kf6 Rc4 80.Rf1 Ke8 81.Ke5 Rg4 82.Rf8 Kd7 83.g8Q Nxg8 84.Kxd5 Ne7 85.Kc5 Rg5 86.Kc4 Kd6 87.Rf6 Ke5 88.Rf1 Nf5 89.Re1 Kf4 90.Kd3 Ng3 91.Re8 Rd5 92.Kc4 Rd7 93.Rf8 Nf5 94.Kc3 Ke4 95.Re8 Ne7 96.Ra8 Rc7 97.Kd2 Nc6 98.Ra3 Rd7 99.Ke2 Nd4 100.Kf2 Rb7 101.Re3 Kf4 102.Re8 Rb2 103.Ke1 Kf3 104.Kd1 Ne2 105.Rf8 Ke3 106.Re8 Kd3 107.Ke1 Nd4 108.Kf1 1/2-1/2 Added 9:20 p.m.: Whoa! According to the official U.S. Championships website hosted by Monroi this year, there's to be a play-off between Krush and Zatonskih -- and from the looks of it - it's happening right now. Ohmygoddess! Krush just played a game over 100 moves. How is this fair?

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Krush and Rohonyan are still playing! Zatonskih won her game behind the black pieces against Battsetseg to finish with 7.5, securing at least second place for herself and $4,000 in prize money - and a shot at the Goddesschess Fighting Chess Award of $500; Tuvshintugs knocked off Abrahamyan. Tuvshintugs finishes with 5.5 and Abrahamyan finishes with 6.0. She had an excellent tournament, winning six games in a row, but I expect she's disappointed in her finish. The heat is on Krush - she's obviously battling for a win and clear first place. I'll have full results and final standings later. I hope Susan Polgar reports on whether any of the women scored WIM or WGM norms. Added 7:07 p.m.: Krush has 6:53 on her clock, Rohonyan has 17:02. Krush has a rook, bishop and 2 pawns plus her king to Rohonyan's rook, knight, 2 pawns and king. Added 7:49 p.m.: Zenyuk (W) caved to Airapetian! Zenyuk stays at 3.5 and Airapetian ends up with 2.0. Krush-Rohonyan still going on...

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Round 8 Results: Airapetian - Battsetseg 0 - 1 Jamison - Zenyuk 0 - 1 Rohonyan - Tuvshintugs 1 - 0 Abrahamyan - Epstein 1 - 0 Zatonskih - Krush 1/2 - 1/2 Tentative standings after Round 8 (based on my calculations): Krush - 7.0 Zatonskih - 6.5 Abrahamyan- 6.0 Rohonyan - 5.5 Tuvshintugs - 4.5 Battsetseg - 4.5 Zenyuk - 3.5 Epstein - 1.5 Airapetian - 1.0 Jamison - 0 The stage is set for the final game tomorrow. Is an upset in the making? Abrahamyan has now quietly won six games in a row. Here are the match-ups for Round 9: Player Draw (pairing numbers) (key match-ups in bold) 5. Esther Epstein v. 10. Courtney Jamison 6. Chimi Tuvshintugs v. 4. Tatev Abrahamyan 7. Irina Krush v. 3. Katerine Rohonyan 8. Tsagaan Battsetseg v. 2. Anna Zatonskih 9. Iryna Zenyuk v. 1. Chouchanik Airapetian (edited on 5/21/08 to correct typo)

