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Clik here to view.Parents and students gathered to watch more than 60 students battle for the title of Kirkwood District Champion.

By Mike Kummer

The Chess Club had a busy weekend the last week of April with events designed to spread the love of chess to a braoder student base. The club packed up the brand new Chess Club Mega Van and made the trek west to Saint Louis Priory School for a fun-filled chess festival. The Priory Chess Festival kicked off with titled players taking on area students in many types of exhibition matches. GM Yasser Seirawan was a fan favorite signing autographs for the kids and GM Ben Finegold was so good, he crushed his four competitors blindfolded. IM Priyadarshan Kannappan got a workout while playing a seven-player blitz simul while fellow Lindenwood Lions WGM Anna Sharevich and IM Levan Bregadze exercised class and grace in their triumphs against the students. 

After a free lunch, it was on to the main event. Fittingly, 64 students competed in the four-round, G/15 tourney. The tournament featured seven players with a United States Chess Federation (USCF) rating. The highest seed, Wilson Gao, went down in flames at the hands of Luka Bassnett in the first round. With so many new players to the event, stalemates ensued. Syd Barnard was on the good end of the draw.

In round 2, Luka was paired with another pre-tournament favorite, Cedric Bruges. Luka was not intimidated and advanced his score to 2-0. Sandeep Yanamala knocked off tournament veteran Erik Ely. Despite having just a king versus a king and queen, Syd Barnard played on and with no checkmate in 50 moves the game was declared a draw.

In round 3, Luka Bassnett dodged a USCF member to easily improve to 3-0. Syd Barnard was again getting crushed by her opponent. But with her never-give-up attitude, she kept playing on. Her opponent called checkmate, but she was not dissuaded. She found a way out and a couple moves later she had none. With her king not in check, the precious stalemate was achieved.

In the last round, Luka blew his opponent off the board. He won the top 4th Grade Trophy. Eliot Blackmore’s championship dreams fell to fellow USCF tourney player Derian Ryker. Derian finished with 3.5 points and won the Top 3rd Grade trophy.

Sandeep’s game lasted the longest. Earlier in the bout, his queen was pinned to his king by his opponent’s bishop. With his opponent smiling ear to ear, Sandeep calmly slid a pawn right into that diagonal line to block the attack. With that plan ruined, his opponent moved his queen around and around and around until it was ultimately captured by Sandeep. Sandeep racked up the queen, the king, and the first place 5th Grade trophy. Syd Barnard won the “Perseverance Award” by achieving her 4th draw of the tourney.

After the event, the Chess Club put the chess boards back into the Mega Van and headed back to the club to set the tourney hall up for another tourney to be held the following day.

After two high-caliber kids classes on Sunday taught by Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, 66 kids packed into the tourney hall for Kirkwood District Championships.

The event was divided into three sections: Kindergarten-2nd Grade, 3rd & 4th grade, and 5th & up. There were no surprises in the 23 player K-2nd section. The two Kid Beginner tourney veterans, Luke Conran and Alex Lundy, steamrolled the novices to finish perfect at 3-0. Luke won the first place trophy on tiebreaks. As a consolation prize, Alex won an old-time chess clock. It is not digital, but the analog clock can still get the job done.

In the highly populated 3rd and 4th grade section, 31 players vied for the first-place trophy. With only three rounds in the event, four players finished with a perfect score. Colin O’Rourke edged out the rest of the winners to take home the trophy. W. Nicholas Menzel, Nathan Lin, and Jack Edwards also went perfect 3-0. Jack Edwards won a membership to the club and has been enjoying the live commentary of the U.S. Chess Championship.

In the 5th & up section, Mihir Shah was the only Kirkwood student to finish with a 3-0 score. Before the final round, he was shocked to learn that he was 2-0 and playing for the trophy. He wrongly assumed that since his opponent ran out of time in a better position, that he had drawn the game. In fact, he had won.

Tournament chess was introduced to many kids throughout the weekend. The students learned more rules, tactics, and checkmating patterns. All the children went home happy as they all won a medal for successful participation.

SwissSys Standings. Kirkwood School District Chess Tourney: K-2nd

SwissSys Standings. Kirkwood School District Chess Tourney: 3rd-4th

SwissSys Standings. Kirkwood School District Chess Tourney: 5th & Up

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Clik here to view.Alex Vergilesov shared first place with FM Doug Eckert at the Show-Me Classic

By Brian Jerauld

Alex Vergilesov not only topped the Show-Me Classic, he also capitalized on one last chance to cash in – literally – as a Class A player. When the USCF releases its June supplement next week, Vergilesov will be listed above 2000, making him an expert for the first time in his career.

“I’m excited – I’ve been class A for three or four years, it has taken me so long to get here,” he said. “There was even two years where I had the exact same rating from one January first to the next. My rating wasn’t changing, but my win percentage was increasing. I think I’m up over 70-percent after this (tournament).”

Vergilesov went a perfect 4-0 on Saturday, May 25, matching the score of FM Doug Eckert, who shared top billing. The two split the cash prizes, but Vergilesov also earned entry into the 2014 Club Championship. Eckert has already qualified for the Club Championships from a previous tournament win at the Metro Class Championship.

The frontrunners of Saturday’s open became clear after a third round that featured poisoned white pieces – only four games out of 17 resulted in wins for the player with the first move. It set up a final round showdown between four unbeatens: Eckert (2253) paired off against Alex Marler (2012), the two-time defending champion of the Show-Me Classic, while Vergilesov (1997) was matched with Matthew Larson (2037).

Vergilesov was up to the task of proving he belonged in his new class. He commanded the white pieces for the first time against fellow expert Larson and chose the Wing Gambit as his method of attack. The early sacrifice allowed one of Vergilesov’s knights a lethal outpost on d6, causing Larson’s army to encounter serious mobility issues. In fact, not one of Larson’s pieces even entered the opposing side of the board until late in the game, when Vergilesov already held clear winning chances.

“(The Wing Gambit) is anti-Sicilian and can only be played in certain lines,” Vergilesov said. “It’s a fun opening to play in a low time control because it is really active. It becomes very easy to play knight to b5, where it just waits to go to d6 – even if they play a6, they still can’t take because the rook is hanging. I’ve done that several times against experts – they don’t expect knight to b5. It’s like a funny move.”

The Show-Me Classic, now in its fifth year, also featured prizes for all classes. With Vergilesov claiming the overall tournament prize, James Pollitt (1944) took first in Class A with 3.5 points. Preston Smith (1646), the lowest-rated Class B player in the tournament, notched three wins to claim his section. Class C was split by Ronit Kirumaki (1444) and James Ivy (1409) with 2.0 points each.

Kirumaki, whose rating was just 676 as recently as January of this year, has been seemingly obsessed with breaking through ceilings of his own. The 11-year-old has become a familiar face in the youth movement of Saint Louis.

“I should have drawn a 1900, but I messed up a king-and-pawn endgame against Al Howlett,” Kirumaki said. “I thought I had the distant opposition when he moved his king, but I just didn’t see the stalling move f6 and so I lost the opposition.”

Howlett (1888) agreed, understanding he was fortunate to grab the full point from his young opponent.

“That game was tough, very tough,” Howlett said. “It was drawing, drawing, drawing the whole way through, and I eventually traded off queens in such a way that (Kirumaki) had to play that king-pawn endgame just right. He didn’t, which allowed my king entry … but I spent at least ten minutes just looking over that move to be able to do that. He could have easily gotten that draw.”

“Ronit is good, and I saw in analysis afterward that he is even better than I originally thought. I think he is probably around 1800 strength.”

Class D featured a four-way tie between Mario Coronado (1279), Ken West (1269), Howard Granok (1364) and Brett Eckert (1320), each with 1.5 points. New member Michael Cranwill (1151) and Andrew Schauer (1137) split the U1200 prize.

SwissSys Standings. Show-Me Classic: Open

SwissSys Wall Chart. Show-Me Classic: Open

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Clik here to view.Sam Sevian and Kayden Troff face off in round 5 of the 2013 U.S. Championship, which concluded in Saint Louis last month.

