2014 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

Totally missed it, darlings, so busy involved in this house thing!  I'm going into this news fresh -- don't even know who won.  So, without further ado, here are the final standings:

ch-USA w 2014 Saint Louis USA (USA), 7-21 v 2014															cat. I (2270)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0
1.	Krush, Irina	g	USA	2489	*	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	6½	2411
2.	Zatonskih, Anna	m	USA	2469	0	*	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	6½	2413
3.	Abrahamyan, Tatev	wg	USA	2366	½	0	*	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	6½	2424
4.	Nemcova, Katerina	wg	USA	2282	0	½	0	*	½	½	1	½	1	1	5	2311
5.	Zenyuk, Iryna		USA	2249	½	½	½	½	*	0	½	1	0	½	4	2228
6.	Melekhina, Alisa	f	USA	2151	½	0	0	½	1	*	0	1	½	½	4	2239
7.	Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	wg	USA	2238	½	0	0	0	½	1	*	0	1	1	4	2230
8.	Ni, Viktorija	wm	USA	2206	½	½	½	½	0	0	1	*	0	½	3½	2196
9.	Eswaran, Ashritha		USA	1979	0	0	0	0	1	½	0	1	*	1	3½	2221
10.	Baginskaite, Camilla	wg	USA	2267	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	*	1½	1996

Round 1 (May 8, 2014)
Abrahamyan, Tatev	- Melekhina, Alisa	1-0	46	C50	Giuoco Piano
Nemcova, Katerina	- Krush, Irina	0-1	57	B89	Sicilian Sozin Attack
Zenyuk, Iryna	- Zatonskih, Anna	½-½	50	E12	Queens Indian Petrosian
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	- Baginskaite, Camilla	1-0	34	E32	Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Ni, Viktorija	- Eswaran, Ashritha	0-1	83	A46	Queen's Pawn Opening
Round 2 (May 9, 2014)
Krush, Irina	- Eswaran, Ashritha	1-0	39	A30	English Symmetrical
Zatonskih, Anna	- Abrahamyan, Tatev	1-0	48	C02	French Advance
Nemcova, Katerina	- Zenyuk, Iryna	½-½	38	B35	Sicilian Defence
Melekhina, Alisa	- Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	0-1	53	C02	French Advance
Baginskaite, Camilla	- Ni, Viktorija	½-½	61	A56	Old Indian Defence
Round 3 (May 10, 2014)
Abrahamyan, Tatev	- Nemcova, Katerina	1-0	47	C53	Giuoco Piano
Zenyuk, Iryna	- Krush, Irina	½-½	30	D38	QGD Ragozin
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	- Zatonskih, Anna	0-1	45	E34	Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Ni, Viktorija	- Melekhina, Alisa	0-1	34	A04	Dutch System
Eswaran, Ashritha	- Baginskaite, Camilla	1-0	62	B92	Sicilian Najdorf with 6.Be2
Round 4 (May 12, 2014)
Krush, Irina	- Baginskaite, Camilla	1-0	23	E56	Nimzo Indian
Zatonskih, Anna	- Ni, Viktorija	½-½	63	E60	King's Indian without Nc3
Nemcova, Katerina	- Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	1-0	29	B06	Modern Defence
Zenyuk, Iryna	- Abrahamyan, Tatev	½-½	55	A33	English Symmetrical
Melekhina, Alisa	- Eswaran, Ashritha	½-½	60	B23	Sicilian Closed
Round 5 (May 13, 2014)
Abrahamyan, Tatev	- Krush, Irina	½-½	41	B32	Sicilian Labourdonnais
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	- Zenyuk, Iryna	½-½	47	E38	Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Ni, Viktorija	- Nemcova, Katerina	½-½	50	E17	Queens Indian
Eswaran, Ashritha	- Zatonskih, Anna	0-1	43	C11	French Defence
Baginskaite, Camilla	- Melekhina, Alisa	½-½	111	A59	Volga Gambit
Round 6 (May 14, 2014)
Krush, Irina	- Melekhina, Alisa	½-½	49	E10	Blumenfeld Counter Gambit
Zatonskih, Anna	- Baginskaite, Camilla	1-0	103	D40	Semi-Tarrasch Defence
Abrahamyan, Tatev	- Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	1-0	38	C54	Giuoco Piano
Nemcova, Katerina	- Eswaran, Ashritha	1-0	54	A22	English Opening
Zenyuk, Iryna	- Ni, Viktorija	1-0	42	A41	Modern Defence
Round 7 (May 16, 2014)
Melekhina, Alisa	- Zatonskih, Anna	0-1	72	C02	French Advance
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	- Krush, Irina	½-½	78	E32	Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Ni, Viktorija	- Abrahamyan, Tatev	½-½	47	A46	Queen's Pawn Opening
Eswaran, Ashritha	- Zenyuk, Iryna	1-0	63	E66	King's Indian Fianchetto
Baginskaite, Camilla	- Nemcova, Katerina	0-1	14	E47	Nimzo Indian
Round 8 (May 17, 2014)
Krush, Irina	- Zatonskih, Anna	1-0	75	A13	Reti Opening
Abrahamyan, Tatev	- Eswaran, Ashritha	1-0	71	B32	Sicilian Labourdonnais
Nemcova, Katerina	- Melekhina, Alisa	½-½	52	C50	Giuoco Piano
Zenyuk, Iryna	- Baginskaite, Camilla	½-½	45	E11	Bogo Indian Defence
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	- Ni, Viktorija	0-1	52	A53	Old Indian Defence
Round 9 (May 19, 2014)
Zatonskih, Anna	- Nemcova, Katerina	½-½	81	E32	Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Melekhina, Alisa	- Zenyuk, Iryna	1-0	47	B31	Sicilian Rossolimo
Ni, Viktorija	- Krush, Irina	½-½	66	B23	Sicilian Closed
Eswaran, Ashritha	- Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	0-1	40	A04	Dutch System
Baginskaite, Camilla	- Abrahamyan, Tatev	0-1	46	E46	Nimzo Indian Rubinstein

