Nakamura 2009 U.S. Chess Champion! |
By Jennifer Shahade | |
May 17, 2009 | |
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A beaming Hikaru Nakamura shortly after his Championship win. Photo Betsy Dynako
It couldn't have turned out more perfectly for Hikaru. Josh tried to mix things up, and Hikaru won in short order, finishing off with the pretty bishop retreat, 22.Bc1, trapping the queen. 3172 Tied for second place are GM Alexander Onischuk and GM-elect Robert Hess. Hess got the edge today against GM Varuzhan Akobian, but couldn't squeeze out a win, "If it weren't for 42...b5!," he told CLO, "I may have had chances." 3173 Onischuk played against his own student, 14-year-old IM Ray Robson. Onischuk managed to grind him down after 67 moves. 3174 Look for a final video recap, photos from the closing ceremony and more on CLO and uschesschamps.com. The video will include interviews with Nakamura and Hess. Check the standings here. |