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

I've updated Chess Femme News through Round 7. Today is the big game between Anna Zatonskih (W) and Irina Krush (B). Susan Polgar is following the live action at ICC and posting on her blog. When I checked a few minutes ago, it appeared that Anna was losing or had lost the initiative. I'll be updating Chess Femme News more tonight, but right now I'm anxiously awaiting the results of Zatonskih-Krush! Updated 8:43 p.m. CST Zatonskih-Krush drew. Here is the game in PGN: [Event "2008 Frank K. Berry U.S. Chess Championship"][Site "Tulsa"][Date "2008.05.20"][Round "8"][White "Zatonskih, Anna"][Black "Krush, Irina"][Result "1/2-1/2"][WhiteELO "2490"][WhiteTitle "IM"][BlackELO "2515"][BlackTitle "IM"][Source "MonRoi"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 O-O 5.Bg2 d6 6.O-O c6 7.Nc3 Qa5 8.e4 e5 9.h3 Nbd7 10.Re1 Re8 11.a3 Qc7 12.Be3 exd4 13.Nxd4 Nc5 14.Qc2 a5 15.b3 h5 16.Rad1 Nfd7 17.Rd2 Ne5 18.Red1 a4 19.b4 Nxc4 20.bxc5 Nxe3 21.fxe3 dxc5 22.Nde2 b5 23.e5 Bf5 24.Qc1 Bxe5 25.Ne4 c4 26.Nd6 Bxd6 27.Rxd6 Be4 28.Qd2 Bxg2 29.Kxg2 Qe7 30.Kf2 h4 31.Qd4 c5 32.Qxc5 Rac8 33.Qd4 c3 34.Nxc3 hxg3 35.Kg2 Qxe3 36.Qxe3 Rxe3 37.Nxb5 Rb3 38.Rd8 Rxd8 39.Rxd8 Kg7 40.Nd4 Rxa3 41.Nf3 Ra1 42.Kxg3 a3 43.Ra8 a2 44.Kf2 g5 45.Ne1 Kg6 46.Nc2 Rh1 47.Kg2 Rd1 48.Rxa2 Rd2 49.Kf3 Kh5 50.Ke3 Rh2 51.Kd3 f5 52.Ra8 Rxh3 53.Ne3 g4 54.Rf8 Rf3 55.Ke2 Kg5 56.Rf7 Kg6 57.Ra7 Kg5 58.Ra5 Rf4 59.Ra8 Rf3 60.Rf8 Kg6 61.Rb8 Kg5 62.Rb5 Rf4 63.Rb8 1/2-1/2

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Round 7 has come and gone - Krush won to go from 5.5 to 6.5; Zatonskih lost to stay at 6.0. Today they face each other in a game that may decide who is the 2008 Champion. Susan Polgar comments. This is a critical game - but the other women aren't coasting to the finish line. There's an intense battle for third place right now. Standings after 7: 1 Krush, Irina IM 2515 USA 6.5 2 Zatonskih, Anna IM 2490 USA 6.0 3 Abrahamyan, Tatev WFM 2280 USA 5.0 4-5 Tuvshintugs, Batchimeg WIM 2289 USA 4.5 4-5 Rohonyan, Katerine WGM 2318 USA 4.5 6 Battsetseg, Tsagaan WIM 2251 USA 3.5 7 Zenyuk, Iryna WFM 2205 USA 2.5 8 Epstein, Esther WM 2194 USA 1.5 9 Airapetian, Chouchanik WFM 2143 USA 1.0 10 Jamison, Courtney 2064 USA 0.0 Very exciting!

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

I've updated Chess Femme News for Round 6, and will be updating more later tonight for other events. Enjoy!

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Coverage through Round 5 has been updated at Chess Femme News. Krush and Zatonskih are perfect through 5 rounds with 5.0. Here are the match-ups for Round 6, later today: Round 6 Match-ups (Sunday May 18): Player Draw (pairing numbers) 10. Courtney Jamison v. 8.Tsagaan Battsetseg 9. Iryna Zenyuk v. 7. Irina Krush 1. Chouchanik Airapetian v. 6. Chimi Tuvshintugs 2. Anna Zatonskih v. 5. Esther Epstein 3. Katerine Rohonyan v. 4. Tatev Abrahamyan So far, there have been no upsets like last year, when Liz Vicary knocked off Camillie Baginskaite, a performance which earned her the $300 Goddesschess Brilliancy Prize. Who will win the Fighting Chess Award this year - $500, $350 from Goddesschess and $150 from the Susan Polgar Foundation?

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

I've updated Chess Femme News, including coverage of Round 4 of the 2008 Frank K. Berry U.S. Women's Chess Championship. Enjoy!