SAINT LOUIS (June 13, 2013) -- Chess prodigies from across the nation have gathered in Saint Louis to compete in the 2013 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, the premier chess tournament in the country for players under the age of 21. 

Round 1 of this prestigious event begins tomorrow, Friday, June 14, at 1 p.m. at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The tournament runs through June 23.

The event features a total prize fund of $10,000, and the winner will receive an invitation to the 2014 U.S. Championship, which is scheduled to be held in St. Louis next year for the sixth consecutive time.

This year’s U.S. Junior Championship features 10 of the strongest up-and-coming chess players in the country.

International Masters Kayden Troff, 15, and Sam Sevian, 12, are each reigning world champions in their age divisions, and both are also coming off a recent appearance at the 2013 U.S Championship, which concluded in St. Louis last month. Sarah Chiang, 16, also recently competed in St. Louis at the U.S. Women’s Championship.

Luke Harmon-Vellotti, a 14-year old math whiz from Boise, Idaho, received a wildcard invitation to the event. He was just awarded a full-ride scholarship to UCLA, where he will begin taking classes in the fall. Harmon-Vellotti earned a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT.

Leading the field by rating is International Master Daniel Naroditsky, 17, from the San Francisco Bay area. Click here to meet all the players in the 2013 U.S. Junior Championship.

Grandmasters Yasser Seirawan and Ben Finegold will conduct live play-by-play of each round of the event. Spectators can view the games and commentary live at the Chess Club in the Central West End, or online at www.uschesschamps.com.

Meet the Field

* Based on the April USCF ratings list.

Schedule

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Clik here to view.GM Magnus Carlsen looks on as GM Hikaru Nakamura contemplates his next move at the London Chess Classic in 2012. Image Courtesy Ray Morris-Hill: www.rmhphoto.eu.

SAINT LOUIS (June 17, 2013) -- For the first time ever, World Championship challenger GM Magnus Carlsen will play a high-profile tournament in the United States.

The World’s No. 1 ranked player will take on three other top-ten players in Saint Louis this September when he joins GMs Levon Aronian, Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky for the Sinquefield Cup, a four-player, double round robin scheduled to be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) September 9-15.

In November, Carlsen will challenge GM Viswanathan Anand of India for the World Championship title.

CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich said this event marks an important milestone for U.S. chess.

“We are honored to bring the world’s best to Saint Louis this September,” Rich said. “Hosting an event of this magnitude is yet another sign that the U.S. is becoming a major player in the world chess scene.”

Carlsen and Aronian currently sit atop the world rankings at No. 1 and 2, respectively, while Nakamura and Kamsky hold the No. 1 and 2 spots in the U.S.

Nakamura is coming off one of the most successful three-game runs of his career having recently defeated GMs Vladimir Kramnik, Sergey Karjakin and Fabiano Caruana at the Tal Memorial, which has vaulted him back into fifth place in the world rankings. 

Kamsky also is coming off one of his most successful tournament performances in recent years with a second-place finish at the FIDE Grand Prix that recently concluded in Thessaloniki, Greece. Kamsky, who recently won his fourth U.S. Championship title, climbed back into the world’s top 10 for the first time since September 2011.

The average FIDE rating for the field is over 2800, making it the strongest tournament in the history of the U.S.

The opening ceremony will take place on September 8, and round 1 will begin at 1 p.m. CT on Monday, September 9.

The Sinquefield Cup, which will feature a prize fund of $170,000, is named after the founders of the CCSCSL, Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield. The Sinquefields were each honored by the U.S. Chess Federation with a Gold Koltanowski award in 2012, with Rex also earning the distinction in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The award is given to the person or persons who have done the most to promote chess in the U.S. each year. 

For more information, visit www.uschesschamps.com.

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Clik here to view.National Master Kevin Cao took home the top prize at the Friday Action Quads the last weekend in June.

By Mike Kummer

Four different tourneys rocked the Chess Club the last weekend of June.

Friday night kicked off with the weekly Friday Action Quads where National Master Kevin Cao crushed the top quad going 3-0. Newly crowned expert Alex Vergilesov and tournament veteran James McLauglin shared the $36 top prize in quad 2.

Tha Dun was able to knock off the top two competitors in his section to take home the $36, and in quad 4 Ronit Kirumaki continued to impress. His rating has increased dramatically over the past year. Last June, his provisional rating was a miniscule 295. His rating now stands at a robust 1540. Ronit plays all the tournaments he can and takes advantage of the free ladder games on Tuesdays.

Bishop DuBourg alum Peter Immer showed ‘em what it was like in quad 5. The Cavalier swept the field 3-0.

Shelly Rode and Abdul Shakoor were victorious in quad 6 and quad 7, respectively.

SwissSys Wall Chart. w: Quad 1

SwissSys Wall Chart. w: Quad 2

SwissSys Wall Chart. w: Quad 3

SwissSys Wall Chart. w: Quad 4

SwissSys Wall Chart. w: Quad 5

SwissSys Wall Chart. w: Quad 6

SwissSys Wall Chart. w: Quad 7

The Student Action Quads were held the following day on a rainy Saturday afternoon. A total of 16 players competed in four quads. In the top Quad, Diamond Shakoor survived round 1, crushed in round 2, and then took a peacable draw with Thomas Xiong in the final round to split the $16 top prize.

In quad 2, things weren’t as friendly as Derian Ryker asserted a take-no-prisoners attitude. After winning the first two games, he was determined to take out the top seed. Derian succeeded and took home the $16. Derian has recently been getting lessons from chess guru Mr. Ed Baur.

In quad 3, Vyomesh Tripathi won them all to take first, and in quad 4, three players tied for first netting them a sweet 35-cent profit, which would have been good for a phone call in 1994.

SwissSys Wall Chart. SAQ: Quad 1

SwissSys Wall Chart. SAQ: Quad 2

SwissSys Wall Chart. SAQ: Quad 3

SwissSys Wall Chart. SAQ: Quad 4

The Unrated Adult Tournament for Beginners started while the SAQ was still in progress. A record 26 players showed up for a chance to win a membership to the CCSCSL or the USCF. They came from as far away as California for this wonderful opportunity.

On board 1, it was a battle of the Katherines. Katie Stujenske got the better of Kate Yee to win the name game.

Round 1 did not end without controversy. Player 2 was losing badly to Player 1, and Player 2 was running low on time. Player 2 then let his flag fall and declared “draw!", dubiously thinking that since he had mating material when his flag fell it was a draw. The tournament directors, howver, quickly corrected him and resolved the situation.

A total of seven players went into the final round with a 2-0 score and four came out unscathed to win a special prize. Katie Stujenske just barely “qualified” to participate in this Beginner Tourney with a USCF rating of 572. She made the most of the opportunity and got an extra year tacked onto her club membership. Harold Hadman from Hannibal won a USCF membership. Do not overlook him if you get paired with him in an upcoming tournament. Dave Betz, from California, got very lucky to win. After dropping a piece for nothing early in round 3, he outlasted his older opponent who got fatigued after a long day of chess. Keith Davies also went 4-0 to get a free membership to the club. His child is also a member and enjoys the Kids classes on Sunday afternoons.

SwissSys Standings. Adult Beginner: Open

The staff then set-up for the Unrated Beginner Tournament for Kids! The tournament runs right after the two Kids Classes taught by GM Yasser Seirawan.  Once again, 26 was the magic number as 14 kids competed in the 4th & Up section, while 12 played in the K-3 section.

Roman Ryker tried to match his older brother’s success from the SAQ but was struck down by Samantha Glover in round 1. Samantha and her brother Elliot were visiting from Oklahoma.

