There were five tremendous fighting games out of six in this, the 9th round of the U.S. Chess Championship 2019. There are still two at the top and at least two or three breathing down on the finish line which may well be two rounds away. We’ll see.
[Event “US Chess Championship 2019”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “2019.03.29”]
[Round “9”]
[White “Robson, Ray”]
[Black “Nakamura, Hikaru”]
[Result “0-1”]
[PlyCount “110”]
[EventDate “2019.03.29”]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. O-O-O Rb8 11. Bb3 Na5 12. Bh6 Bxh6 13. Qxh6 b5 14. Nd5 Nxb3+ 15. Nxb3 e5 16. Nxf6+ Qxf6 17. h4 Rb6 18. h5 Qe7 19. hxg6 fxg6 20. Qe3 Be6 21. Rhf1 Rc6 22. f4 Qc7 23. Rd2 a5 24. Kb1 a4 25. Nc1 b4 26. Rdf2 exf4 27. Rxf4 Rc8 28. Rf6 Rxc2 29. Rxe6 Qc4 30. Ref6 a3 31. bxa3 bxa3 32. Qxa3 Rxc1+ 33. Rxc1 Qxe4+ 34. Kb2 Qe5+ 35. Rc3 Rb8+ 36. Kc2 Qxf6 37. Rf3 Qd4 38. Rb3 Qe4+ 39. Kc1 Qe1+ 40. Kc2 Qe2+ 41. Kb1 Qd1+ 42. Qc1 Rxb3+ 43. axb3 Qxb3+ 44. Ka1 Qa4+ 45. Kb2 Qb5+ 46. Ka1 Qc5 47. Qd2 h5 48. Kb1 Kg7 49. Qb2+ Qe5 50. Qb7+ Kh6 51. Kc1 d5 52. Kd1 Qe4 53. Qb2 Kg5 54. Qd2+ Kg4 55. Qh6 g5 0-1
Final Position
[Event “US Chess Championship 2019”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “2019.03.29”]
[Round “9”]
[White “Akobian, Varuzhan”]
[Black “Caruana, Fabiano”]
[Result “0-1”]
[PlyCount “98”]
[EventDate “2019.03.29”]
[SourceDate “2019.03.29”]
1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 6. Ne5 c5 7. g4 cxd4 8. exd4 Qb6 9. Na4 Qa5+ 10. c3 fxg4 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Nxg4 Nd7 13. Ne3 h5 14. Bd3 f5 15. b4 Qc7 16. Rc1 b6 17. Qe2 Kf7 18. Kd1 Nf6 19. Nb2 Bd7 20. c4 Rc8 21. Rc2 Qf4 22. cxd5 Bxb4 23. Bc4 exd5 24. Nxd5 Nxd5 25. Bxd5+ Kf6 26. Qe3 Bd6 27. Qxf4 Bxf4 28. Nd3 Bb8 29. Rxc8 Bxc8 30. Ke2 Re8+ 31. Kd2 Rd8 32. Rc1 Bxh2 33. Bf3 Be6 34. Rc6 Rd6 35. Rc1 Rxd4 36. Ke3 Rd8 37. Bxh5 Bxa2 38. f4 Bd5 39. Ne5 Rh8 40. Bf3 Rh4 41. Nd3 Rh3 42. Ne5 Be4 43. Rc8 Rh4 44. Nd3 Bg1+ 45. Ke2 Bxd3+ 46. Kxd3 Rxf4 47. Bb7 a5 48. Rf8+ Ke7 49. Rg8 Bc5 0-1
Final Position
[Event “US Chess Championship 2019”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “2019.03.29”]
[Round “9”]
[White “So, Wesley”]
[Black “Lenderman, Aleksandr”]
[Result “1-0”]
[PlyCount “119”]
[EventDate “2019.03.29”]
[SourceDate “2019.03.29”]
