US Chess Championship
Fabiano Caruana, the current US champion
Awarded forWinner of the US Championship
CountryUnited States
Presented byUnited States Chess Federation
History
First award1891
Most recentFabiano Caruana (2023)

The US Chess Championship is an invitational tournament organized by the United States Chess Federation to determine the country's chess champion.[1] It is the oldest national chess tournament.[2] The event originated as a challenge match in 1845, but the champion has been decided by tournament play under the auspices of the USCF since 1936.[2] The tournament has fluctuated between a round-robin tournament and a Swiss system. From 1999 to 2006, the championship was sponsored and organized by the Seattle Chess Foundation (later renamed America's Foundation for Chess) and featured a larger body of competitors, made possible by the change to a Swiss-style format. After the Foundation withdrew its sponsorship, the 2007 and 2008 events were held in Stillwater, Oklahoma, still as a Swiss system, under tournament director Frank K. Berry. Rex Sinquefield's Saint Louis Chess Club has hosted the championship since 2009. Since 2014, the championship has used a round-robin format.

As of 2023, twelve players are invited to compete: the reigning US champion, as well as the respective winners of the US Open Chess Championship, the US Junior Championship, and the US Senior Open Championship, with the remaining players chosen by highest invitational rating, in addition to wildcards chosen by the organizer.[3] Fabiano Caruana is the current US chess champion.

By acclamation (1845–1891)

YearsChampionNotes
1845–1857Charles StanleyDefeated Eugène Rousseau in a match in 1845
1857–1871Paul MorphyWon the first American Chess Congress in 1857
1871–1891George Henry MackenzieWon the 2nd, 3rd and 5th American Chess Congress

Match format (1891–1935)

George Henry Mackenzie died in April 1891 and, later that year, Max Judd proposed he, Jackson Showalter and S. Lipschütz contest a triangular match for the championship. Lipschütz withdrew so Judd and Showalter played a match which the latter won. A claim by Walter Penn Shipley that S. Lipschütz became US Champion as a result of being the top-scoring American at the Sixth American Chess Congress, New York 1889, is refuted in a biography of Lipschütz.[4] The following US Champions until 1909 were decided by matches.

YearWinnerLoserResultNotes
11891–92Jackson ShowalterMax Judd+7−4=3The final game was delayed until January 1892 because Judd was ill.
21892Samuel LipschützJackson Showalter+7−1=7
31894Jackson Showalter (2)Albert Hodges+7−6=4Prior to the last game the players agreed to extend the match. Many sources classify this as the first of two matches instead of one extended match.
41894Albert HodgesJackson Showalter+5−3=1Can be considered a match extension or a new match.
51895Jackson Showalter (3)S. Lipschütz+7−4=3
61896Jackson Showalter (4)Emil Kemény+7−4=4
71896Jackson Showalter (5)John Barry+7−2=4
81897Harry PillsburyJackson Showalter+10−7=3Pillsbury added to the conditions of the match : "... even if I should win, I shall leave Showalter the possession of his championship title".[5]
91898Harry Pillsbury (2)Jackson Showalter+7−2=2Contrary to the 1897 match, the title of US champion was clearly at stake in 1898.[6]
101909Frank MarshallJackson Showalter+7−2=3Title reverted to Showalter after Pillsbury's death in 1906.
111923Frank Marshall (2)Edward Lasker+5−4=9Marshall declined to play in the invitational tournament that began in 1936.

Round-robin format (1936–1998)

YearWinner(s)Notes
11936Samuel Reshevsky
21938Samuel Reshevsky (2)
31940Samuel Reshevsky (3)
-1941Samuel Reshevsky (4)Match victory over I.A. Horowitz
41942Samuel Reshevsky (5)An erroneous ruling by the director allowed Reshevsky to tie for first with Isaac Kashdan.[7]
Reshevsky won a playoff match against Kashdan 6 months later.
51944Arnold Denker
-1946Arnold Denker (2)Match victory over Herman Steiner
61946Samuel Reshevsky (6)
71948Herman Steiner
81951Larry Evans
-1952Larry Evans (2)Match victory over Herman Steiner
91954Arthur Bisguier
-1957Samuel Reshevsky (7)Match victory over Arthur Bisguier.

The title was not at stake, Bisguier remains champion.

101957/8Bobby FischerAt 14, the youngest champion ever
111958/9Bobby Fischer (2)
121959/0Bobby Fischer (3)
131960/1Bobby Fischer (4)
141961—62Larry Evans (3)
151962—63Bobby Fischer (5)
161963—64Bobby Fischer (6)The only perfect score in tournament history
171965—66Bobby Fischer (7)
181966—67Bobby Fischer (8)A record eighth win (out of eight attempts)
191968Larry Evans (4)
201969Samuel Reshevsky (8)
211972Robert ByrnePlayoff held 9 months after the tournament, with Byrne winning over Samuel Reshevsky and Lubomir Kavalek
221973Lubomir Kavalek
John Grefe
231974Walter Browne
241975Walter Browne (2)
251977Walter Browne (3)
261978Lubomir Kavalek (2)
271980Walter Browne (4)
Larry Christiansen
Larry Evans (5)
281981Walter Browne (5)
Yasser Seirawan
291983Walter Browne (6)
Larry Christiansen (2)
Roman Dzindzichashvili
301984Lev Alburt
311985Lev Alburt (2)
321986Yasser Seirawan (2)
331987Joel Benjamin
Nick de Firmian
341988Michael Wilder
351989Roman Dzindzichashvili (2)
Stuart Rachels
Yasser Seirawan (3)
361990Lev Alburt (3)Knockout tournament
371991Gata KamskyKnockout tournament
381992Patrick Wolff
391993Alexander Shabalov
Alex Yermolinsky
401994Boris GulkoThe only person to have held both the US and Soviet championships
411995Nick de Firmian (2)
Patrick Wolff (2)
Alexander Ivanov
421996Alex Yermolinsky (2)
431997Joel Benjamin (2)
441998Nick de Firmian (3)