The tournament came down to an epic finish between two of Ben Simon’s students: Tanish Sreedharan and Callan Sukanek. Callan was the favorite as he has USCF experience while Tanish has none. Mid-way through the game, Tanish was doing great as he was up a queen. But Callan checked him with the rook on the back row. With the king not having an escape square, Tanish was left with a choice. Block the check with either the knight or the queen, and Tanish suspiciously chose the latter. The game got even crazier as Callan chose not to capture the queen, but to protect the rook with one of his “two” dark-squared bishops! Tanish made the exchange and quickly proceeded to show Callan how a real back rank checkmate is delivered. Tanish won a free membership to the Chess Club.

In the 4th & Up section, Matthew Yee finished first to add 6 month’s to his family’s club membership.

SwissSys Standings. Kids Beginner: Open

SwissSys Standings. Kids Beginner: 4th & Up

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Clik here to view.Julian Proleiko and Diamond Shakoor each captured a trophy at the Royal Rumble bash, held at the Chess Club over the weekend.

Julian Proleiko blasted away the combatants at the Royal Rumble Bash, held at the Chess Club on July 13. Julian recently returned from a trip to Russia, where he got a chance to attend a round of the Tal Memorial Super Tournament in Moscow. He even received an autograph from the World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen at the event. 

Julian must have picked up a few tips while he was there as he went unchallenged throughout the day. “Call child services on this kid”, commented a parent as Julian easily handled each of his opponents. He has now shot up to the “A” Class, but no one expects him to stay there long as he's already got his sights set on becoming an expert.

The Van Scoys traveled to the contest all the way from Ohio. Both Gavin and Ellison went home happy as they both earned a trophy. Diamond Shakoor added another trophy to her pile. Erik Ely smashed his rook on the back row for a last round comeback checkmate. Ely won the U800 trophy. Jeffrey Ying came out of nowhere to claim the U600 prize. The Chalis showed up late to the clash. But the brother and sister duo ended up taking home two trophies from the Bash.

The last “Bash” of the summer will be held on August 13th right after a week of chess Summer Camps. Click here to register or for more information!

SwissSys Standings: Royal Rumble Bash

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Clik here to view.Julian Proleiko has been rapidly rising up the rating list over the past year. He picked up almost 80 points at the Barber.

By Brian Jerauld, special to the Beacon

Three St. Louis kids represented Missouri on the national stage this week as they competed in elite, invitational scholastic events as part of the U.S. Open in Madison, Wisc.

The U.S. Open Championship is a national tournament that has been held annually since 1900. The “Open” in the title means anyone can register and play. Whereas cash prizes often lead the desire to compete in any event – and this one is no slouch, with $50,000 up for grabs – the overall winner of the U.S. Open is also guaranteed a spot in the U.S. Closed Championship, the invitation-only competition for the national crown, which the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis has hosted for the past five years and will do so again in 2014.

The tournament is an annual focus for many of the game’s greats. Reuben Fine all but owned the event through the 1930s, winning it seven times, as did Pal Benko – of the Benko Gambit – who notched eight titles through the ‘60s and ‘70s. Bobby Fischer won the event in 1957. Another winner was the St. Louis Chess Club’s resident Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, who tied for first in 1985. Seirawan later won the event outright in 1990. Ben Finegold, who also served as the club’s resident GM, won the Open in 1994 and again in 2007.

With more than 500 participants expected for 2013, the U.S. Open has evolved into a chess festival of sorts, featuring a host of side events including blitz and “Bughouse” tournaments, and several national scholastic events -- where our local students took aim this week. ...

Click here to visit the St. Louis Beacon for the whole story.

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Clik here to view.

Single-round tickets and ticket packages for the 2013 Sinquefield Cup are now available for purchase on the Chess Club's online store. Tickets will be held at will call at the front desk. This year, two different Grandmaster commentary teams will be on site to offer play-by-play, insight and analysis, so spectators will have plenty of options to enjoy the exciting tournament action of the 2013 Sinquefield Cup. Purchase your tickets now! A full press release with more in-depth information is coming soon, so stay tuned!

Click here for more information about this event!

Ticket Packages

Click here to purchase tickets from the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

Schedule of Events

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Clik here to view.GM Ronen Har-Zvi delivered summer camp instruction at the Chess Club the week prior to our final scholastic tournament of the summer.

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis hosted its final scholastic tourney of the summer with the Back-to-School Bash following a week of summer camps. The field of 34 featured six new USCF members.

Round 1 went by quickly and Sansh Kumar, rated just 109, finished the round with a 600-point upset when he back-rank checkmated his opponent (who probably should have taken the time to watch GM Yasser Seirawan's Chess for Beginners lesson on back-rank checkmates!)

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Controversy ensued in round 2. Zeve Burton “checkmated” his opponent with his pinned queen. His opponent eventually figured out it was not checkmate and won Zeve’s queen. Zeve was not dissuaded, and kept fighting and delivered an official checkmate. Sansh Kumar scored another huge upset.

In round 3, the better players were paired against each other. Charlie Pitt played the No. 1 seed to a draw. Samuel Chen, fresh off of a strong performance at the August Action, knocked off a player rated in the 1000s. Wilson Gao finally ended Sansh Kumar’s upset streak.

In round 4, three players were 3-0. Wilson Gao, Samuel Chen and Ben Liu. Liu’s extra rook proved to be a deciding factor in his victory, and Samuel Chen added to the No. 1’s demise as he joined Liu in the winner’s circle. Samuel Chen took the 1st-place trophy on tiebreakers over Ben Liu.

After a week of Summer Camp at the CCSCSL, Braden Starck was poised to win the Top U800 trophy.

Sansh Kumar gained over 200 points advancing to 319 and gobbling up the Top U600 trophy.

Arjun Puri played strong and was rewarded with the Top U400 trophy.

Charlie Rosenzweig outperformed the other new players as he won the Top Unrated trophy.

After the event, 10 kids stuck around for the nine-round USCF rated Blitz Round Robin. Each competitor played every opponent in the field once. With illegal moves ending the games, the event was sure to be exciting. Because kids are more interested in making threats than protecting against attacks, half of the games ended by disqualification.

Arjun Puri, ranked in the bottom half of the field, started slow, adjusted and caught fire to capture the 1st-place trophy. “Arjun is the real deal,” said his teacher Mike Kummer. “To be playing this good at such a young age is remarkable feat. With the resources in the Saint Louis area, there is no ceiling for these talented kids.”  Kummer also was referencing another one of his students, Charlie Pitt, who finished tied for first in the event but settled for the 2nd-place trophy on tiebreaks.

SwissSys Standings. Blitz: Kids

SwissSys Standings. Back-to-School Bash: Open

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Clik here to view.Wesley So has switched federations to the United States.

By Brian Jerauld

This article was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on June 11.

They say good things come to those who wait. Unfortunately, that’s shaping up to be true.

Wesley So, the 15th highest-rated chess player in the world with a FIDE rating of 2744, recently announced his intentions to switch to the U.S. Chess Federation (from the Philippines’ federation) for reasons rather obvious: He’s already here -- and he seems to like it.So is the 20-year-old Filipino phenom who led Webster University’s world-class chess team to back-to-back national titles in his first two years here in St. Louis. He is the eighth-youngest grandmaster in history, as well as one of the fastest-ever to reach the 2600-rating plateau. And since his arrival in the U.S., So has kicked his game up to another gear appropriate to the next-level of chess he has recently entered.

So will make a huge impact representing the U.S. on the international scene -- as the addition of any top-20 world player would -- dramatically increasing American chances to medal in Chess Olympiads and World Team Chess Championships. ...

Click here to read the rest of the story on stlpublicradio.org.

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Clik here to view.

By Mike Kummer

The Summer Slam Bash kicked off the Chess Club’s Summer Scholastic Tournament Series. A total of 22 kids in grades K-8 competed for the nine different trophies.  When No. 1-ranked Ronit Kirumaki arrived at the tournament Hall late, a murmur rolled through the tournament playing hall. “There goes my chance at first place,” whispered one student.Others just begrudgingly cried, “Not Ronit!”  Ronit’s first victim of the day was Alexander Lundy. Alexander objected to how fast Ronit was moving. So Ronit played it cool, and took his time in carving out the victory. But Ronit wasn't the only oen who came to play. Kids’ Beginner winner Charlie Pitt had so many pieces surrounding his opponents’ king when checkmate occurred, it was comical.  Ben Liu crushed his round 1 opponent, and Aaradhya Diwan scored the only upset of the first round.

