Press Release by John Henderson

2003 AF4C US Chess Championships, 9-18 January Northwest Rooms, Seattle.

Round 9 SHABBA-DABBA DOES IT!

In a dramatic finale to the AF4C US Chess Championships in Seattle, No.6 seed Alexander Shabalov won the top prize of $25,000 and the 2003 national title after a nerve-wracking final round of play.

Standing room only even for Walter Browne

With eight players tied for first on 5.5/8 going into the final round, a mass playoff for the title looked almost inevitable as six of the games ended in quick draws. However the playoff scenario for the overall title was avoided as the uncompromising Shabalov, regarded on the playing circuit as a chess 'street fighter' due to his will to win at all costs, overcame a bad position against 18 year old Varuzhan Akobian to fittingly win the last game left to be played in the tournament hall - and to the raptures of the many chess fans who had crammed into the playing hall to follow every move of the game.

Akobian resigning against Shabalov

The win gives Shabalov his first outright US title. In 1993 he shared the title with Alexander Yermolinsky, and in 2000 he shared a three-way tie for first with Yasser Seirawan and Joel Benjamin.

Shabalov, 35, from Pittsburgh, PA, was born in Riga, Latvia. As a youngster he was identified as a promising talent by winning the highly competitive Under 16 Championship of the Soviet Union in 1982. In 1988 he chose the career of being a professional player and became a grandmaster in 1991. Among his chess teachers were the late Mikhail Tal and Vladimir Bagirov. Because of political turmoil, Alex decided to move to America in 1992 and ended up in Pittsburgh where his wife obtained a medical residency.

AF4C US WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP GOES TO PLAYOFF

Jennifer Shahade

Despite one playoff being avoided in the overall championships, the three leading women players have to come back tomorrow to contest a playoff for the title and the $12,500 first prize. In the final round, defending champion Jennifer Shahade lost to IM Ben Finegold to finish on a score of 4.5/9. This allowed the 1998 champion Irina Krush, who drew her last round game against IM Eugene Perelshteyn, to catch up with her rival. And, with Anna Hahn beating Elina Groberman, she will now also join the two top US ladies for a three-way playoff for the title.

The playoff for the women's title will start at 1.30pm Pacific Time in the Northwest Rooms at the Seattle Centre, with free entry to spectators. Fans can also watch the excitement of the three-way playoff live over the internet at www.af4c.org.

ROUND NINE 1 GM Alexander Ivanov draw GM Gregory Kaidanov; 2 GM Alexander Stripunsky draw GM Boris Gulko; 3 GM John Fedorowicz draw GM Joel Benjamin; 4 GM Alexander Shabalov 1-0 IM Varuzhan Akobian; 5 IM Ben Finegold 1-0 WIM Jennifer Shahade; 6 GM Alexander Goldin 1-0 GM Alex Fishbein; 7 IM Ron Burnett draw GM Larry Christiansen; 8 GM Alex Yermolinsky draw IM Justin Sarkar; 9 GM Dmitry Gurevich 0-1 GM Yasser Seirawan; 10 IM Jesse Kraai 0-1 GM Nick De Firmian; 11 WGM Elena Donaldson draw GM Maurice Ashley; 12 IM Hikaru Nakamura 1-0 IM Greg Shahade; 13 FM Igor Foygel draw GM Gregory Serper; 14 IM John Donaldson 0-1 GM Gennadi Zaitshik; 15 FM Stephen Muhammad draw IM Boris Kreiman; 16 IM Eugene Perelshteyn draw WGM Irina Krush; 17 GM Anatoly Lein draw GM Walter Browne; 18 IM Larry Kaufman 1-0 WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg; 19 WIM Esther Epstein draw WIM Cindy Tsai; 20 IM Michael Mulyar draw GM Sergey Kudrin; 21 IM William Paschall 1-0 WGM Kamile Baginskaite; 22 David Pruess 0-1 IM Yury Lapshun; 23 IM Dean Ippolito draw IM John Watson; 24 FM Tegshsuren Enhbat 1-0 FM Gregory Markzon; 25 WIM Elina Groberman 0-1 WIM Anna Hahn; 26 FM Aaron Pixton 1-0 IM Stanislav Kriventsov; 27 Julia Shiber 1-0 WIM Olga Sagalchik; 28 Marc Esserman 1-0 FM Allan Bennett; 29 Anna Levina 0-1 WFM Laura Ross.

FINAL STANDINGS 1 Alexander Shabalov 6.5/9; 2-8 Gregory Kaidanov, Alexander Goldin, Boris Gulko, Joel Benjamin, Alexander Ivanov, Alexander Stripunsky, John Fedorowicz 6/9.

You can follow all 29 games live over the Internet at: http://www.af4c.org