ch-USA Armageddon w 2014 Saint Louis USA Wed 7th May 2014 - Wed 21st May 2014 Leading Final Round 1 Standings:
Rk	Name	Ti	FED	Rtg	1	Pts
1	Abrahamyan, Tatev	WGM	USA	2366	=	0.5
2	Zatonskih, Anna	IM	USA	2469	=	0.5
2 players

ch-USA TB w 2014 Saint Louis USA Wed 7th May 2014 - Wed 21st May 2014 Leading Final Round 2 Standings:
Rk	Name	Ti	FED	Rtg	1	2	Pts
1	Krush, Irina	GM	USA	2489	1	=	1.5
2	Abrahamyan, Tatev	WGM	USA	2366	0	=	0.5
2 players

GM Irina Krush won her 6th U.S. title and successfully defended her 2013 title.  Again, the top three female players in the country -- Anna Zatonskih, Tatev Abrahamyan, and Krush, battled it out to an exciting climax.  Tatev -- continues to be a bridesmaid, not a bride!  But I have faith in her.  She WILL win the title within the next few years, unless she quits chess altogether.  I just can't imagine that happening, not until she's won her title! 

Article at website of St. Louis Chess Club.  Oh yeah.  GM Gata Kamsky won the men's title.

Women's Prize Structure ($72,000 total; men's prizes were $172,000 total.  Yeah, it's bullshit):

Place	Prize	Place	Prize
1st	$20, 000	6th	$4, 500
2nd	$13, 000	7th	$4, 000
3rd	$9, 000	8th	$3, 500
4th	$7, 000	9th	$3, 000
5th	$5, 000	10th	$2, 000
Best Game Prize: $1,000
Total Prize Fund: $72, 000

I was sorry not to see Anjelina Belakovskaia play again this year. 

2014 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

I don't remember if I've already published this or not.  What yanks my chain is the HUGE discrepancy in prize money between 12 men fighting for $171,000 plus a $64,000 up for grabs Fischer prize if one wins all 11 rounds, and 10 women fighting for $65,000.  I mean, REALLY?