In round 2, Ronit marched on, Ben defeated the youngest player in the field, Alexander got on the scoreboard, and Charlie  came through in the endgame. Aaradhya took down another higher-rated player to score a second staright upset. 

In round 3, Ronit put an end to Charlie’s dreams of the championship.  Ben advanced to 3-0, and Alexander  got the better of the youngest student this time around. The only question was, could Aaradhya keep his upset streak alive against a player rated 400 points higher?  The game went down to the wire.  Aaradhya had no winning chances as he had just a bishop vs. his opponent’s lone rook.  But Aaradhya ran his king to the corner, so whenever his opponent checked him he would just block with the bishop. It sounds like a strange strategy, but it worked. His opponent couldn’t break through the little defense set-up and a draw was agreed.

In round 4, Ronit  took on Ben, who repeatedly asked for a draw, but Ronit just kept pressing and won.  “Rocket” Ronit took home the Championship.  Before the tournament, he joked that he would gain four points from the tournament but instead only got one improving his rating to a robust 1822.  It’s no surprise that Ronit won: He takes full advantage of living in the Chess Capital of the United States. Ronit plays in every adult tournament at the club and all the Friday Action Quads. He's also very active on the Chess Club Ladder, and regularly attends the Grandmaster lectures. That’s the reason “Rocket” Ronit’s rating has blasted from 764 to a whopping 1822 in 15 months.

Aaradhya took clear second place (3.5/4) after scoring another upset victory, this time agaisnt Charlie . He increased his rating from 350 to 730. Aaradhya has been taking Grandmaster lessons to get better and is a regular at the Friday Action Quads.  

Alexander continued his surge to finish with 3 points.  He took home the Top U800 prize despite being rated just 384. He improved his rating to 608.

The next scholastic tournament, The Royal Rumble Bash, is Saturday, July 5.  The Friday Action Quads are every Friday night from 7-9:30.  The entry fee is just $10 and the winner of each Quad earns $36.  Players are seeded into their four-player section by rating.  The three rounds are USCF quick rated as each side has 20 minutes to start. 

The Chess Club offers plenty of opportunites to keep those studetns sharp throughout the summer. Come on by to see all of our great summer programming!

SwissSys Standings. Summer Slam Bash: Open

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Clik here to view.Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Garry Kasparov watch as Jeffrey Xiong and Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) make their next move at the first-ever Congressional Chess Match in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/AP)

Members of the Congressional Chess Caucus Competed to Highlight the Educational Benefits of Chess 

WASHINGTON D.C. (June 19, 2014) – Members of the newly formed Congressional Chess Caucus competed in the first Congressional Chess Tournament to promote the game’s educational benefits, and they had a little help from some of the nation’s top junior chess players. 

Students from the Young Stars – Team U.S.A. program helped coach congressional representatives throughout the match. The students were in town for a series of intensive training sessions with legendary World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov. 

The chess match started out with a few ceremonial first moves between Kasparov, who played for the Republicans, and Rex Sinquefield, the founder of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).

Then Congressional Chess Caucus co-sponsors Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO) and Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) played out the first half of the game before handing it over to Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO). After 38 moves and almost an hour of play, the Republican team emerged victorious.

“Today was a milestone for American chess,” Kasparov said. “This event will help to continue to raise awareness of the many educational benefits of chess.”

The CCSCSL and the Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF) launched the Young Stars program in 2012 to help develop the top American chess prodigies from across the United States. The Young Stars present at the event included Kayden Troff, 16, of West Jordan, Utah; Sam Sevian, 13 of Southbridge, Mass.; Jeffrey Xiong, 13, of Coppell, Tex.; and Ashritha Eswaran, 13 of San Jose. Three of the four prodigies will compete in the Junior Closed Championship from June 19-29 at the CCSCSL.

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Clik here to view.Back row L to R: Jeffrey Xiong, Kayden Troff, Rex Sinquefield,Sam Sevian and Ashritha Eswaran; Front, center: Garry Kasparov (Photo by Paul Morigi/AP)

The Congressional Chess Caucus was established to encourage schools and community centers to engage in chess programs that encourage critical thinking and problem solving skills.

“Chess stimulates the intellect and interest of our nation’s young people and helps them develop critical thinking and discipline,” said Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay.  “The tournament we are hosting today demonstrates what happens every day in schools and community centers in St. Louis and around the country.  The World Chess Hall of Fame and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis are two jewels in the heart of my congressional district, and I am so proud to represent them.”

In May, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution recognizing St. Louis as the nation’s chess capital. The news came just days after the announcement of the formation of the first-ever Congressional Chess Caucus. 

“We have Congressional sport tournaments to highlight the role sports play in teaching teamwork and commitment, so we thought it equally as important to highlight the benefits of chess and chess programming around the country,” said Congressman Jason Smith.  “In Missouri, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis works to improve social interaction, increase math and science scores among students, and give at-risk kids skills to be proud of. 

“Chess has been a tremendous tool in building community in Missouri.  It is the goal of the Congressional Chess Caucus to encourage schools and community centers nation-wide to engage in chess programs that bring the educational values of chess to underserved schools, districts, rural and urban communities, and populations throughout the country.”

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Clik here to view.Left to Right. Jeffrey Xiong, Kayden Troff, Rex Sinquefield, Sam Sevian and Ashritha Eswaran, with Garry Kasparov, seated.

By Brian Jerauld

This story was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on June 18.

Thursday night marks the opening ceremony of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, the national title event for the top players under 21. The tournament is the third installment of America’s Championships annually hosted by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, a parallel to the U.S. Championship and Women’s event, which took place simultaneously last month.

The event suffers from the same shortfall of attention as any junior-varsity sport -- you won’t see fans travel as they will for the U.S. Championships -- though it’s not a necessarily fair application here. Inferior, lower-level play that may otherwise mar the viewing pleasure of another sport brings quite the opposite to chess: Mistakes are how the game thrives, a constant battle between opportunity both created and missed, leaving this “almost-there” level event as a regular hidden gem for fanatics.

Annually, the Junior Closed delivers excellent drama, setting up big-stage pressure under lights that shine on ambitious risk. The tournament features regular tactical brilliance -- any one round could surprise explosively or implosively -- and as a result, storylines stay deep and tension-filled throughout the tournament. ...

Click here to read the full story on stlpublicradio.org.

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Clik here to view.Sam Sevian is just one GM norm away from shattering the record as the youngest-ever grandmaster in U.S. history. (Paul Morigi/AP Images)

By Brian Jerauld

SAINT LOUIS (June 19, 2014) -- The 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, the national title fight for players under 21, held its opening ceremonies on Thursday night at the host Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The ceremony marked the fifth consecutive year the event has been held at the iconic midwest venue, which has given away over $1M in prizes in hosting the trifecta of American title events - including the U.S. and Women’s Championships - since opening in 2008.

This year’s Junior Closed offers a prize pool of more than $10,000 to ten of the nation’s top youths, with the winner earning $3,000 as well as an invitation to the 2015 U.S. Championship. The first move is Friday at 1:00 p.m. local.The 2014 field of young stars is being headlined by just that: The Young Stars - Team USA is a five-year grant program partnership with the Kasparov Chess Foundation that began in 2012 to help develop several American prodigies. True to the program’s design, three of those Young Stars -- GM Kayden Troff, IM Sam Sevian and IM Jeffrey Xiong -- represent the top-three seeds of this year’s Junior Closed, according to FIDE.

Pairings round 1 

Troff, 16, is the lone grandmaster in the field after earning the elite title just last month, after reaching a 2500 FIDE rating at last month’s Chicago Open; while Sevian, 13, has collected two GM norms toward the title -- and still with a year-and-a-half left to break the record as the youngest American GM in history. This year’s event marks the third appearance for Xiong, 13, who has padded more than 60 points onto his rating since last year.

