It was a rest day in the men’s division of the 2021 US Chess Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, so we’ll take a peek at what’s happening at the women’s division which is running simultaneous with the men’s competition.
Like in the men’s division, there are twelve players in the distaff division. They are, in accordance with their seedings, the following: GM Irina Krush (2429), IM Anna Zatonskih (2422), IM Carissa Yip (2402), IM Nazi Paikidze (2374), WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (2344), WGM Katerina Nemcova (2331), WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (2322), WGM Anna Sharevich (2276), WIM Ashritha Eswaran (2244), WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor (2205), FM Thalia Cervantes Landeiro (2175) and WIM Megan Lee (2211).
After four rounds of play, Yip and Nemcova are pacing the pack with 3 points apiece, chased by Eswaran and Cervantes Landeiro who each has 2½ points. So far, the underdogs are holding their own against the rating favorites, with Yip demolishing top seed Krush in Round 4 and Eswaran beating 2nd seed Zatonskih right in the opening round.
The standings after Round 4: 1-2. Yip, Nemcova, 3; 3-4. Eswaran, Cervantes Landeiro, 2½; 5-8. Paikidze, Lee, Krush, Tokhirjonova, 2; 9-10. Sharevich, Foisor, 1½; 11-12.Zatonskih, Abrahamnyan, 1.
Eswaran,A (2244)-Sharevich,A (2276) [B45]
Saint Louis (1.1) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g3 Bd7 7.Nde2 Nf6 8.Bg2 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.h3 Rc8 11.b3 Ne5 12.a4 Bc6 13.f4 Ned7 14.Nd4 Qa5 15.Bb2 Rfd8 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Qe1 Qb6+ 18.Kh2 e5 19.Nd1 Re8 20.Nf2 Bf8 21.Qc3 Qb8 22.Nd3 exf4 23.Rxf4 Ne5 24.Nxe5 dxe5 25.Rf5 Re6 26.Rd1 Rce8 27.Qe1 g6 28.Rf3 Bg7 29.Bf1 Rd6 30.Bc4 Rxd1 31.Qxd1 Rd8 32.Qe2 h5 33.Bc1 Rd7 34.Qf1 Nxe4 35.Rxf7 Rxf7 36.Qxf7+ Kh7 37.Bd3 Qb4 38.c3 Qxc3 39.Bxe4 Qxc1 40.Qxg6+ Kg8 41.Qe8+ Bf8 42.Qe6+ Kh8 43.Qxe5+ Kg8 44.Qe6+ Kh8 45.Qf6+ Kg8 46.Qg6+ Bg7 47.h4 Qb2+ 48.Kh3 Qxb3 49.Qe8+ Bf8 50.Qxh5 Bg7 51.Qe8+ Bf8 52.Bf5 Qb7 53.Bd7 c5 54.Qg6+ Bg7 55.Qe6+ Kh7 56.Bc6 Qb8 57.Be4+ Kh8 58.Qg6 Kg8 59.Bd5+ 1-0
Nemcova,K (2331)-Zatonskih,A (2422) [D00]
Saint Louis (1.3) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Ne5 0-0 6.Nd2 c5 7.c3 b6 8.h4 Qc7 9.h5 Nc6 10.Nxc6 Qxc6 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.f4 a5 13.Qf3 Ba6 14.Bxa6 Rxa6 15.h6 g6 16.e4 Qe7 17.e5 Nd7 18.0-0 Ra7 19.Rad1 f6 20.exf6 Nxf6 21.Rde1 cxd4 22.cxd4 Qd6 23.Re5 Re7 24.Rfe1 Nd7 25.Rg5 Rxf4 26.Qg3 Ref7 27.Nf3 Nf8 28.Ne5 R7f6 29.Nd3 R6f5 30.Rxf5 Rf1+ 31.Rexf1 1-0
Lee,M (2211)-Krush,I (2429) [B48]
Saint Louis (1.6) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qf3 Nf6 8.0-0-0 h5 9.Nxc6 dxc6 10.Qg3 e5 11.Bd4 Nd7 12.h4 b5 13.a3 g6 14.Be3 Be7 15.Be2 Nf6 16.Bg5 a5 17.Qe3 b4 18.Nb1 Ng4 19.Bxg4 Bxg4 20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.Rd3 Be6 22.g3 c5 23.Qg5 c4 24.Qxe5 f6 25.Qb5+ Kf7 26.Rf3 c3 27.axb4 cxb2+ 28.Kxb2 Rhb8 29.Qg5 0-1
Cervantes Landeiro,T (2175)-Foisor,S-F (2205) [D31]
Saint Louis (3.1) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 Nf6 6.e3 Bd6 7.Bg5 Be6 8.Bd3 Nbd7 9.Qc2 h6 10.Bh4 c6 11.Nge2 Qc7 12.Bg3 Bxg3 13.Nxg3 0-0 14.0-0 Qd6 15.Na4 Rfe8 16.Nc5 Nxc5 17.dxc5 Qe5 18.h3 Rad8 19.Ne2 Bc8 20.Nd4 Ne4 21.Bxe4 dxe4 22.Ne2 Rd5 23.b4 Qe7 24.Rad1 Rg5 25.Nf4 Re5 26.Rd6 Be6 27.Rfd1 Kh7 28.Nxe6 Rxe6 29.Rd7 Qg5 30.Rxf7 Rg6 31.g3 Qh5 32.Rdd7 Qxh3 33.Qb2 Qg4 34.Qd4 h5 35.Rf4 Qh3 36.Rd8 Ree6 37.Rd6 Rxd6 38.cxd6 Qd7 39.Rf7 Qxd6 40.Rxg7+ Kh6 41.Qxd6 Rxd6 42.Rxb7 Rd1+ 43.Kg2 Ra1 44.Rb6 Rxa2 45.Rxc6+ Kg5 46.Rc5+ Kg4 47.Re5 Ra4 48.Rxe4+ Kf5 49.Rh4 Kg5 50.Kf3 Kg6 51.Rc4 Kf7 52.Rh4 Kg6 53.g4 hxg4+ 54.Rxg4+ Kf5 55.Rh4 Ke6 56.Rh5 Rxb4 57.Rh6+ Kf5 58.Rxa6 Rb5 59.e4+ Kg5 60.Ra3 Rc5 61.Rd3 Rc2 62.Rd5+ Kh4 63.Ke3 Ra2 64.f3 Ra8 65.Kf4 Rf8+ 66.Rf5 Ra8 67.Rf7 Kh3 68.Kf5 Kg3 69.f4 Ra4 70.Rb7 Ra8 71.Rb3+ Kh4 72.Rb6 Kg3 73.e5 Rf8+ 74.Rf6 Ra8 75.Kg6 Kg4 76.e6 Ra7 77.Rf7 Ra6 78.f5 Kf4 79.Kg7 Ke5 80.e7 Ra8 81.Rf8 Ra7 82.f6 Ke6 83.Kg6 1-0
Yip,C (2402)-Krush,I (2429) [B12]
Saint Louis (4.3) 2021
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.0-0 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Ne7 10.Qa4+ Nc6 11.c4 dxc4 12.Qxc4 Be7 13.Nc3 0-0 14.f4 h6 15.Rfd1 Qa5 16.Rd7 Rfc8 17.Qb5 Bb4 18.Rc1 Bxc3 19.Rxc3 Qxb5 20.Bxb5 Be4 21.Bf1 Nb4 22.Rxc8+ Rxc8 23.Rd4 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Ne6!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Rd6/b2 2.Nxg5#; 1…Bxe3 2.Nxf6#; 1…Kxe3 2.Qd4#.
