Opening Ceremony and Pairings 4th January 2002

Welcome to Seattle!

Seattle, The Emerald City. Known for the Space Needle, Puget Sound, Microsoft, Starbucks and John Henderson's beloved Seattle Mariners (who lost to the New York Yankees this year) is now being known as home for something else, the United States Chess Championship, sponsored by the Seattle Chess Foundation and their array of successful corporate sponsors. This year's format brings together 44 men and 12 women from all over the United States to compete in a nine round swiss tournament from January 5th-13th of 2002. For the first time in US Championship history, the men's and women's events will be combined into one tournament, although both a men's and women's champion will be crowned. To select the 56 players, the top 20 were seeded by rating, and then another 36 were qualified from three events held over the course of the 2001 year in Boston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. This has created a curious mix of US Championship first timers and veterans. Looking at the lineup, over half of participants are playing in their first US Championship. This is counterbalanced by the presence of GM Joel Benjamin, playing in his 20th consecutive championship. Only time will tell if the experience of all those national championships will help Joel defend his title as US Champion, and 2001 Co-Champions Alexander Shabalov and Yasser Seirawan will no doubt have their say, especially with Yasser the USCF and FIDE rating favorite. Of the women competing as well for the US Women’s Championship, Camilla Baginskaite and Elina Groberman are here to defend against a very dangerous group of talented women. While there is no doubt in the talent of the women competing, there is great concern about their lack of experience in such a strong field. No doubt a select group of them will rise to the occasion and turn in a great performance.

On today’s agenda was the player's meeting. Among the speakers was IA Carol Jarecki, the perennial arbiter of the US Championship, to clarify all the rules, especially with regards to the use of increment in a US Championship and the issue of the electronic boards and their sensitivity. Remember boys and girls, if you are playing on an electronic board, after the game, do not move the pieces! Oddly enough, several players did not attend the meeting, giving their Round 1 opponents the extra concern of preparing for an opponent who might not even show up. This could end up greatly changing the face of the event, if players are replaced, or if the field is reduced. Of course, this will all prove irrelevant if everyone shows up for Round 1. At the moment, everyone who is not yet in Seattle is believed to be en route.

The player's meeting.

The other two speakers were two of the great forces behind the Seattle Chess Foundation, now hosting its second US Championship. Michelle Anderson, Executive Director of the Seattle Chess Foundation and Erik Anderson, President of the SCF, both gave some background on the organization, its mission, and the goals and dreams of the US Championship as the cornerstone of a program to improve chess and the minds of young people all over the world. Since this is only the second year of a ten year commitment to run and host the US Championship, one must wonder how successful these events will be, not just in 2003 and 2004, but in 2010 as well.

My initial impression of this event is that the SCF is organizing a truly world class event. They have managed to find a fantastic location in the center of one of the most picturesque locations and popular tourist attractions in downtown Seattle, if not the entire northwest. The SCF no doubt wanted a great site to host a high profile chess event, and already the great buzz that they are generating for it bodes well for things to come here in the United States for chess. What I will try to do over the next nine days is bring you a glimpse of Seattle, in-depth analysis of this tournament and the games played here, the stories going on in the front lines and behind the scenes, and some pictures to show you how this event looks through the eyes of my trusty digital camera. An infinite amount of thanks go to everyone at TWIC, specifically Malcolm Pein and Mark Crowther for giving me the opportunity and ability to witness this event and share it with you. If there’s anything you would love to see in these daily reports, e-mail me!

Now to the chess…

Round 1 Pairings:

GM  Yasser Seirawan (2644)       - FM  Yury Lapshun (2384)
FM  Stanislav Kriventsov (2415)  - GM  Boris Gulko (2601)
GM  Gregory Kaidanov (2596)      - IM  Jesse Kraai (2442)
IM  William Paschall (2422)      - GM  Joel Benjamin (2593)
GM  Alexander Shabalov (2606)    - IM  Mladen Vucic (2396)
WGM Elena Donaldson (2393)       - GM  Larry Christiansen (2571)
GM  Alexander Ivanov (2578)      - FM  Slava Mikhailuk (2447)
IM  Mikhail Zlotnikov (2358)     - GM  Nick de Firmian (2536)
GM  Dmitry Gurevich (2544)       - IM  Larry Kaufman (2400) 
    Aaron Pixton (2432)          - GM  Alex Stripunsky (2542)
GM  Alex Yermolinsky (2574)      - FM  Alex Kaliksteyn (2378)
FM  Donny Ariel (2367)           - GM  Sergei Kudrin (2524)
GM  Gregory Serper (2558)        - WIM Camilla Baginskaite (2357)
IM  Anthony Saidy (2373)         - GM  Alexander Fishbein (2497)
GM  John Fedorowicz (2517)       - IM  Guillermo Rey (2346)
WIM Jennifer Shahade (2302)      - GM  Gennady Sagalchik (2531)
FM  Igor Foygel (2474)           -     Matthew Hoekstra (2211)
WIM Tsagaan Battseteg (2261)     - IM  Boris Kreiman (2493)
FM  Levon Altounian (2442)       - FM  Josef Friedman (2154)
WIM Anna Hahn (2231)             - IM  John Donaldson (2450)
IM  Igor Ivanov (2470)           - WIM Esther Epstein (2194)
    Cindy Tsai (2197)            - GM  Walter Browne (2450)
FM  Dmitry Schneider (2412)      - WFM Olga Sagalchik (2130)
    Vladimir Lipman (----)       -     Armen Ambarcumjan (2388) 
IM  Eugene Perelshteyn (2451)    -     Elina Groberman (2102)
    Chouchanik Airapetian (2068) - IM  Igor Khmelnitsky (2479)
FM  Vladimir Strugatsky (2431)   -     Anna Levina (2103)
    Hana Itkis (----)            - IM  Michael Mulyar (2427)

List of Participants:
GM  Yasser Seirawan        2644      
GM  Alexander Shabalov     2606 
GM  Boris Gulko            2601
GM  Gregory Kaidanov       2596  
GM  Joel Benjamin          2593 
GM  Alexander Ivanov       2578  
GM  Alex Yermolinsky       2574 
GM  Larry Christiansen     2571
GM  Gregory Serper         2558 
GM  Dmitry Gurevich        2544
GM  Alex Stripunsky        2542
GM  Nick de Firmian        2536
GM  Gennady Sagalchik      2531
GM  Sergei Kudrin          2524 
GM  John Fedorowicz        2517 
GM  Alexander Fishbein     2497
IM  Boris Kreiman          2493
IM  Igor Khmelnitsky       2479
FM  Igor Foygel            2474 
IM  Igor Ivanov            2470     
IM  Eugene Perelshteyn     2451 
GM  Walter Browne          2450
IM  John Donaldson         2450 
FM  Slava Mikhailuk        2447
FM  Levon Altounian        2442 
IM  Jesse Kraai            2442
    Aaron Pixton           2432   
FM  Vladimir Strugatsky    2431   
IM  Michael Mulyar         2427
IM  William Paschall       2422   
FM  Stanislav Kriventsov   2415 
FM  Dmitry Schneider       2412     
IM  Larry Kaufman          2400
IM  Mladen Vucic           2396
WGM Elena Donaldson        2393
    Armen Ambarcumjan      2388 
FM  Yury Lapshun           2384
FM  Alex Kaliksteyn        2378
IM  Anthony Saidy          2373
FM  Donny Ariel            2367
IM  Mikhail Zlotnikov      2358     
WIM Camilla Baginskaite    2357
IM  Guillermo Rey          2346 
WIM Jennifer Shahade       2302  
WIM Tsagaan Battseteg      2261 
WIM Anna Hahn              2231
    Matthew Hoekstra       2211
    Cindy Tsai             2197  
WIM Esther Epstein         2194
FM  Josef Friedman         2154
WFM Olga Sagalchik         2130
    Anna Levina            2103
    Elina Groberman        2102 
    Chouchanik Airapetian  2068 
    Hana Itkis             ---- 
    Vladimir Lipman        ----

You can reach John Fernandez via e-mail at jfernandez@jfern.com

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of TWIC, Chess & Bridge Ltd or the London Chess Center.