1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Be7 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. h3 Nf8 9. Qc2 Ne6 10. Bh4 g6 11. Nge2 Ng7 12. f3 O-O 13. O-O-O b5 14. g4 a5 15. Nf4 a4 16. Kb1 Ne6 17. Nce2 Nxf4 18. exf4 Bd7 19. f5 b4 20. Qc1 Ne8 21. Bg3 a3 22. b3 Bg5 23. Qc2 Bh4 24. Be5 f6 25. Bf4 gxf5 26. gxf5 Kh8 27. Rdg1 Qe7 28. Rg4 Bg5 29. Rhg1 Rc8 30. Qd2 Ng7 31. Bxg5 fxg5 32. Rxg5 Nxf5 33. Rh5 Rf6 34. Rgg5 Re8 35. Nc1 Ref8 36. Bc2 R8f7 37. Qf4 Qe3 38. Qb8+ Rf8 39. Qxb4 R6f7 40. Qxa3 Qxd4 41. Rg4 Qc3 42. Rf4 Ne3 43. Bxh7 Rxf4 44. Qd6 R8f7 45. Bd3+ Kg8 46. Rg5+ Rg7 47. Qxf4 Nd1 48. Rxg7+ Kxg7 49. Qh2 Qd4 50. Qd2 Nf2 51. Qg5+ Kf7 52. Bg6+ Kf8 53. h4 Nd1 54. Qd8+ Kg7 55. Qxd7+ Kxg6 56. Qg4+ Qxg4 57. fxg4 Ne3 58. g5 Nf5 59. a4 Nxh4 60. a5 1-0
Final Position
[Event “US Chess Championship 2019”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “2019.03.29”]
[Round “9”]
[White “Dominguez Perez, Leinier”]
[Black “Liang, Awonder”]
[Result “1-0”]
[PlyCount “119”]
[EventDate “2019.03.29”]
[SourceDate “2019.03.29”]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Qc2 Na6 10. a3 Bg4 11. Ne5 Bf5 12. b4 c5 13. cxd5 cxd4 14. Bxe4 Rc8 15. Nc6 Bxe4 16. Qxe4 bxc6 17. dxc6 Re8 18. Qf3 Qb6 19. Nd2 Rxc6 20. Nb3 Rc3 21. Qd1 d3 22. Bd2 Rc2 23. g3 Bf8 24. Qf3 Nc5 25. Be3 Qb7 26. Qxb7 Nxb7 27. Rfd1 Rc3 28. Nc1 a5 29. Rxd3 Rc2 30. Rd7 Nd6 31. Nd3 Nc4 32. Bf4 f6 33. bxa5 Nxa5 34. a4 Ra8 35. h4 Rc4 36. Be3 Nc6 37. Rc7 Bd6 38. Rd7 Bf8 39. Nb2 Rc2 40. Rb7 Nb4 41. Nd1 Rc6 42. Rb6 Rc7 43. Bf4 Rc2 44. Ne3 Rd2 45. Rb5 Rd7 46. a5 Nc6 47. Nc4 Nd4 48. Rb8 Ra6 49. Bd6 Ne6 50. Re8 Rdxd6 51. Nxd6 Rxd6 52. a6 Nc7 53. a7 Nxe8 54. a8=Q Nc7 55. Qc8 Ne6 56. Ra7 Nd8 57. h5 Rd4 58. Kg2 Rd6 59. h6 gxh6 60. Qc7 1-0
Final Position
[Event “US Chess Championship 2019”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “2019.03.29”]
[Round “9”]
[White “Shankland, Samuel L”]
[Black “Gareyev, Timur”]
[Result “1-0”]
[PlyCount “155”]
[EventDate “2019.03.29”]
[SourceDate “2019.03.29”]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 a5 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 d6 7. O-O Re8 8. Bc1 e5 9. a3 Bc5 10. dxc5 e4 11. cxd6 exd3 12. dxc7 Qxc7 13. Qxd3 Na6 14. b3 Nc5 15. Qc2 a4 16. Nbd2 axb3 17. Nxb3 Nxb3 18. Qxb3 Ra5 19. Bb2 Ne4 20. Rfd1 Be6 21. Rd4 Nc5 22. Qc2 Na4 23. Rc1 f6 24. h3 Bf5 25. Qb3 Nc5 26. Qd1 Be4 27. Nd2 Bc6 28. Bc3 Raa8 29. Bb4 Ne6 30. Rd6 Ng5 31. Qg4 Qf7 32. Rd1 h5 33. Qg3 Qg6 34. h4 Qc2 35. Re1 Ne6 36. e4 Rad8 37. Qb3 Qxb3 38. Nxb3 Rxd6 39. Bxd6 Rd8 40. Bb4 Ba4 41. Nd2 Kf7 42. Nf1 Rd4 43. c5 Nf4 44. f3 Nd3 45. Rb1 Bc2 46. Ra1 Ba4 47. Ne3 Nxb4 48. axb4 Rxb4 49. Nf5 Bc6 50. Ra8 g6 51. Nd6+ Ke6 52. Rg8 b6 53. Rxg6 bxc5 54. Nf5 Bxe4 55. fxe4 Rxe4 56. Ng3 Rxh4 57. Ne2 Rb4 58. Kf2 Kf5 59. Rg3 Rc4 60. Rf3+ Kg5 61. Ng1 Rc2+ 62. Kg3 h4+ 63. Kh2 Rc4 64. Nh3+ Kg6 65. Nf4+ Kf5 66. Nd5+ Kg5 67. Nxf6 Rd4 68. Nh7+ Kh6 69. Nf8 Rd6 70. Rf7 Rc6 71. Nd7 c4 72. Ne5 Rc5 73. Ng4+ Kg6 74. Rf2 c3 75. Ne3 Rg5 76. Rc2 Rc5 77. Nd1 Kg5 78. Rxc3 1-0
Final Position
Images Courtesy Of Derrick Bartotto
