Shabalov, Hahn Win in Seattle
With a score of 6½ out of 9, GM Alexander Shabalov of
Pittsburgh is the new U.S. Chess Champion, finishing in first
place by a half point. Shabalov clinched the championship and the
$25,000 first place prize by winning in the final round against
wild card entry IM Varuzhan Akobian of Glendale. Tying for second
with 6-3each were GMs Gregory Kaidanov, Alexander Goldin,Boris
Gulko, Joel Benjamin, Alex Stripunsky, Alexander Ivanov, and John
Fedorowicz. Last year's champion, Larry Christiansen, tied
for 9th place with 5½ points.
Women's International Master Anna Hahn of New Jersey is
the new U.S. Women's Chess Champion. Hahn, defending U.S. Women's
Champion WIM Jennifer Shahade and 1998 U.S. Women's Champion IM
Irina Krush all scored 4½ points. In a shock result in the
playoff, underdog Hahn defeated both Krush and Shahade to win the
title of U.S. Women's Chess Champion for the first time.
Shahade's excellent performance was good enough for both
an IM norm and a Women's Grandmaster norm. She needs one more
norm to earn these titles. Stephen Muhammad and Igor Foygel both
earned their third and final International Master norms.
The U.S. Chess Championship was held January 9-18, 2003
at the Seattle Center in Seattle, WA. The tournament was a nine
round Swiss system tournament. One game was played each day, with
a rest day on January 14, where the players gave of their free
time to go into the community to help promote scholastic chess in
the Seattle area. The tournament was organized by America's
Foundation for Chess (AF4C). Major sponsorship for the
record-breaking prize fund of $253,000 on offer was provided by
the AF4C's president and co-founder Erik Anderson, Chiropractors
for a Healthy Mind and Body, and ChessMaster, the US's No.1
selling chess software program. For more information, visit
http://www.af4c.org/. -- USCF news release
Late news: CALTECHnically Won Tops Amateur Team
West
As we go to press, the Cal Tech team of Whee Ky Ma,
Eugene Yanayt, Eugene Perelshteyn and Howard Liu has taken first
place in the 20th Annual U.S. Amateur Team West with a score of
5½-½. Though initially ranked only 11th at 2070, the Cal Tech
stars played up in the last four rounds, and scored 3½ out of 4.
Ma also took the prize for best score on first board with 5½-½
(on tiebreak over IM Jack Peters). The Western champions will
participate in an on-line playoff with the other three regional
winners in March, and a full report on the tournament will appear
in our next issue.
Kasparov, Computer Tie
The first official Man v. Machine World Chess
Championship, held at the New York Athletic Club in New York
City between Grandmaster (GM) Garry Kasparov and the computer
Deep Junior, ended with a draw. Kasparov took the early lead in
the match with a quick victory in game one. Game two was a
draw, and Deep Junior tied the match with a win in game 3. Games
four and five were both draws. In game six, played on February
7, Kasparov equalized easily with the black pieces. On move 23
Kasparov played a thematic exchange sacrifice, giving up his rook
in exchange for a Knight and two pawns. The game was drawn by
agreement on move 28, leaving the match tied at 3-3.Â
"I had one item on my agenda today: not to
lose," said Kasparov after the match. "I'm quite
satisfied with this performance." Since neither Kasparov
nor Deep Junior was able to win the match, the championship
trophy will be kept in the FIDE office in Switzerland until the
next Man vs. Machine World Chess Championship, according to
World Chess Federation (FIDE) president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.Â
Kasparov is the highest rated chess player in the world
with a FIDE rating of 2847. In 1997 he played a six game match
against the IBM computer program, Deep Blue. In the most famous
chess match in history, Deep Blue defeated Kasparov by the
score of 3 ½ - 2 ½. The FIDE Man vs. Machine World Chess
Championship is Kasparov's first serious match against a computer
since his loss to Deep Blue.Â
Deep Junior, programmed by Amir Ban and Shay Bushinsky,
has won the world computer chess championship three times.
"It's very clear that Deep Junior is a stronger
program," Kasparov said when asked to compare Deep Junior
with Deep Blue. "Deep Junior is the best program ever in
existence."
The match is sponsored by FIDE and X3D Technologies
Corporation and sanctioned by FIDE and the United States Chess
Federation. -- USCF news release
Deep Junior - GM Garry Kasparov
6th Match Game, New York 2003
SICILIAN DEFENSE, Najdorf Variation
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6.
Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Kh1 Bd7 10. Be3 Bc6 11. Bf3 Nbd7
12. a4 b6 13. Qd3 Bb7 14. h3 Rc8 15. Rad1 h6 16. Rfe1 Qc7 17.Â
g3 Rfd8 18. Kh2 Re8 19. Re2 Qc4 20. Qxc4 Rxc4 21. Nd2 Rc7 22. Bg2
Rec8 23. Nb3 Rxc3 24. bxc3 Bxe4 25. Bc1 Bxg2 26. Kxg2 Rxc3 27.
Ba3 Ne8 28. f4 f6 draw