“Yu be Yu” proved a winning formula as WGM Jennifer Yu, of Ashburn, Virginia, scored a sensational 10-1 to claim her first U.S. women’s national title. The 17-year-old Yu was so dominant that she clinched the title at the Chess Club of St. Louis with a round to spare last week, besting an exceptionally strong field by 2½.
The dynamic was very different in the Open event, with 31-year-old GM Hikaru Nakamura claiming his *fifth national title by edging two fellow members of the (relative) Old Guard: GMs Fabiano Caruana and Leinier Dominguez Perez, who made fine showing in his first U.S. championship try since officially switching federations from Cuba last fall.
Yu underscored the passing of the torch by beating the two of the most decorated women’s stars in the field, defeating seven-time women’s champ GM Irina Krush in Round 3 and clinching her title with a very nice win over four-time champ IM Anna Zatonskih seven rounds later.
In a QGD Slav, Zatonskih’s inaccurate 15. Rd1 0-0 16. Rd4?! (now Black can anchor her powerful bishop on b4; 16. a5!? Nc6 17. Rxd8 Qxd8 18. Nxe5 sees Zatonskih through such sharp lines as 18…Nb3!? 19. Nxc6 Nxc1 20. Nxd8 Nxe2+ 21. Kf1 Rxd8 22. Kxe2) sets the stage for a powerful Black tactical shot: 16…a5 17. h4 Nc5 18. Rxd8?! (Nxe5 Nb3! [fxe5? 19. Rxb4! axb4 20. Nxc5 Bd5 21. Bg5 Rd6 22. e4] 19. Nxc6 Qxc6 20. Qxc6 bxc6 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rb1 Nd4, with roughly equal chances) Qxd8 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. Nxe5? (better was 20. Bxe5 fxe5 21. e3 Qf6 22. Qc2 Bb4, with a slight Black edge) Bxf2+!.
White keeps material equal with 21. Kh2 (just bad for White is 21. Kxf2? fxe5 22. e3 exf4 23. exf4 Qd4+ 24. Qe3 Qxb2+) fxe5 22. Bxe5 Bd4, but Black’s bishops control a ton of vital squares and the White queen and rook are reduced to a spectator role.
White’s king pays the price in the finale: 27. Bf4 (Bxa5? leads to a ripping king hunt after 27…Qxg3+!! 28. Kxg3 Be5+ 29. Kg4 Be6+ 30. Kh5 g6+ 31. Kg5 Rf5+ 32. Kg4 h5+ 33. Kh3 Rf3 mate) Qb4 28. Bd2 Qe7 29. Bc3 (on 29. Ra3, Black dominates with 29…Re2! 30. Rxb3 Qxe2 31. Qh1 Qxd2) Be3 30. Qe1? (hastening the end, but bleak as well was 30. Bd2 Bxd2 31. Qxd2 Rf2 32. Rf1 Rxe2) Bf2! 31. Qd2 Bxg3+! 32. Kxg3 Qc7+ 33. Kg4 Be6+, and Zatonskih resigned facing 34. Kg5 (Kh5 Qf7+ 35. Kg5 h6 mate) h6+ 35. Kh5 Qf7 mate.
Nakamura’s undefeated 8-3 score included wins over several of the young guns, including GMs Ray Robson, Sam Sevian and — in the final-round, title-clinching game — 18-year-old Jeffery Xiong.
We pick up Xiong-Nakamura from today’s diagram, where Black is for choice as White’s big positional trumps — the command of the e-file and the strong e6-square — have been largely neutralized. White’s best now is likely 32. Re6+! Bxe6 (Kg7 33. Re7 goes nowhere) 33. dxe6 Ne5 34. Nd5+ Kg7 (Kxe6 35. Nc7+) 35. e7 Rc8 36. Nc7 Nf3+ 37. Kf1 axb3 38. axb3 Raa8 39. Nxa8 Rxa8 40. Rxd6 Kf7, with perhaps a slight edge for Black.
But Xiong maroons his own rook on the queenside, allowing Black to turn the tables: 32. Rb7? axb3 33. axb3 Rfa8 34. Ne3 Ra1 35. Kf1 Ne5 36. Rxa1 Rxa1+ 37. Ke2 Nf3 38. Nxf5 Kxf5!, and suddenly the White king finds himself in vicious mating net. After 39. Ke3 Re1+ 40. Kd3 Ne5+ 41. Kd2 Ra1 42. Ne6? (tougher was 42. Nd3 Ra3 43. Nc1 Ke4 44. Rb8, but Black is still clearly in charge) h6 43. Rb6 Ra3 44. Kc2 Ra2+ 45. Kd1 Nd3 46. Rxd6 Nxf2+ 47. Ke1 Nd3+ 48. Kd1 Ke4!, White’s king is in a box and his rook and knight can do nothing to help.
The wily veteran gives him young opponent no quarter in collecting the point: 49. Nc7 Nf2+ 50. Ke1 Kd3 51. Rxg6 Ne4 52. Kf1 Nxg3+ 53. Kg1 Ne2+ 54. Kh1 (Kf2 Nf4+) Ke3 55. Rf6 Ra1+ 56. Kg2 Rg1+ 57. Kh2 g3+ 58. Kh3 Rh1+, and White resigned as 59. Kg2 (Kg4 g2 and the pawn queens) Rh2+ 60. Kf1 g2+ 61. Ke1 Rh1+ 62. Rf1 gxf1=Q is mate.
The final scorecard in the Open section: Nakamura 8-3; Caruana, Dominguez Perez 7½-3½; Sevian, Wesley So 6-5; Samuel Shankland 5½-5½; Xiong, Awonder Liang 5-6; Alex Lenderman, Varuzhan Akobian, Timur Gareyev 4-7; Robson 3½-7½.
On the women’s side, it was Yu 10-1; Zatonskih, Tatev Abrahamyan 7½-3½; Annie Wang 7-4; Krush, Anna Sharevich, Asritha Eswaran 5-6; Carissa Yip 4½-6½; Maggie Feng, Sabina-Francesa Foisor, Akshita Gorti 4-7; Emily Nguyen 2½-8½.
Zatonskih-Yu, Round 10, U.S. Women’s National Championship, St. Louis, March 2019
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 f6 12. O-O Rd8 13. Qc1 Be6 14. Ne4 Bb4 15. Rd1 O-O 16. Rd4 a5 17. h4 Nc5 18. Rxd8 Qxd8 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. Nxe5 Bxf2+ 21. Kh2 fxe5 22. Bxe5 Bd4 23. Bf4 Qb6 24. Qc2 Bb3 25. Qc1 Qb4 26. Bd2 Qd6 27. Bf4 Qb4 28. Bd2 Qe7 29. Bc3 Be3 30. Qe1 Bf2 31. Qd2 Bxg3+ 32. Kxg3 Qc7+ 33. Kg4 Be6+ White resigns.
* Correction: The story has been updated to show that GM Hikaru Nakamura has won five national championships.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.