 Shankland Wins Final 2009 U.S. Chess Championship Spot
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"Meet Me in St. Louis," says a smiling IM Sam Shankland, 17, from the San Francisco suburb of Orinda, because that's where one of the new rising stars of the American chess scene is heading to after winning the U.S. State Champion of Champions title hosted online at the Internet Chess Club last Sunday.
In a pulsating East vs. West finale to a week-long series of qualifiers - that saw state champions from Alaska through California to Hawaii and from Maine down to New York, Tennessee, North Carolina and Texas come together in a unique online tournament - Shankland, the North California champion, beat 21-year-old NM Mackenzie Molner, the New Jersey champion, 3-2, after their match went to the wire of a final armageddon decider to determine the final spot in the 2009 U.S. Championship, hosted May 7-17 at the Scholastic Center and Chess Club of St. Louis.
The past year has proved to be a big breakthrough one for Shankland. His rating took a seismic leap from 2200 to over 2450 FIDE, he played in his first U.S. Championship, achieved the International Master title, and tied for first place and the bronze medal in the World Under 18 Championship in Vietnam. Now, he's been crowned the "U.S. State Champion of Champions" and will join an elite field of former U.S. Chess Champions in St. Louis that includes Gata Kamsky, Hikaru Nakamura, Alexander Onischuk, Alexander Shabalov, U.S. Hall of Famers Larry Christiansen and Joel Benjamin, and not forgetting defending champion Yury Shulman.
Click here for full results of the tournament
Click here to download games from the final
Chess Mastered: Avobian vs. Shulman
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Get set for Lake County's first Grandmaster Invitational, April 22-25, at Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino, as California's #1 player, Var Akobian, takes on reigning U.S. champion Yury Shulman in a top-billing $10,000 challenge match.
During the 4 days, the two top grandmasters will battle it out over a series of 16 games (6 rapid G30, followed by 10 x blitz 5 min). Games will start at 11:00 a.m. PST April 22-24, with the final day of blitz, April 25, starting at 12:00 p.m. PST.
ICC will also have full coverage each day of this intriguing $10,000 match-up.
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Tuesdays: Chess Talk with
IM John Watson
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Tune-in for Chess Talk with IM John Watson on ICC Chess.FM. John's weekly 60+ minute show will feature an interview with leading chess personalities. All shows run on demand for members after airing.
This week (Tue., April 7), returning to join John for part two of a special Chess Talk will be former three-time British champion and Scottish No.1, GM Jonathan Rowson.
After a period of nearly 60 years without a Scot winning the British championship title, Jonathan shot to fame on the back of three back-to-back titles from the period 2004 to 2006. He's also recognized as one of the world's top authors and writers on the game, with his first three books for Gambit Publications, Understanding the Grünfeld, The Seven Deadly Chess Sins and Chess for Zebras (see all three titles below in our store selection) being critically acclaimed.
Jonathan also writes a weekly chess column for The Herald in Scotland, and a popular columnist for New In Chess magazine, where he writes the Book Review column.
Latest Show Preview:
GM Jonathan Rowson - Part I 03.31.09
GM Jonathan Rowson - Part II 04.07.09
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Fischer World Champion! - Euwe & Timman - NEW EDITION
The acclaimed classic Fischer World Champion! conveys the full drama of the clash, both on and off the board. Here is the inside story of the bloody prelude, written by the late Max Euwe, at the time President of FIDE. Euwe's diplomatic skills and iron-will saved the match against incredible odds. Includes the original analysis of the games from the 1972 match by Grandmaster Jan Timman, one of the world's finest analysts.
Fischer World Champion! will let the reader relive one of the great moments in chess history.
Paperback, 190 pages.
Price:
$23.95 -
 Buy
now!
Seven Deadly Chess Sins, The - Jonathan Rowson
Everyone loses chess games occasionally, but all too often we lose a game due to moves that, deep down, we knew were flawed. Why do we commit these chess-board sins? Are they the result of general misconceptions about chess and how it should be played? And how can we recognize the warning signs better? In this thought-provoking and entertaining book, Johnathan Rowson investigates, in his inimitable style, the main reasons why chess-players sometimes go horribly astray, focusing on the underlying psychological factors.
Gambit Publications.
Price:
$24.95 -
Buy
now!
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Chess for Zebras - Jonathan Rowson
Rowson presents many new ideas on how Black should best combat White's early initiative, and make use of the extra information that he gains as a result of moving second. For instance, he shows that in some cases a situation he calls 'Zugzwang Lite' can arise, where White finds himself lacking any constructive moves.
He also takes a close look at the theories of two players who, in differing styles, have specialized in championing Black's cause: Mihai Suba and Andras Adorjan. Readers are also equipped with a 'mental toolkit' that will enable them to handle many typical over-the-board situations with greater success, and avoid a variety of psychological pitfalls.
256 pages (large-format).
Price:
$29.95 -
Buy
now!
Understanding the Grünfeld - Rowson
The Grünfeld has always been a popular choice with players who aim to counterattack with the black pieces. World Champions Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov head a distinguished cast of grandmasters who swear by its solid and yet dynamic nature. In this original book, Jonathan Rowson delves deeply into the Grünfeld, steering the reader through the mysteries and intricacies of this complex opening. Now you too will be able to understand, play and win with the Grünfeld!
240 pages.
Price:
$27.95 -
Buy
now!
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