Dates:  May 7 - 21, 2014

Place:  Chess Club and Scholastic Center, St. Louis, MO
It's a beautiful venue, if a bit cramped, and in a gorgeous neighborhood. Lots of shops, bars, restaurants, night life galore.  People all over, and yet surrounded by quiet residential streets of homes that very much remind me of parts of the ever-trendy east side in Milwaukee, WI.   I walked all over that neighborhood in 2009, it was wonderful, but hot and steamy!  Even attended a couple sessions of analysis during the Kings v. Queens Tournament while I was in St. Louis in September that year attending a CCI meeting.

Invitations for MEN's Event:

• 2013 U.S. Champion: Gata Kamsky
• 2013 U.S. Junior Closed Champion: Daniel Naroditsky
• 2013 U.S. Open Champion: Josh Friedel (Will be cheering wildly for GM Friedel, now a WI resident)
• (1) - Wildcard (TBD)
• (8) - Rating (TBD - March supplement)

Invitations for WOMEN's Event:

• 2013 U.S. Women's Champion: Irina Krush
• (2) - Wildcard (TBD)
  (7) - Rating (TBD - March supplement)

So, we won't know for awhile yet who the bulk of the players will be.  I am interested in seeing who will be invited as wild card choices. 

February, 2014 top 20 U.S. Women:

1	Krush, Irina (12543137)	NY	USA	2554
2	Zatonskih, Anna (12873912)	NY	USA	2520
3	Abrahamyan, Tatev (12851435)	CA	USA	2474
4	Baginskaite, Camilla (12716466)	SD	USA	2358
5	Zenyuk, Iryna V (12846035)	PA	USA	2352
6	Goletiani, Rusudan (12807449)	NY	USA	2335
7	Rohonyan, Katerina (12973020)	WA	USA	2325
8	Belakovskaia, Anjelina (12559824)	AZ	USA	2317
9	Foisor, Sabina-Francesca (14012260)	MD	USA	2311
10	Ni, Viktorija (14449677)	IL	USA	2302
11	Nemcova, Katerina (14723368)	TX	USA	2294
12	Melekhina, Alisa (12726115)	PA	USA	2268
13	Chiang, Sarah (13091081)	TX	USA	2261
14	Inapuri, Ramya Krishna (15185381)	IL	USA	2243
15	Kats, Alena (12980885)	NY	USA	2233
16	Tsodikova, Natalya (12634942)	CA	USA	2226
17	Marinello, Beatriz (12537449)	NY	USA	2210
18	Eswaran, Ashritha (14044705)	CA	USA	2199
19	Liao, Simone (13228302)	CA	USA	2189
20	Yu, Jennifer R (14117950)	VA	USA	2166

I'm partial to Belakovskaia.  I would love to see her get an invite, accept and come and kick some butt!  Last year she was rusty and tentative, and it showed in her results.  She showed occasional flashes of her former brilliance, though.  So I have high hopes for Anjelina! 

And isn't it about time that Tatev A. finally took the title.  She comes every year and kicks butt, but somehow falls short in the end.  Sooooo frustrating, I can imagine how it is for her, LOL!  I'm just a spectator and a fan and I'm utterly worn out by it! 

Irina Krush has earned a GM title, congrats.  Want to see a lot more American chess femmes strive for that -- and not by being awarded a GM title because of winning the women's world chess championship -- although we have no player close to being able to do that.  Sigh.

Would love to see Katerina Rohonyan back at the U.S. Championship.  She played last year in the Grand Pacific Open and is back again for another go at the title in Victoria, BC in 2014!  Go Katerina! 

What's this?  I'm not on the list.  Hey, what the heck?  Well, okay okay, so my rating is something like 500 teens.  Last year I got a draw against a player rated nearly 1000 points higher than me.  I was brilliant!  I was so brilliant, I even moved his pieces!  Ha!  Take that, USCF!