All three should enter extremely polished after just completing a rigorous training session with Kasparov himself in Washington D.C. earlier this week, as part of the program. There, in between training, Kasparov and his Young Stars visited Capitol Hill to help promote chess’ educational benefits to members of Congress. The students helped coach members of a newly formed Congressional Chess Caucus through the first-ever Congressional Chess Tournament that pitted Republicans versus Democrats.

The opening ceremony for the Junior Closed featured CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich, who congratulated the players as being role models in American chess, noting that each of them will likely commit 12 hours per day to chess between play and study through the nine-round event. The ceremony also featured a welcoming by Rex Sinquefield, founder of the CCSCSL and sponsor for each of the U.S. Championships. Sinquefield, who also made the trip to D.C., lauded the Young Stars for their efforts in raising awareness to the benefits of chess, as well as helping the Republicans take down the Democrats -- even though Sinquefield was begrudgingly placed on the Democrat team.

Each round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed will see its first move daily at 1:00 p.m. local, beginning Friday through June 29, with a rest day on Wednesday. The tournament will be streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman.

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Clik here to view.Justus Williams scored a huge first-round upset of Sam Sevian, the tourney's No. 2 seed.

By Brian Jerauld

SAINT LOUIS (June 21, 2014) -- A day of decisive results marked the opening round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, the national title for players under 21, with all five matches finding their way to victory.

Tallying first-day points were top-seed GM Kayden Troff and IM Jeffrey Xiong -- two players in the Kasparov Chess Foundation’s Young Stars program -- though their third teammate suffered an early shocker. IM Sam Sevian, the tournament’s second seed, had his peculiar line of the Sicilian wrestled away by FM Justus Williams, who turned the action into a French defense before his d-pawn rampaged to b2 for an ultimately fatal queening threat.

“Going into the game, I thought he was going to play slow and try to grind me out,” said Williams, who scored more than a 150-point upset over Sevian. “Somehow I was able to change positions from Sicilian to a French, and I felt that kind of leveled the playing field a bit. I created some more imbalances, and that allowed me to get an advantage.”

Also winning the first round was FM Josh Colas, who notched a 150+ point upset of his own over IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti; as well as FM Michael Bodek over NM Matthew Larson. Click here for a replay of the live play-by-play of the first round.

Ranking after round 1

Things looked odd early with 3. Bc4 in a Sicilian by Sevian, normally honest in the main lines, to see Williams respond with a quick 3...d6 -- immediately introducing a French flavor. White’s awkward bishop moved three times in the first 10 moves, and Sevian kicked off an early tactical shot with 14. Ne5 that ultimately won him a rook for a knight-and-pawn -- though not necessarily the advantage.

“I felt that if I didn’t sacrifice the exchange, he would just grind me out and there would be no real way for me to play,” Williams said, who abandoned his rook to 16. Nxf6. “But it just made playing easier. Two or three moves later, he started taking a lot of time and then he wasn’t playing the most accurate moves -- so I started feeling like that exchange sac had worked.”

Indeed, Williams’ gamble turned into a quick payout after his 19...d4 slashed its way to 20...dxc3 and 21...cxb2, applying heavy restraint on the white army to stop its advance. Sevian’s defense soon collapsed.

Adding concern to the upset is Sevian’s looming second-round match on Saturday against top-seed Troff -- who can share in some of his Young Stars teammate’s pain.

“I have a lot of friends that I’ve gotten to know as I’ve grown up in this chess environment, but as far as Team U.S.A., with me and Sam and Jeffrey, we’ve gone to a lot of different places to see each other and play each other and support each other,” Troff said. “I think, in a way, we’ve got to kind of prove something here: One of us needs to try and walk away with (the Junior Closed title). We’re trying to be the people that win these things.”

Troff suffered a first-round upset in last-year’s Junior Closed, which ultimately derailed his title intentions despite being one of the entering favorites.

“It’s tough: (Williams) is a strong player, but he is one of the lower ratings in this field. To start off with white -- maybe take a draw, but you don’t want to walk away with a loss like that. For me last year, it was really hard to get back into shape. As far as just morale and what it does to your head, it’s tough. I can definitely relate in that aspect.

“I’m playing him tomorrow so I guess I’ll be getting the side effects from that, maybe good or bad; I guess we’ll see.”

Troff’s first-round win as black over FM Arthur Shen came from his standard Grunfeld defense, with a rather surprising 8...a5 and 9...b5 and an early queenside pawn storm. Troff credited the rush as a line that offers several pawn break opportunities down the road, including 15. c5 which cracked a sharp middlegame open.

Colas had heard about Harmon-Vellotti’s reputation as a tactical magician in last year’s Junior Closed, and even suffered a loss to such tricks in Las Vegas’ North American Open -- creating a seemingly easy plan for revenge on Friday.

“I just tried to change his style on the board,” Colas said of Harmon-Vellotti. “Luke is a very ambitious, tactical person, whereas I’m kind of a positional player. I was looking at a few Gata Kamsky matches before the game, and I didn’t see any of Luke’s games against the London System -- I knew it was a better fit to my style than his.”

Indeed, Harmon-Vellotti found little initiative against Colas’ London setup, suffering through the slow-crawler-of-an opening and forcing the issue with 12...Ne4. It put white instantly on the offensive, with Colas’ 18. Rxd8 evoking a mistake out of Harmon-Vellotti. The response 18...Rxd8, instead of recapturing with the bishop, left the black a-pawn hanging. Colas grabbed the advantage and began liquidation, eventually picking up another stacked pawn on the e-file and rolling toward checkmate.

Each round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed will see its first move daily at 1:00 p.m. local, beginning Friday through June 29, with a rest day on Wednesday. The tournament will be streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman.

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GM Kayden Troff looks to be in top form through the first two rounds of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship.

By Brian Jerauld

SAINT LOUIS (June 22, 2014) -- Historically, the Sicilian defense may be known as one of the best-scoring responses to the 1. e4 attack. But not today.

In the second round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, four out of five games saw black answering in the classic resistance, though white was able to smash through all but one. Saturday brought another decision-filled afternoon, with just a single draw -- the first of the tournament through 10 games -- as the Najdorf by FM Arthur Shen held up against FM Michael Bodek.

IM Jeffrey Xiong won against FM Josh Colas’ Sicilian to remain perfect through two rounds, and both IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti and IM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy found their way through the line to earn their first points of the event.

Also remaining perfect and in front was GM Kayden Troff who, despite only two rounds into the event, looks to be in full stride. The tournament’s top seed won with swagger on Saturday, mauling his closest challenger by rating, IM Sam Sevian, in a lopsided affair that saw both an early advantage on the clock -- 40 minutes after 10 moves -- as well as one on the board. The loss leaves No. 2-seed Sevian scoreless in the event. Click here for a replay of the live play-by-play of the second round.

Rankings after round 2

In the day’s only non-Sicilian, Troff dropped 4. e3 as a surprise in a Queen’s Gambit, unbalancing Sevian early. After playing his Young Stars teammate “20 million times” between training games and event matchups, Troff said he was hit with the opening inspiration just the night before -- an idea he later confirmed in preparation thanks to a game between GMs Vladimir Kramnik and Levon Aronian from the 2014 Candidates Tournament.

“It’s always a struggle -- you play someone again and again, and you both become very familiar with all the little things that you both do,” Troff said. “(4. e3) just kind of hit me last night: Maybe I could do this and take him out of what he knows, just by changing up the move order. The more I looked at it, the more it became a good idea.”

The early surprise leached gobs of time from Sevian, who dropped below 40 minutes from his original 90 as he thought on 11. Bc2 -- while the 30-second per-move increment had left Troff with more time than he began. Troff also earned himself a wonderfully harmonious position, while black’s queenside rook and bishop stayed awkwardly undeveloped; 17...Nh5 even put a knight on the rim.