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

A few interesting things have come up: The Space Controversy! Susan Polgar commented the other day (5/15) at her blog that a few folks had complained about somewhat tight quarters in the playing venue. I was a little surprised myself when seeing Paul Truong's photos from Tulsa (posted at SP's blog) that the players in a prestigious event were seated at long tables next to each other; I guess I'd expected individual tables with room to circulate in-between; but I can't say that I thought things were unduly crowded. Still - I've never played in a tournament so I have no idea what might or might not be comfortable for a player in a national championship! The one and only tournament I visited was the 1999 FIDE Knock-Out World Championship in Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace and there was plenty of space for players and spectators - hardly any spectators for the quarter-finals, actually, and I thought that was a shame. For the quarter-finals we were in a large banquet room and, sitting in the front row with Isis and Michelle, I could practically reach out and touch Shirov who was playing right in front of me just beyond a red velvet rope! Khalifman and Polgar were just down the row. I could easily see the wrinkles in her linen suit. It was a sort of pastel peach color, and she had on light tan shoes. In the semi-finals the venue was set up differently - the four players (Adams and Akopian, Khalifman and Nisipeanu) were at tables elevated at the front of the playing room and the audience was seated below. In both venues large electronic screens were provided where you could watch the games in progress, and headsets were available for free if you provided a credit card or ID card, over which you could listen to commentary and analysis of the games. Tonight SP gave an update based on Tom Braunlich's report after Round 3. I sincerely hope that Onischuk does not leave the tournament. I don't know what the organizers can do about the space at this point in the events. Reserving a second room to move players into was probably not the best solution, and I think the women were right to complain that moving them into a separate room was tantamount to saying "you're second class citizens" - the equivalent of having to sit at the back of the bus. I'm equally certain that no insult was intended. Where on earth is the audience seated? I mean - the Championships were advertised as open to the public and if it was being held here I'd certainly be in eager attendance. So, where is the public being seated? Or are "the public" those folks standing against the walls? Oh my... For Round 3 the five lower boards were moved to the reserved second room, and they didn't like it. Here's an idea - select pairings to go to the second room by random draw after the end of each round. That way, there's no actual or perceived discrimination taking place, it's just the luck of the draw and unfortunate that a larger room could not be secured - although who knows, the Berry brothers have been doing this kind of thing for years, maybe they can convince the hotel to swap out a larger space (if the Radisson has one available). A Great Story! Braunlich reported on 81 years young Beth Cassidy, who visited the tournament. Ms. Cassidy was a member of the Ireland chess team and a journalist with British Chess Magazine. She knew many of the classic GMs from the 40s and 50s. While a manager of the Manhattan Chess Club in the 1960s she wrote extensive detailed articles on the great masters that hung out there, including Fischer, Lombardy, Kmoch, Steinmeyer, etc. She worked for Shell and when she retired chose to live in Tulsa. Wow! Someone who knew all those greats - someone who managed the Manhattan Chess Club! I'll bet she has some stories to tell... There's a photo of Ms. Cassidy and Susan Polgar in Braunlich's report. She sort of reminds me of my mom, who turns 81 later this month. Comments About the Prize Structure and Women's Championship Well of course some misogynists are complaining about the fact that the prizes for the Women's Championship are nearly as large as those for the putative Men's Championship. In fact, some male players will be sent home with $250 less than the women (prize structure). Gasp! Here's one comment from Chess Life Online: Post: #102048 by NiceLife on Fri May 16, 2008 2:12 pm I don’t think it is unreasonable for a top-100-in-the-world player to ask not to play within elbow-bumping distance of another player. The organizers of a national championship should ensure that there is enough space in the tournament hall. It is not a scholastic tournament. I am glad Onischuk stands up for some standards of respect in chess. By the way, I am pretty sure the last 5 boards of the overall championship (which are still mostly IMs and GMs) are used to being treated as second-class in chess. They might make their expenses back in this tournament, but they will watch while the female players with lower ratings win more in this one tournament than they are likely to make in tournaments all year. [Emphasis added]. See my tears, darling, boo hoo. There were several comments about the Women's Championship being a separate event and therefore it SHOULD be held in the other room: Post: #102049 by bradenbournival on Fri May 16, 2008 2:18 pm Well the most logical solution is definitely to have the women's championship in a separate room. I don't see how anyone can complain about this since they are 2 totally separate tournaments! I don't believe putting the top boards in a different room is a very good idea, other players involved in the same tournament have to walk to a totally separate room to view games that might be very relevant to them in a future game... [Emphasis added]. Anyways, I'm sure having the top games in a different room will also invoke some complaints from Mr. Cry Baby Onischuk... Perhaps the best solution of all is for everyone in the tournament to pitch in for a ticket back to Russia.. [Emphasis added]. Post: #102050 by artichoke on Fri May 16, 2008 2:19 pm Well the prize funds are what they are, but for this one event I'd treat everyone as first-class. It's reasonable to put the overall championship in one room, the women's in another. [Emphasis added]. Post: #102062 by nocab on Fri May 16, 2008 5:13 pm The answer is all too obvious, but certainly will be called "politically incorrect" these days. Someone needs to say it, so I will. The women are playing in a completely seperate event. They are not as strong as the men. They should play in the other room. Period! [Emphasis added]. Soooo, the women should be isolated because they're "not as strong" players - or - just because they're women. Are we living in Saudi Arabia??? What's next - the all-enveloping black robes with mesh over the eyes so a woman needs a seeing-eye dog (or a male holding her on a leash) to navigate around? You silly dudes. You should be supporting better playing conditions and better prize money for ALL players. Anything else is a losing proposition. DUH!