Swiss format (1999–2013)

YearWinner(s)Notes
451999Boris Gulko (2)
462000Joel Benjamin (3)
Alexander Shabalov (2)
Yasser Seirawan (4)
472002Larry Christiansen (3)
482003Alexander Shabalov (3)
492005Hikaru NakamuraTournament was played in 2004, but called the 2005 Championship for legal reasons
502006Alexander Onischuk
512007Alexander Shabalov (4)
522008Yury Shulman
532009Hikaru Nakamura (2)
542010Gata Kamsky (2)Kamsky won an Armageddon tie-break playoff against Yury Shulman
552011Gata Kamsky (3)[8]
562012Hikaru Nakamura (3)Switched to a round-robin tournament for this year only
572013Gata Kamsky (4)Kamsky won an Armageddon tie-break playoff against Alejandro Ramírez

Round-robin format (2014–present)

YearWinner(s)Notes
582014Gata Kamsky (5)Kamsky won a playoff rapid against Varuzhan Akobian after Akobian qualified
by beating Aleksandr Lenderman on an Armageddon tie-break
592015Hikaru Nakamura (4)
602016Fabiano Caruana
612017Wesley SoWesley So won a rapid playoff against Alexander Onischuk
622018Samuel Shankland
632019Hikaru Nakamura (5)
642020Wesley So (2)Tournament held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hosted online via Lichess.
652021Wesley So (3)So won a rapid playoff against Fabiano Caruana and Samuel Sevian
662022Fabiano Caruana (2)
67 2023 Fabiano Caruana (3)

Players by number of championships

NameTotal VictoriesTournament VictoriesMatch VictoriesYears
Bobby Fischer8801957/8 1958/9 1959/0 1960/1 1962/3 1963/4 1965/6 1966/7
Samuel Reshevsky8801936 1938 1940 1941 1942 1946 1957 1969
Walter Browne6601974 1975 1977 1980 1981 1983
Larry Evans5501951 1952 1961/2 1968 1980
Gata Kamsky5501991 2010 2011 2013 2014
Hikaru Nakamura5502005 2009 2012 2015 2019
Jackson Showalter5051891–92 1894 1895 1896 1896
Yasser Seirawan4401981 1986 1989 2000
Alexander Shabalov4401993 2000 2003 2007
Lev Alburt3301984 1985 1990
Joel Benjamin3301987 1997 2000
Larry Christiansen3301980 1983 2002
Nick de Firmian3301987 1995 1998
Wesley So3302017 2020 2021
Fabiano Caruana3302016 2022 2023
Arnold Denker2201944 1946
Roman Dzindzichashvili2201983 1989
Boris Gulko2201994 1999
Lubomir Kavalek2201973 1978
Frank Marshall2021909 1923
Harry Pillsbury2021897 1898
Patrick Wolff2201992 1995
Alex Yermolinsky2201993 1996
Arthur Bisguier1101954
Robert Byrne1101972
John Grefe1101973
Albert Hodges1011894
Alexander Ivanov1101995
Samuel Lipschütz1011892
Alexander Onischuk1102006
Stuart Rachels1101989
Samuel Shankland1102018
Yury Shulman1102008
Herman Steiner1101948
Michael Wilder1101988

See also

Notes

  1. "FISCHER, SMYSLOV PLAY IN DEADLOOK; American and Russian Draw in 7th-Round Adjourned Game of Chess Event". New York Times. Bobby Fischer, United States chess champion, played to a draw with Vassily Smyslov of the Soviet Union in their seventh-round adjourned game in the challengers' tournament at Bled yesterday.
  2. 1 2 Soltis, Andy (2012). The United States Chess Championship, 1845–2011. US: McFarland. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-7864-6528-6.
  3. "The United States Chess Federation - US Chess Invitational Requirements". www.uschess.org. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  4. Davies, pp. 196–99
  5. Andrew Soltis, The United States Chess Championship, Second Edition, McFarland, 1997, p. 32.
  6. Andrew Soltis, The United States Chess Championship, Second Edition, McFarland, 1997, p. 33.
  7. In an objectively drawn endgame against Arnold Denker, the flag on Reshevsky's clock fell, which should have resulted in his losing on time. The tournament director Walter Stephens, who was standing behind the clock, flipped it around and, looking at Reshevsky's side of the clock (which he mistakenly thought was Denker's), announced "Denker forfeits!" He refused to correct his error, explaining, "Does Kenesaw Mountain Landis reverse himself?" William Lombardy and David Daniels, U.S. Championship Chess, David McKay, 1975, p. 22. ISBN 0-679-13042-X. Arnold S. Denker, My Best Chess Games 1929–1976, Dover, 1981, p. 121. ISBN 0-486-24035-5.
  8. Kamsky reigns supreme

References

  • Soltis, Andy; McCormick, Gene H. (1997). The United States Chess Championship 1845–1996 (2nd ed.). McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0248-2.
  • Isaac Kashdan (1933). History of the United States Chess Championship. Chess Review, November–December, 1933, reprinted in The Best of Chess Life & Review 1933–1960. ISBN 0-671-61986-1.
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