“I think I went through a similar thing when we played here last year: I was black, and (Sevian) smashed me out of the opening -- and I think it was from not really fully knowing all of these subtle ideas,” Troff said. “That game went very similar to this one today: good position early and just winning a few moves later.”

After 20. Bd4, Troff’s time advantage had increased to nearly 70 minutes, as Sevian fell below 2 minutes and soon after began playing off the increment. Collapse was swift and thorough.

In a match pitting two first-day leaders, Xiong issued his own early surprise to FM Josh Colas with 3. g3 -- a not-so-popular line in the Sicilian with which Xiong said he was comfortably familiar.

White earned a decent advantage out of the opening, partially due to the awkward development of black’s dark-squared bishop, who moved three times in the first ten moves -- and again after Xiong’s 14. Nf6 helped escape a surprise attack on the white queen.

By the time Colas completed his laggy development with 17...Bd7, Xiong’s open-lane-filled position was ready for attack, sweeping his rook to the seventh rank and picking up a material advantage with 23. Rxb7.

“When (Colas) played 17...Bd7 right away, I felt I was in a clearly better position and was able to win quite handily,” Xiong said. “The endgame it went into was pretty comfortable -- I couldn’t relax just yet, but I felt that with precies moves, I should be able to get it.”

The endgame featured bishops of the opposite color and white’s advantage as a queenside rook pawn - a tough, but winnable, position made clearer after Colas dropped another pawn in time trouble.

In Saturday’s second matchup between first-day leaders, Ostrovskiy as white was able to outmuscle FM Justus Williams despite walking himself into an all-too familiar “playable disadvantage” -- a Taimanov variation that had recently brought Ostrovskiy a crushing loss in the Chicago Open.

Inspired by the game, Williams earned more than just equalization, but also a far-more pleasant position entering the middlegame as Ostrovskiy was left reacting against black’s plans.

“When we got out of the opening stage, it just became hard for me to formulate a plan -- my moves were just kind of responses to his ideas,” Ostrovskiy said. “Most of my moves were directed in that regard, then I finally found this idea in a pseudo-sacrifice with Nd5 that my opponent missed, which allowed me to go from a disadvantage to a sizable advantage.”

Opposite-side castling brought pawn storms to both wings, and Ostrovskiy’s 20. fxe5 kicked off some nifty tactical action that saw a white knight hop back-and-forth onto the black-controlled d5 square.

The tricks ultimately left white with a dangerous passer on d5, which became a monster after finding support from 33. c4 and the white bishop. Ostrovskiy liquidated toward their advance.

Each round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed will see its first move daily at 1:00 p.m. CT through June 29, with a rest day on Wednesday. The tournament will be streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman.

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IM Sam Sevian, one of the pre-tournament favorites, got on the board with a victory over FM Michael Bodek in round 3.

By Brian Jerauld

SAINT LOUIS (June 23, 2014) -- The U.S. Junior Closed is playing into its familiar theme: Guess what happens next.

The 2014 national championship for players under 21, which began Friday at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, kicked off with several shocker upsets and has since proven extremely decisive -- with only four draws through 15 games -- leaving the first weekend of the 9-round, round-robin event more like a sprint through a minefield.

Sunday’s third round saw three of those draws, though the afternoon proved to be the most-exciting day of action yet. Four out of five boards entered simultaneous clock pressure as they neared their respective 40-move time controls, each of them at tense moments in their games, resulting in several dramatic pendulum swings between unclear outcomes.

Leading the event is GM Kayden Troff and IM Jeffrey Xiong (2.5/3), though both had their perfect starts checked down in the third round. Troff got away from the book early on Sunday but could not topple FM Justus Williams, whose half-point against the tournament’s lone grandmaster combines with his first-round upset over IM Sam Sevian for 1.5 points against the field’s top two seeds. Further proving the parity of the event, Xiong could not work an advantage against low-seed NM Matt Larson -- who, forced to move with two seconds left on his clock, missed 40. Rd5 as an instant winner -- but still scored his first half-point of the tournament against its leader.

Also finally scoring was Sevian, who had shockingly suffered two losses through the first two rounds, but was able to regain some composure against FM Michael Bodek on Sunday to tally a full point. IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti (2/3) went from bad to worse to winning in his patient victory over FM Arthur Shen, making it two in a row for the 2013 runner-up and moving him into clear second. IM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy and FM Josh Colas walked through the tournament’s only straightforward draw; both share in a four-way tie for third with 1.5/3.

Click here for a replay of the live play-by-play of the third round.

Crosstable after Round 3

In Saturday’s second round, Shen had lost his way in a clear mating attack and was forced to settle for a draw -- but he wasn’t even that fortunate when he lost track on Sunday. Shen opened up with a considerable advantage, causing Harmon-Vellotti’s French defense to look awkward from the start with a badly cramped back rank. With the black monarch isolated on the kingside, Shen’s 17. Ng5 was more than writing on the wall.

“After Ng5, I’m just getting checkmated pretty much,” Harmon-Vellotti said. “Or at the least I have to give up a lot of material, but even then my pieces were hard to get over to the kingside to protect. After Ng5, I knew it looked pretty bad for me.”

The move kicked off a fluid assault for Shen, including a tactic-inducing 22. Bf6, and ultimately earned the exchange at 22...Rxc5 from Harmon-Vellotti to relieve some pressure. Shen’s 24. g4 further chased black’s forces backward -- but then his downhill roll went off the cliff. Shen’s follow-up 25. g5 was an overextension, allowing 26...Neg6, which helped Harmon-Vellotti to immediately stall the mating attack. The error also trapped Shen’s bishop, losing it for compensation that only exposed black’s king, though not enough. Harmon-Vellotti was able to reorganize his own attack, pinning a white rook on the long diagonal to win back the exchange. He easily moved through a rook-and-pawn endgame.

Sevian wore the face of pure relief after Sunday’s win over Bodek. One of the pre-tournament favorites, Sevian admitted he had entered the third-round in a “must-win” state after his shocking 0-2 start. Bodek challenged Sevian’s psyche immediately with a suspicious -- yet apparently prepped -- 2...g5.

“When he played it, I thought he just played it out of the blue,” Sevian said of Bodek’s opening surprise. “But afterward, he told me he had prepared g5 against me -- not deep preparation, though. I’m not sure g5 can be prepared that deeply.”

Sevian delayed his attention from it, instead completing development amidst a drastically closed board that went to the 21st move before the first capture. His first probe of the obscure pawn came at 12. h4, beckoning 12...g4 and rerouting the white knight to 14. Nd3 where it became choice. By 20...Ba8, black had become locked behind the board and sat waiting for white’s attack, of which Sevian complied with a strike toward the exposed kingside. Despite how long it took for the first capture to arrive, liquidation quickly followed.

Though Sevian was leaning on his advantage, time pressure took clear control of the game and left the outcome temporarily in doubt. After 30. Be4, both players were below a minute on their clocks, kicking off a frantic race toward time control on the 30-second per-move increment. Just before his bonus 30 minutes, Sevian dropped a pawn at 39. Qxh5.

The additional time, however, was enough to tip balance back toward the stronger player in the difficult endgame. Sevian capitalized after 44...h4? left nearly everything hanging and 47. Qa8! won the black queen.

Each round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed will see its first move daily at 1:00 p.m. CT through June 29, with a rest day on Wednesday. The tournament will be streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman.

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Jeffrey Xiong, 13, is playing in his third U.S. Junior Closed Championship in Saint Louis.

By Brian Jerauld

SAINT LOUIS (June 24, 2014) -- Experience is starting to pay dividends -- on the board and in the standings.

13-year-old IM Jeffrey Xiong, in his third Junior Closed Championship appearance, played with relaxed confidence on Monday despite leading a heavy mating assault through unclear waters. Xiong as white set the theme early with a 14. Nxe6 sacrifice, immediately exposing and launching siege on FM Arthur Shen’s uncastled king -- initiating a tension-filled game that demanded some act-like-you’ve-been-there posturing.