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Hola darlings! I've got a day off today, yippee! So, first thing this morning, I updated my coverage of the 2008 Frank K. Berry U.S. Women's Chess Championship over at Chess Femme News for Round 3. Please check it out and give me lots of visitors and page views, thank you very much! I'm wondering when Dylan Loeb McClain over at The New York Times is going to write a story on the 2008 championships? Is he on vacation? Is he dead? His last posting (as of the time of writing this entry) at his Gambit blog is May 6th. Hmmm, not good, not good at all. Psssst, hey McClain, I'm giving you a hint here because you have the same surname (albeit a different spelling) as my own wonderful McLean man - you've got to give American chessplayers a little more respect!

Chess News Update

Chess Femme News has been updated, May 15, 2008 - specifically, updated news on the U.S. Women's Chess Championship!

Chess News Update

Chess Femme News has been updated, May 14, 2008! SUCH news, darlings, be sure to catch up on what's been going on at the 2008 Frank K. Berry U.S. Women's Chess Championship - news from GM Susan Polgar, too! The Susan Polgar Foundation has contributed $150 to the Fighting Chess Award prize fund to make a total of $500, to be awarded to the winner of the Goddesschess Fighting Chess Award at the U.S. Women's Chess Championships. There's more - Suffice to say thank you doesn't begin to say it to GM Susan Polgar - but in order to make sense of this post you've got to read the Chess Femme News.

2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Hola! Jen Shahade promises to stay on top of things with coverage at Chess Life Online. She's already reported about Alexander Shabalov (B) resigning after move 18 against Yermolinsky (W) in Round 1 in the "other" Championship (LOL!) I checked Monroi, The Week in Chess, Susan Polgar's blog and Chessdom just a few minutes ago and didn't see any other current news. Stay tuned. Updated 9:11 p.m. Central Standard Time Hola darlings! With all due respect, I really don't give much of a hoot what the men are doing in their Championship, although there were a few interesting first round results. What I'm concentrating on is the chess femmes. Here are their first round results: 1 Airapetian, Chouchanik/Jamison, Courtney 1 0 2 Zatonskih, Anna/Zenyuk, Iryna 1 0 3 Rohonyan, Katerine/Battsetseg, Tsagaan 1/2 1/2 4 Abrahamyan, Tatev/Krush, Irina 0 1 5 Epstein, Esther/Tuvshintugs, Batchimeg 0 1 Four out of five decisive results in Round 1 of the Women's Championship! In the Men's event, there were six decisive results out of twelve, and six draws. Hmmm....