“Experience has been big,” Xiong said. “The first few times I played (in the Junior Closed), I haven’t been as comfortable and as confident as I feel now. Probably one or two years ago, I wouldn’t have been as confident in sacrificing a piece like I did in today’s game.”

Xiong was unrelenting in his pressure, however, finally breaking through with 32. Qh5+ as the first of seven consecutive checks on Shen’s king to collapse the black resistance.

The win sets Xiong (3.5/4) as the tournament’s first clear leader, with the Dallas star remaining undefeated and plus-3 after four rounds. Also winning on Monday was IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti (3/4), last year’s Junior Closed runner-up, who has now put together three consecutive victories -- the latest after cracking open a slight rook-and-pawn endgame advantage over IM Sam Sevian. Harmon-Vellotti’s win moves him into a second-place tie with GM Kayden Troff (3/4), who lost his share of the lead after Monday’s draw with IM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy.

Xiong’s accelerated pace also breaks the three frontrunners away from rest of the pack, as a four-way tie for fourth sits a full point behind (2/4) the leader group.

Crosstable after Round 4

It is no longer a secret that Sevian (1/4) is having a rough tournament, now minus-three across four rounds after seeing breakdowns in all phases of his game -- this latest to Harmon-Vellotti in the form of an endgame collapse.

Normally a traditionalist to the main lines, Sevian as black managed an early surprise with 3. Nf6 and the Ruy Lopez-Berlin, immediately throwing Harmon-Vellotti out of preparation. Sevian was quick through his new line, earning the bishop pair at the expense of slow development.

The game stayed balanced throughout and brought little excitement to the middlegame, which several times offered lines into drawing endgames. As the game neared its finale, however, Sevian may have held the superior minor piece, but Harmon-Vellotti was able to fully isolate black’s remaining pawns with 23. exf6 -- and white’s f-, g- and h-pawn unit still dangerously in tact.

“I felt like the endgame was about equal, but as I looked at it more and more, I liked my position more and more,” Harmon-Vellotti said. “I think I just had more chances to play for a win; it was hard for (Sevian) to play, though I wasn’t sure exactly where he went wrong. Once he drops that f5 pawn, though, then I’m just winning after that. Two connected, passed f- and g-pawns are too strong.”

Indeed, Sevian’s 39. Kd5 in time trouble was a move to the wrong side of the board, setting up Harmon-Vellotti’s 40. Re5+. The move forked white’s king and f-pawn just at time control, leaving Sevian with ample time to look over his lost position. The game was played 62 moves, all the way to checkmate.

FMs Michael Bodek and Justus Williams played each other to a wonderful fighting draw, with both sides playing for wins -- and both players coming up just short of tempo to finish their attacks. Bodek’s shocking 2...g5?! from his game against Sevian a day earlier -- as “one of those moves you always want to play, but always talk yourself out of” -- showed that the 16-year-old was there for a fight over the board and not out of the book, and Williams was happy to oblige.

Bodek as white began in the Chekhover variation of the Sicilian, moving his queen early with 4. Qxd4, but then forfeiting the bishop pair with 6. Bxc6. White looked to load up on black’s backwards e6-pawn, but missed Williams’ 14...Nxe4 that forced some tactical liquidation.

“At first I was upset with myself for missing that tactic, as I thought I got nothing out of it, but then I realized I still had a slight pull on the position,” Bodek said. “I just felt like I had a big positional edge before Nxe4, and I felt like that all evaporated. But he had so many weak pawns on the kingside, I felt that if I could activate my pieces, I might be able to maintain a strong edge.”

Bodek was able to activate and begin an assault on the black kingside, but Williams stood stout, finding some liquidation and even winning a pawn with 29. Rxh4 -- though it left the black rook temporarily sitting out of the action. Bodek earned it back quickly, however, with a nifty 32. Rxe5 (32...fxe5? 33. Qxf5+ Qg6 34. Qxh4) and began to cramp the black king. Caught in time trouble, however, Bodek missed 37. g3, instead choosing to repeat moves with his queen to make time control. The decision allowed Williams back to 36...Rf4, laying attack on the f2-pawn and leaving Bodek just one tempo short of mate. The game drew after 50 moves.

“I was never in any risk of losing -- I could always perpetually check him,” Bodek said. “My king was safe, it just wasn’t safe enough for me to move my rook up and find that checkmate.”

Each round of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed will see its first move daily at 1:00 p.m. CT through June 29, with a rest day on Wednesday. The tournament will be streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman.

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Ben Finegold and Aviv Friedman interview Matt Larson after his round 5 victory over Alex Ostrovskiy.

By Brian Jerauld

SAINT LOUIS (June 25, 2014) -- The bottom’s up in round 5 of the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship.

Heading into the round, the standings’ top-three leaders had begun to break away, separating themselves from the rest of the field by a full point -- but on Tuesday those front-runners were suddenly reminded: Not so fast. The bottom three players in the standings combined for three points, while the top three scored just a half-point.

Tournament leader IM Jeffrey Xiong was dealt his first defeat after getting bit by IM Sam Sevian, the second seed and pre-tournament favorite who had lurked dangerously in the bottom of the standings after finding three losses through the first four rounds. Sevian looked like his old self for at least Tuesday, patiently squeezing out Xiong’s Sicilian by positionally strangling him right from the start.

Also slipping was the tournament’s lone GM Kayden Troff, who fell with the white pieces in his first loss of the event to FM Michael Bodek. The two front-runner defeats gave a serious shake to the standings just past the halfway mark, moving Bodek up with Troff in second place, and allowing IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti to catch pace in front after mustering the day’s only draw to FM Justus Williams.

The back of the standings saw a good shuffle as well on Tuesday: FM Arthur Shen took out some frustrations rather convincingly against FM Josh Colas, while NM Matt Larson -- the tournament’s wildcard and lowest-seed -- drummed up a fantastic win over IM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy. The players enjoy a rest day on Wednesday.

Crosstable after Round 5

There weren’t many fireworks in Bodek’s upset over Troff on Tuesday, just simply a slow push back against the grandmaster until he toppled. In fact, Troff looked to achieve what he wanted out of the opening, earning a small advantage in a Catalan. On the surface, Bodek’s 15...Qg5 looked questionable, immediately chased by Troff’s 16. h4 to seemingly isolate the black queen -- though it ultimately proved to unbalance the position.

“I thought Qg5 was a pretty dynamic move,” Bodek said. “I couldn’t really be trapped -- at most pushed around a lot -- but it put pressure on those pawns in the middle. I thought it was a good move, though who knows what the computer will say. It definitely forced the issue.”

Pushing around the black queen may have served as part of white’s fall, as Troff’s 19. Bf3 chased her away -- though blocked f4 as a defender to white’s e5 pawn. It allowed Bodek to reroute, finding two moves backwards including 20...Nd7 to win the overextended pawn on the next move.

Troff immediately bailed from the game, forcing liquidation and driving action toward an endgame with opposite-colored bishops. The inclusion of active rooks, however, gave Bodek the advantage.

“I was very happy once we went into a position with opposite-colored bishops,” Bodek said. “Even though it could have meant a draw, it also meant I could push as long as I wanted and couldn’t lose the position. I was worried that I might overlook some fortress, but aside from that, it’s just play calm chess and improve my position. The only time I had to calculate was deciding when to trade rooks.”

The major pieces came off on the 42nd move, revealing Bodek’s king in a monstrous position that fatally disrupted white’s kingside unit.

Larson, having earned his wildcard as a promising local to the host Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, entered the tournament more than a 150-point underdog to the next-closest competitor -- though the 17-year-old has more-than proven he can hang just fine in this elite field.

Larson, who has only been playing chess for four years, scored the highest-rated draw of his career against Xiong in round 3 -- and on Tuesday he notched the highest-rated victory of his career over Ostrovskiy, who outweighed the newcomer by more than 300 rating points.

Larson looked comfortable against Ostrovskiy’s Slav after 4. dxc4, offering a gambit in exchange for white’s strong central control. Ostrovskiy looked to hold his material advantage with 5...b4, but Larson’s 6. b3 further strengthened the white setup, who soon controlled several dangerously open lanes on the queenside. By 11. Nc3, white was ahead in development by several tempe and ready for attack, ushering Ostrovskiy’s first long-think to deal with the impending danger.

Black never found comfort in the game, its forces being shoved backward thanks to white’s central control and its king never finding time to castle. And Ostrovskiy found no more comfort from his clock, which was down to 3 minutes before his 23rd move -- and Larson with a half-hour left.

Ostrovskiy’s 22...cxd4 grabbed a second pawn toward a material advantage, but its exchange of even more tempo brought white’s attack with a full head of steam. Larson’s 28. Rxf7 was the doomsday sacrifice, fully opening black’s defense and bringing a quick end.

“When you’re the lowest-rated player, people feel like they have an obligation to win,” Larson said. “Like Jeffrey Xiong, the other day, played crazy and was losing an endgame that he would never lose to someone like Kayden (Troff).

“I think I just had a good position for the whole game today, and I just kept pressing. It feels good; if my opponent had just blundered and I was up a piece or something, it wouldn’t be as satisfying.”

Shen had just a half-point to show for his solid efforts through the first four rounds of the tournament, several times not finding fruit from clear-winning positions. Against Colas on Tuesday, he saw things through to a convincing end.

His fifth-round match lasted just 21 moves and was likely over well before then, after going hyper-aggressive in an open Sicilian. Colas’ questionable opening consisted of two early moves by the queen -- and seven by pawns through the first 10 moves. His 10. b4 was one too many.

Shen’s fantastic 11. Nd5 offered a sacrifice of the piece in exchange for a vicious attack against black’s drastically underdeveloped king. His 13. c4 beckoned yet another pawn move out of Colas and allowed another open lane for Shen, who brought a second rook into the attack.

By 19. Qxa6, Shen had won back three pawns for his knight and completely owned the queenside -- though he was no longer seeking material.

“I didn’t necessarily prepare Nd5 before the game, but it’s always an idea,” Shen said. “I guess it did look a little dubious, and I’m not sure if that sac was sound, but I’m having a hard time believing white’s not winning there. When he played b4, it just felt wrong to me.

“I felt like I had to play it; this tournament was already not going so well for me, so I thought I’d have some fun. It looked like a position I liked to play.”

Wednesday is a rest day. The 2014 U.S. Junior Closed will resume for the sixth round on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. CT and continue through June 29. Every round is streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman.

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IM Jeffrey Xiong still leads the field with a score of 4.5/6, but faces his toughest test in round 7 agaisnt GM Kayden Troff.

By Brian Jerauld

SAINT LOUIS (June 27, 2014) -- The 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship is a round-robin event, now with a Swiss-system flavor.

Leaders have begun to collide in the late rounds of the U21 national championship, as several predetermined pairings through the tournament’s homestretch are proving favorable toward the Swiss theme.

The fireworks in the front began on a decisive Thursday as GM Kayden Troff, emerging from the rest day with a share of second place, made quick work with the black pieces over then-leader IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti, who gets leapfrogged in the standings down to third. Troff (4/6) now sits in clear second and sets his sights on the tournament’s other leader, IM Jeffrey Xiong (4.5/6), who is momentarily alone in front after squeezing out a win over FM Justus Williams on Thursday.

Set up for Friday afternoon is a clash between the clear leaders, with Xiong and Troff set to square off in round 7 at 1:00 p.m. local. The loss to Harmon-Vellotti (3.5/6) drops him two places from first, setting up today’s match with FM Michael Bodek in a fight for third place. Bodek reached a draw after an exciting battle with IM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy on Thursday.

Crosstable after Round 6

Fool me once: Last year, Harmon-Vellotti made his surprise appearance to the Junior Closed stage with a first-round upset over Troff, the decision setting an early tournament direction for both players. Call it revenge or preparation, Troff wasn’t fooled twice.

Thursday’s match was quickly lopsided, as Harmon-Vellotti with white looked to take preparation away from Troff early, but instead worked himself right into an immediately precarious position. His 2. b3 come as an admitted surprise to his opponent, though not enough to leave the comfort zone.

“He really surprised me with this b3 move,” Troff said. “I’m not sure if what I played was okay, in fact, I don’t think I equalized out of the opening. But at the same time, I did get a playable position -- which was one of my main goals: Just get into a position that is not more one-sided toward my opponent. Even if it’s slightly worse, at least make it a game I can play.”

Troff found more than a playable position after his 9...g5 shifted attention toward white’s kingside castle. Sensing pressure was Harmon-Vellotti’s 12. Kh1, which may have confirmed Troff’s kingside attention and kicked off a black pawn storm.

“(The kingside attack) did start a little bit weird,” Troff said. “I just felt like I should go for it and thought that g5 locks up f4, but it’s still kind of non-committal -- it wasn’t like he had a huge attack against g5. But once he played Kh1, (g5) just made sense, and by that point I can just go for it all. I actually had some real play.”

Indeed, Troff’s storm came fast and furious with 12...h5...g4...h4, completely cracking open white’s protection before launching black’s minor pieces inward. Further unbalancing the position was Harmon-Vellotti’s 16. Bc4, which brought several black trades and ultimately left white’s pawns stacked, scattered and isolated. Troff’s 23...Rxh2 kicked off a forced line to mate and brought resignation.

Known for his penchant to tactics, Williams has flashed several defensive brilliances throughout this tournament and Thursday’s match against Xiong looked like yet another protection of the half point -- until something went amiss in the end.

Xiong said no to Williams’ preparation with his first-ever 3. c3 against the Sicilian, though the opening surprise was admittedly returned to Xiong with with an unexpected 3...d5. What followed was a queenless middlegame fight over the open d-file, bringing quick liquidation and entering a seemingly balanced endgame between the bishop pairs -- though Xiong reported confidence in the position.

“That two-bishop endgame just looked very good for me,” Xiong said. “Good winning chances with no risk of losing, I figured I had about a 50-percent chance of winning and drawing. I think maybe objectively it was a draw, but only by the best play, which is probably only easier to see with a computer. When you’re playing the game, finding those drawing moves is not so easy. He was in a bit of time pressure and made a few errors that decided the game.”

Xiong felt Williams took his biggest step backwards with 27...Bxe3, trading off the dark-squared bishops, and allowing white’s a-pawn to break through for a sprint up the sideline. The threat demanded the attention of both Williams’ king and remaining minor piece, and after Xiong forced the bishops off with 38. Bf3, black’s remaining pawns were left without defense.

Bodek has turned in a solid tournament thus far, holding his spot in third place with Thursday’s only draw of the afternoon -- this one a wonderfully stubborn fight to the end. Ostrovskiy’s Trompowsky attack looked to direct the game into an early strategic and positional battle, though it quickly gained an edge of tactical action.

White’s queenside pawn storm in the early middle game was met with Bodek’s 11...h5...h4 toward an exchange to open up the h-file. His follow-up 15...Rb8 put the rook in position just before Ostrovskiy’s pawn advance opened the b-file. Bodek was able to win the a-pawn, then sealed off white’s center by forcing 25. cxd5 and stacking the file.

Bodek gave back his material advantage with a sacrifice at 26...Nxe3, completely wrecking any intention of white advance. Ostrovskiy’s clock had fallen below 3 minutes still with 20 moves until his bonus time, and he desperately pushed the game through liquidation. When he reached time control, the endgame featured a black with a bishop and two connected-pawn units, versus a bishop, knight and a pawn. The game was agreed to a draw after 59 moves.

The 2014 U.S. Junior Closed will resume for the seventh round on Friday at 1:00 p.m. CT and continue through June 29. Every round is streamed live on www.uschesschamps.com, with commentary, analysis and player interviews by GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman.